New Zealand Faces 'Chaotic Start' to T20 World Cup

New Zealand's T20 World Cup campaign has faced a "chaotic start" due to logistical challenges, according to all-rounder Mitchell Santner. The team opted for extra training sessions instead of an official warm-up game, with players arriving in three batches because of IPL commitments.

Despite the initial disruptions, Santner expressed confidence that New Zealand can "really settle in" now that they have moved to Guyana, where they will play their opening group match against Afghanistan on June 8.

"It's been a chaotic kind of start with people coming in at different times," Santner said. "But we are here now in Guyana, a good week or so to get some good prep done for our first game."

The World Cup is being played across nine venues in the Caribbean and the USA, with New Zealand scheduled to play one of their Group C matches in Guyana and three in Tarouba. Santner acknowledged that there is a "little bit of the unknown" about the competition, especially with opponents such as Uganda and Papua New Guinea.

"It's obviously good to watch [the first few games]. I think that's going to be a common theme in the World Cup, you know, different places will play very differently," he said. "We obviously know what West Indies are capable of doing, but we are not really sure of the other guys."

New Zealand is relying on their experienced players, including Kane Williamson, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, and Ish Sodhi, who have played in the Caribbean Premier League, to provide insights into the conditions.

"As a squad, we have guys who played a lot," Santner said. "And then there are few guys who know these conditions. Glenn has played a lot of CPL and a few other boys as well. Channelling that kind of information is going to be big to hit the ground running."

Tags: #T20WorldCup, #NewZealand, #MitchellSantner, #LogisticsChallenges, #ExperiencedPlayers