T20 World Cup 2024: Rain, jetlag plague New Zealand’s preparations ahead of opener against Afghanistan

Gary Stead. (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images)

Only after 13 matches have been played – with each side having played at least one game up to that point, some even having played their second – will New Zealand play their opening game of the T20 World Cup 2024. Similar to Australia, they decided to implement a policy requiring players who were returning from the IPL late to spend some time with their families at home. Consequently, their squad only convened as a whole on Sunday, June 2.

Speaking with reporters, New Zealand’s head coach Gary Stead discussed a few issues that have arisen, including players traveling from all over the world to convene in one location. In addition, he mentioned that he was aware of many members who, as a result of weariness due to travelling across various timezones, were not being able to catch sleep till the wee hours of the morning. He expressed optimism that, however, they would be able to adjust their circadian rhythms before their first game, which, happily for him and the squad, is scheduled deep into the competition.

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“You don’t always get ideal [situations] when people are coming from all over the world. And one of the things we have found here is jetlag probably hits you a little bit hard. I know a number of people have been up in the middle of the night, which isn’t great for your preparation, but thankfully we have enough time leading in being the 14th game of the tournament that guys can sort that out,” said Stead.

Looks like the weather bomb that was hitting here has passed us by: Stead

There have been occasions in the past when teams have been unlucky enough that rain negatively impacted their prospects of moving on to the next round. Assuming that rain might disrupt a few games, Stead acknowledged that weather will always be a concern, but he was optimistic that the rain gods had already moved past them in the previous few days.

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“Looks like the weather bomb that was hitting here has passed us by. It’s definitely somewhat of a concern that in such a quick period of time of pool play, that you want to play every match you can,” added Stead.