NEW DELHI: In what is a huge blow for New Zealand, their journey in the
T20 World Cup
2024 came to a premature end, marking the first time since the 2014 edition when the
Blackcaps
will not feature in the semi-finals of a limited-overs World Cup.
This early end to the campaign comes on the back of New Zealand's consecutive defeats against Afghanistan and the West Indies in Group C, which eventually cost the Kiwis dear.
SEE ALSO: T20 WORLD CUP 2024 Schedule | Points Table
Afghanistan's seven-wicket victory over Papua New Guinea in Trinidad on Thursday ended the faint hopes New Zealand had of advancing further in the tournament. Co-hosts West Indies joined the Afghans as the two teams to progress to 'Super 8s' from Group C.
Ahead of the T20 World Cup, the New Zealand squad did not have a warm-up match. Additionally, the participation of some of the key NZ players in the Indian Premier League (
IPL) meant they missed out on the tour to Pakistan, which possibly impacted their preparation for the tournament.
While the reasons behind New Zealand's early elimination are multifaceted, the potential disruption caused by players' IPL commitments has been highlighted by Pakistani media outlets as the contributing factor.
One journalist wrote on 'X', "New Zealand had a great chance to prepare themselves for World Cup 2024 on Pakistan tour but their main players choose IPL and now they are out of the World Cup."
"Send C teams to tours, prefer money & IPL & never play together for World Cup preparation. Sorry but KW & NZ deserve this situation," posted another journalist, mentioning skipper
Kane Williamson
's initials.
Reacting to this, former New Zealand pacer
Mitchell McClenaghan
wrote on his 'X' account: "Very poor take. You lost games to our C side, Ireland and the USA."
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