Does an early exit from T20 World Cup point to larger issues in New Zealand cricket?

Even after wins against Uganda and Papua New Guinea respectively, New Zealand have been eliminated from the T20 World Cup thanks to losses against Afghanistan and West Indies. They finished third in Group C with 4 points which wasn’t enough for them to qualify as West Indies topped the group with 8 points while Afghanistan finished second with 6 points. This will be the first time since T20 World Cup 2014 that the Black Caps will not feature in the knockout stages of the competition.

Though the two wins in their final two games might soften the blow a bit, still where does New Zealand go from here? Despite being a fine team for the last 4 decades, New Zealand’s trophy cabinet isn’t as impressive as it should be. Their only ICC white-ball trophy triumph came back in 2000 with the Champions Trophy in Nairobi. There are no memories of big title wins that the next generation can tap into.

Players like  Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe and Brendon McCullum have had a lasting influence on the game but it never brought a great level of success for the Black Caps. Now with many of their supposed ‘golden generation’ players like Kane Williamson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult nearing their retirement, the question arises that who is capable of leading this team to international success in the future?

Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell could be termed leaders-in-the-making but they won’t take your breath away with the bat. Rachin Ravindra has great potential but there is still a long way to go before he can be termed as a leader. Their bowling department would also need to fill in the big shoes of Southee and Boult. The ones who can be trusted to do so are Lockie Ferguson and James Neesham, however right now they are nowhere near the level of their predecessors.

That is the reason why this elimination may trigger much more than a transition all cricket sides undergo after a debilitating low. It may look like a normal elimination from a T20 tournament, but in reality it feels like New Zealand cricket is left standing on crossroads. 

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