Lower-order muscle beefs up New Zealand

Three semi-final appearances - in 1975, 1992, and 1999 - have been the highlights of New Zealand's World Cup campaigns, but those moments have been offset by other ordinary displays, ensuring that their win-loss ratio of 1.21 (28 wins, 23 defeats) is only seventh among all teams. (Click here for New Zealand's stats in World Cups, and here for more detailed numbers on New Zealand.)

Going into their opening match of the 2007 edition, though, New Zealand will fancy their chances of improving upon their best performance - after all, in their last three ODIs, they put it across the Australians, blanking them 3-0 in the Chappell-Hadlee series, twice chasing more than 300. Though their record in their last 20 ODIs is a modest nine wins and ten defeats, those three victories against Australia should ensure they go into the first World Cup game with plenty of self-confidence.

The numbers on New Zealand's 20 most recent matches suggest that whether with bat or ball, they ensure a flurry of runs towards the end of the innings - in the last ten, they score at 7.30 per over, but get spanked at the rate of more than seven-and-a-half.

New Zealand's strength comes out clearly too - their batting in the middle and end overs. An average of nearly 40 runs per wicket at nearly five per over indicates excellent use of the overs between 21 and 40. Their opening act with the bat has been a bit of a worry, but Fleming and Lou Vincent might be getting that part right as well - in their last 11 innings together, they average 41.30 per dismissal, with one century and a half-century stand.

The next table also shows the depth in the New Zealand batting line-up. The presence of Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori and James Franklin ensures that opposition bowling attacks have plenty to do even after getting the top order out cheaply. In fact, in the ten stands Oram and McCullum have had together, they've managed two hundred and two fifty partnerships, and an incredible average stand of 63.25. McCullum has had prolific partnerships with McMillan too (285 runs at 57), while Oram has relished batting in the company of Daniel Vettori (256 runs in seven innings at 56).

Thanks to these lower-order acts, New Zealand's last five wickets have managed, on an average, nearly 126 runs.

In their recent matches, New Zealand's brightest star has been Oram. He has scored one hundred and two fifties in his last five innings, while the in-form Ross Taylor and Lou Vincent have considerably beefed up what has often been a brittle top-order batting line-up.

New Zealand's major worry has been their bowling in the slog overs. Though Shane Bond and Mark Gillespie - another recent find from the CB Series in Australia - have both been among the wickets at the death, they've leaked plenty of runs, as have most of the other bowlers. Which is why New Zealand have been taken for the most number of runs in the last ten overs since 2006.

While Bond will obviously have a huge role to play, New Zealand's performance will also depend to a large extent on how Daniel Vettori bowls his left-arm spinners during the middle overs. In their last 20 matches, he has been the outstanding bowler in the overs between 21 and 40, taking 16 wickets at 29.43 and an economy rate of just 3.89. With Jeetan Patel relishing the international stage as well (eight wickets at 25.25, at an economy rate of 4.73 in the middle overs), New Zealand now have enough variety in their attack to feel confident of conquering whatever the pitches and the conditions throw up in the Caribbean.