New Zealand aim to revive fortunes in subcontinent

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said his side will take it one game at a time in the World Cup © Getty Images Enlarge

, the New Zealand captain, has said he hopes his side has gained some confidence from their most recent ODI win over Pakistan after struggling in the 50-over format over the last year. Pakistan won the six-game series, played in New Zealand, 3-2, with one game rained out, but New Zealand were victorious in the final match.

"There is not much you can do about what's happened in the past but hopefully we can reflect back on the last game, which was a win against Pakistan, and bring that confidence over to the ."

New Zealand had gone into the Pakistan series having lost 11 consecutive one-day games and Vettori said it was important to learn from one's mistakes. "I think hopefully we have learned from those losses because it important to do that and we get a chance in the first two warm-up games to see if we have or not."

Former India coach John Wright was appointed to coach the team ahead of the Pakistan series, and Vettori said his knowledge of Indian conditions makes him an important asset. "It is been pretty exciting for us because he knows a lot about the conditions, he knows what it takes to succeed over here and he also knows a lot of people who have succeeded over here. So we can tap into their knowledge as well as John's."

Vettori said Brendon McCullum, who has been moved up and down the order lately, will open the batting in the tournament. The team might also choose to open the bowling with offspinner Nathan McCullum should the opportunity present itself, a strategy that harks back to the 1992 World Cup, when then captain Martin Crowe chose to open the bowling with offspinner Deepak Patel.

New Zealand have three spinners in the side, with left-arm spinner Luke Woodcock, who made his debut against Pakistan in January, joining Vettori and McCullum. "He [Woodcock] has played for a long time for Wellington - about 10 years - and the last two years his spin bowling has been outstanding in the limited overs form, so he has earned his place through performances.

"But he is also a very good batsman; he was the highest runscorer in first-class cricket last year, so he can fill a number of roles for us."

When asked whether a quarter-final or semi-final place would represent a successful tournament for New Zealand, Vettori said, "I think we are the same as any team - you come here to try and win and that's the only thing you look at. But I think it is important for a team to focus on the game in front of them because there is no point worrying about the quarter finals or semi-finals because that is a long way away. "

New Zealand take on Ireland in a day-night warm-up game in Nagpur tomorrow. They kick off their tournament against Kenya on February 20 in Chennai.