Cricket World Cup 2023: Top 5 New Zealand players to watch out for

The 13th edition of the ICC Men's World Cup is going to start on October 5 with New Zealand facing England. Kane Williamson-led NZ will be expected to perform well on Indian soil. ETV Bharat picks five players from the team that have the stats and the ability to break the Kiwis World Cup jinx.

Hyderabad:The New Zealand cricket team is known for its explosive game and never-say-die attitude. The players of this team never give up on the field, due to which we usually see Kiwis playing in knockout matches in almost every major ICC tournament.

New Zealand is playing its first match with England on 5 October at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Before this match, let's have a look at New Zealand's five players which are expected to do well in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.

• Kane Williamson

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is going to be the most important player for the team in this World Cup. Williamson is known for his consistent batting. He plays the role of an anchor in the team and plays long innings. Williamson takes over the team after the fall of the initial wicket and then sets on the pitch and takes the innings forward.

He has made a comeback after an injury in this World Cup. He is also part of the 'Fab Four' with Virat Kohli, Joe Root and Steve Smith. Williamson got injured in the first match of the IPL 2023 and remained away from the game until the warm-up match against Pakistan on September 29 in which performed well scoring an unbeaten 54 runs with 8 fours in 50 balls before leaving the ground by calling himself retired hurt.

Williamson's record in ODI cricket tells how important he is for the team. He has scored 6555 runs in 161 ODI matches with the help of 13 centuries and 42 half-centuries with an excellent average of 47.85 and a healthy strike rate of 80.99.

• Ish Sodhi

New Zealand's leg spinner Ish Sodhi can emerge as a major player for the team in the World Cup 2023. He will be the go-to bowler for the captain during the middle overs considering the Indian conditions and the pitches which have historically suited spinners.

Sodhi is known for flighted deliveries and can consistently bowl on the spot to exploit the pitch conditions. He also claims wickets with his googly which he uses as a surprise delivery every now and then. He also has some other variations in his armoury including top spinner, flipper, and classic leg break.

So far, he has taken 61 wickets in 46 innings of 49 ODI matches for New Zealand with an economy of 5.46. His best performance is 6 wickets for 39 runs.

• Trent Boult

The left-arm pacer Trent Boult can take the wickets for the team upfront. He also wreaks havoc with his fast yorker in the death overs. Even star batters are seen kneeling before Boult's swing bowling.

New Zealand team management brought him into the squad for the World Cup even after he denied the central contract. Boult also has a lot of experience in bowling on Indian pitches. No Indian can forget his spell against India in the 2019 World Cup semifinals.

Boult has taken 197 wickets for New Zealand in 104 ODI matches with an excellent economy of 4.94. He is only 3 wickets away from completing his 200 ODI wickets.

• Mitchell Santner

New Zealand spin-bowling all-rounder Mitchell Santner can turn the match single-handedly in the team's favour with his bowling and can play some crucial innings with the bat as well.

On Indian pitches, Santner can be more dangerous. He also has a lot of experience bowling on Indian pitches as he has good IPL experience under his belt. Apart from the ball, Santner has also played brilliant innings with the bat on important occasions for the team. Santner has taken 91 wickets in 94 matches for New Zealand with an excellent economy of 4.87, while he has scored 1252 runs with the bat with 3 half-centuries.

• Devon Conway

Left-hand wicketkeeper batter Devon Conway can also prove to be a key player for New Zealand. Conway usually opens the innings and plays aggressively. He plays spin bowling brilliantly which will help him to score a lot of runs in India where you get turning pitches on most occasions.

Conway has played many explosive innings for Chennai in the IPL. So far, he has scored 874 runs for New Zealand in 22 ODI matches with 4 centuries and 3 half-centuries. During this period, his average has been 46 while his strike rate has been 85.51.