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Cricket World Cup Diary: Black Caps need to find killer instinct after loss to Australia

1 NEWS Sport reporter Guy Heveldt discusses the latest from the Cricket World Cup.

The chance was there. On a platter.

Australia 92/5 and on the ropes at the Home of Cricket, a chance to secure a semi-final berth right within New Zealand's grasp. And in the space of two hours that chance had all but disappeared.

Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson did the early damage and had set the Black Caps up for a pivotal win - a win that would've pushed the confidence back to where it was before the Edgbaston horror show.

Now, there must be an element of wondering what could've been, how they let that slip. Skipper Kane Williamson explained his reasoning for bowling himself, Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell Santner just after the Black Caps had taken the fifth wicket and had an already battered and bruised Australia a couple of punches away from hitting the canvas.

He explained the pitch was turning a lot and they wanted to move the ball away from Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey. Makes sense.

I can't help wondering though if they've missed a trick in that regard by not bringing Boult back into the attack. Australia could feel the pressure.

Smith had fallen into an excellently set trap, Warner got removed through a piece of fiery short-pitched bowling and Glenn Maxwell fell cheaply. It was the Black Caps' chance to put the foot on the throat and assert their dominance on the game. Boult would've been the best bowler to do that. But he wasn't given the chance.

Compare New Zealand's approach to that of Australia. When the Black Caps were 118 for five, Aaron Finch brought his frontline left-armer Mitchell Starc back into the attack. In the space of four more Starc overs, he had three more wickets and the Black Caps' coffin was being lowered unceremoniously into the ground.

It showed their killer instinct. If they sense blood, they continue the relentless the attack, suffocating any hint of breath out of their opposition.

It's something the Black Caps need to adopt if they're to win this tournament - which, in a big dose of unpopular opinion, I still believe they can. Barring a near unfathomable reversal in net run-rate, they will make the semi-finals. One of those semi-finals is at Edgbaston the other at Old Trafford.

They should be grounds that New Zealand will be able to perform their best at. But, if they do perform at their best in that knockout match and have whoever their opposition may be (possibly Australia again) they need to seize the opportunity to produce the knockout blow.

Whether that be taking it to the Aussies with the bat, or using their best strike-weapons with the ball in times when they usually may not be seen, New Zealand must seize the opportunity. Or be left to rue what could've been.

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