Cricket News: How does New Zealand maintain itself as the favourite for every World Cup?

The new hypothesis now states, whatever the format: don't underestimate Kiwis. But what makes New Zealand such a strong side and favourites to win in world cups? Here are three important reasons.

All format rulers with the capability to emerge from being dark horses to the finalist 

From One-day Cricket world cups to T20 World cups to World Test Championships, the Kiwis have been backed to perform exceptionally well at every ICC event for over a decade but are rarely considered serious contenders as they should be. Ranked fifth in the T20I rankings, Kane Williamson, is deemed to be a dark horse of such marquee events. This is mainly due to the fact they have been able to reach the semi-final and finals of ICC events for white ball format multiple times. ICC Men's cricket world cup runner ups in 2019, semi-finalists and finalists for ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2016 and 2021, respectively, and winners of the World Test Championship, New Zealand has conquered ICC events graciously. 

A calm skipper and in-form bowlers

After Mahendra Singh Dhoni, if any skipper has impressed everyone with calm composure in challenging situations, it is Kane Williamson. He has proved himself to be an exceptional leader, leading his side in all three formats and taking them on the verge of winning many titles across different formats. 

The calm skipper is well supported by the penetration abilities in the bowling department. From the terrific pacer duo of Tim Southee and Trent Boult to the spin pair of Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner, their bowling attack has stunned batters on many occasions. 

Best fielding team

Devon Conway's superman catch to Daryl Mitchell's full stretch dive above ropes is one of the most memorable fielding events from the last world cup to prove that there's no match for Kiwi's fielding prowess. While other teams have been seen dropping some of the most straightforward catches, Kiwis never fail to impress with their efforts to save every single run on the field. 

After winning their first ICC title in the inaugural edition of the World Test championship, New Zealand would give their all to win this T20 World Cup. They have already lost back-to-back white-ball World Cup finals. Thus, in this ICC T20 World Cup, New Zealand will be the one charging from the front to the finals with their Captain, bowling unit and fielding knitting them into a strong team.