Intercontinental Cup: This is far from an experiment squad, says New Zealand coach Fritz Schmid

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Intercontinental Cup: This is far from an experiment squad, says New Zealand coach Fritz Schmid image

New Zealand take on Kenya in their opening match of the Intercontinental Cup 2018 on June 2nd in Mumbai. The All Whites are the lowest-ranked side in the competition this time (133).

On the composition of his team ahead of the tournament, coach Fritz Schmid said, “We are very much excited to be here. It is an opportunity to play against strong opponents. New Zealand is slowly building up. I appreciate this opportunity and we are anxious to get into the first game.”

On asked as to why they have brought a young side to India, Schmid said, “I would not say that ours is an experimental side. These are young and promising players. There are certain reasons for having them here. They have shown potential to be here. I need to have a good assessment of these players for bigger possibilities.

"This is far from an experiment squad. This is the best possible squad. Unfortunately, one of us is dealing with medication. Hope he recovers quickly. We still have 2 days until the first game.”

On the Indian team, the All Whites coach opined, “India is looking forward to the AFC Asian Cup. The coach will certainly take this opportunity to test potential candidates and how to approach the tournament. I know India have been in a training camp for a while. The importance of this tournament to India is very clear. This means we have to prepare ourselves against a tough side.”

New Zealand skipper Thomas Doyle said that they are excited to take part in the tournament and are looking forward to it. “It is pretty exciting. We are pretty excited about the games. We usually don't get this kind of opportunity. We have a lot of big games to play.

"Exciting times coming up. Others are playing world cup now. But this opportunity came knocking for us just at the right time. Lots of hopeful players coming through the ranks before the tournament which is a good thing,” said the All Whites captain.

 

 

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