New Zealand Black Caps fans look to Twenty20 World Cup with hope, trepidation

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Black Caps fans are bracing themselves for an emotional journey when the Twenty20 World Cup begins next month in the United States and West Indies, looking forward to the tournament with a mixture of hope and fatalism.

That mixed outlook, leaning towards pessimism, is based on New Zealand’s experience of cricket’s limited-overs World Cups, many of which have taken fans on an emotional roller-coaster before ending in disappointment.

New Zealand reached the final of the 2021 T20 World Cup, losing to Australia in the United Arab Emirates, and the semifinals of the 2016 and 2022 tournaments. The Black Caps reached the final of the 50-overs Cricket World Cup in 2015 and 2019 and the semifinals in 2007, 2011 and 2023.

In total the Black Caps have reached the ICC World Cup semifinals seven times. But New Zealand’s only win in a major limited-overs tournament came at the ICC Knockout Trophy in Kenya in 2000.