Kiwis turn sights on struggling England
New Zealand will put a nervous finish against Scotland behind them and focus on making it three out of three at the World Cup when they face England in Wellington on Friday.
Reckless batting turned what should have been a straightforward pursuit of 143 into a jittery three-wicket win over the Scots at University Oval.
A clinical and aggressive effort in the field – mirroring their authority from the opening win over Sri Lanka – was followed by a chase that was paced at six runs an over but lacked control.
Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum was relieved to come through a scare and maintain the momentum built by 10 wins from their last 12 one-day internationals.
“We showed glimpses with the bat but we have to improve. We definitely showed nerves towards the end,” he said.
“I’m pleased with the result and we’ll take the points from the game but England will be a challenge – they’re hurting, they’ll be tough to beat and we’ll have to play incredibly well.”
The English have had time to stew over their 111-run loss to Australia in Melbourne on Saturday.
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A second loss will put them in a scrap for the quarter-finals with the likes of Sri Lanka and Scotland, whose bowling performance and character gave them cause for confidence.
Captain Preston Mommsen lamented an inability to strike the killing blow over the closing overs as Nos.8 and 9 Daniel Vettori and Adam Milne steered New Zealand home in uncomfortable fashion.
“I was confident that they would try to knock the runs off quickly and I knew that could provide opportunities, and it did,” Mommsen said.
Their next game is also against England, in Christchurch on Monday.
