Guyana [West Indies], June 4 (ANI): New Zealand head coach Gary Stead admitted that the team has been working to adjust to the timezone as they continue to prepare for their opening game of the T20 World Cup against Afghanistan.
New Zealand are one of the teams who will have a late start to their campaign. They will be looking to gather more intel about the Guyana pitch before the opening clash.
But as they try to strengthen their squad for the clash, the Kiwis have struggled to get some time in training sessions due to rain. According to ESPNcricinfo, the New Zealand team has managed two full training sessions.
Some of the New Zealand players were involved in the Indian Premier League playoffs and linked up with the team late which has led to some players going through jetlag.
“You don’t always get ideal [situations] when people are coming from all over the world. And one of the things we have found here is jetlag probably hits you a little bit hard. I know a number of people have been up in the middle of the night, which isn’t great for your preparation, but thankfully we have enough time leading in being the 14th game of the tournament that guys can sort that out,” Stead told reporters as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
Stead went on to reveal that New Zealand’s 15-player squad is fully fit. Hard-hitting opener Finn Allen regained his fitness after sustaining a back injury that ruled him out of the Pakistan series.
“He’s progressing well, has taken a full part in training so at this stage, touch wood, we are 100 per cent with no injuries,” he said.
Stead and his team must have kept an eye on how the game between Afghanistan and Uganda unfolded. New Zealand will face Afghanistan on the same surface and he feels that there is enough bandwidth to put on a playing XI that can adapt to any surface.
“We’ve tried to select a group of guys who we think are adaptable and can adapt to the different roles and situations in the match. When you look at our squad it’s been the strength of a number of players in the past, working out what par is on any given pitch,” he added.
New Zealand T20 WC squad: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
Travelling Reserve: Ben Sears. (ANI)
