It looks like New Zealand took their close encounter against Scotland to heart. Sadly for the England team, they had to be at the receiving end of outright dominance and annihilation. The Kiwi’s dictated almost every moment of the match. The spectators paid for an entire day’s play that ended quicker than the time it takes to play one innings. The match only took as long as it did because cricket is a game in which the rules are taken very seriously. Therefore, to put salt on the wounds of the England team, supper break was taken when New Zealand only needed 12 runs to win. The Englishmen had to wait for almost 45 minutes before they dragged their feet on the field just to be humiliated again. Even though the match ended much sooner than everyone expected, the fans got more entertainment than they anticipated. England was absolutely crushed by Tim Southee when they won the toss and chose to bat first. A 7 wicket haul is an achievement very few bowlers in the world can be proud of. Southee has rightfully carved his place amongst them. If this was not enough, it was followed by an onslaught by the Kiwi captain Brendon McCullum who scored 77 runs off just 25 balls. He also managed to make the fastest half-century in a World Cup in 18 balls. His innings was like watching highlights but live. If anyone still considers New Zealand to be underdogs in this tournament like they always have been in the past, their performance yesterday should remove those doubts.
–Shaan Tahir
shantahir@gmail.com