Antigua, March 30: New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming, after a thumping win over the West Indies, believes that his side is not too far away from a semi-final berth in the 2007 World Cup.
"If we continue the way we are playing, we are not far away. With every win we would get closer to semi-finals," said Fleming after his side got to a winning start in the Group Eight stage yesterday.
"We have a few tricky encounters. Bangladesh tripped us up in a warm-up game and Ireland have packed off Pakistan and in right conditions can be tricky. But as I said, if we
continue to play well, we would be in semi-finals," remarked Fleming.
Fleming was all praise for his bowlers and especially Jacob Oram who was named man of the match for his fine performance with the ball -- three from 23 from a tight, hostile eight overs.
"He bowled superbly. For anyone to get that extra bounce on such a pitch is very handy for the team."
Fleming also mentioned wicketkeeper Brendon Mccullum`s four catches and the energy which he brought on to the field.
"His two catches of course were very important but more than that it was the energy he brought to the field. It was to have a very important say in our performance today."
Fleming felt the tournament could still "pan out" tight with the way australia, sri lanka and South Africa are building up a momentum in the tournament.
"These are good sides and we would have to keep a very close watch on how the tournament pans out."
Scott Styris made an unbeaten 80 when New Zealand chased down the 178 runs for victory. It was Styris` third half century of the tournament and along with his bowling – he picked up Brian Lara`s scalp on Thursday -- his performance was proving of critical value to New Zealand.
"Scott has a great World Cup record and his form in this tournament has been outstanding. Cricketers like him who provide all-round options allow us to cover all bases, like pitch conditions and batting depths."
Fleming admitted that he was surprised to know that West Indies had left out Jerome Taylor, their fastest and sharpest bowler, out of the playing eleven in the morning.
The Black Caps are already hit by number of injuries to their side and Fleming hoped that with the tournament still at mid-way stage, key players like Shane Bond would hold out and serve Kiwis` challenge.
Bureau Report
