Christchurch, Feb 8 (IANS) New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor Sunday exuded optimism about his team's chances for the World Cup, having hit upon a rich vein of form in the build-up to the mega tournament by beating sub-continental powerhouses Sri lanka and Pakistan.
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka 4-2 in a seven-match series and then defeated Pakistan 2-0 in a two-match series to emerge as one of the early contenders for the World Cup they are co-hosting with Australia.
"Everyone's going in with a bit of form. The batters and bowlers, and the way we've fielded has been outstanding and got better as the series went on," Taylor was quoted as saying by nzherald.co.nz Sunday.
New Zealand's final World Cup preparations start with a practice match against Zimbabwe Monday followed by another tune-up game against South Africa Wednesday at the Hagley Oval ground.
Taylor said his team was itching to get going and continue with the same momentum they have gained playing against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
"Talking to a few of the players, it would be nice to get straight into it without the warm-ups, to be honest," the experienced batsman said.
"But it is what it is. The boys have been playing good cricket for a while. Come February 14, a lot of hard work will have gone in and we'll see how we go. I'm very excited at having the World Cup in our own back yard."
New Zealand take on Sri lanka in the curtain-raising match of the competition Feb 14.
Modi government's 'digital strike' on fake news, 8 YouTube channels blocked
Fake news has become the biggest challenge for the government in this era of social media. The Mi
Tirupati Devasthanam controversy is becoming a new weapon to settle old rivalries between the big
Missionaries of Charity calls RSS chief 'misinformed'
Kolkata, Feb 24 (IANS) Missionaries of Charity Tuesday described RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat as "uni
India vs Pakistan: World Cup History
Adelaide, Feb 12 (IANS) The World Cup may start Feb 14 bu
Gautam Adani, the owner of Adani Group, has become Asia's second-richest businessman. His total a
Land acquisition: CAG raps Odisha government over rehabilitation
Bhubaneswar, Feb 13 (IANS) The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has rapped the Odisha gove
Eight Congress MLAs suspended from Rajasthan Assembly
Jaipur, March 3 (IANS) The Rajasthan assembly on Tuesday witnessed uproarious scenes on the iss
Kangana Ranaut's 'Dhaakad' seems to be dying at the box office. The film reached the ventilator o
The corona epidemic in the country has taken a macabre form. In the last 24 hours, 1 lakh 99 thou
The decrease in the speed of the rich leaving the country during the Corona period has once again
