Some will say they aren’t deserved days off, but they will be welcome days off.
And the two cricket-free days could be the most important in the Black Caps’ World Cup campaign.
New Zealand’s players and management have disbanded until the weekend to prepare for the semi-finals, likely against Australia in Manchester.
Some will say they should spend every moment of the next two days thinking about cricket, talking about their on-field failures and trying to make the necessary improvements to have a chance at sport’s Holy Grail.
And there’s a lot of improvement needed.
But, the most important thing for two days is to try and forget about any of that.
They players and management need time to not even have one ounce of thought about cricket. They need to spend time with families, play golf or watch something.
Just do anything but cricket.
To me, it’s clear they are mentally frayed. It’s obvious that the three losses in a row leading into the final four have dented their confidence significantly.
Who can be surprised? Yesterday, for the first time in the tournament I saw a team seemingly wondering what has happened to their campaign.
It all started sinking in during Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy’s 15-over onslaught on a belter of a Chester-Le-Street pitch.
New Zealand’s fielders were forced into an elongated game of fetch and in a flash looked like 11 canines whose owners just wouldn’t let up in sending them to all corners of the park to retrieve the ball.
There was no energy, there was no excitement and, for the first time in a long time, there looked to be no belief that things were happening for them. The bowling resembled it too – short, wide, careless.
And it festered into the batting. Forlorn figures hoping for something to go their way.
There was some bad luck, but there was also poor decision making and shot selection.
Ross Taylor’s run out and Colin de Grandhomme’s shot selection to name two.
It all summed up a seven days that have left many fans wondering how they can be any realistic chance to win one more game, let alone be the only team left standing at the end.
Right now, they’re on their knees, pleading for some reprieve.
And that’s exactly what these two days are. They’re a reprieve. And a very timely one at that.
Some will vehemently disagree with this and will point to the last three matches as evidence of the following being wrong, but there are world beating players in this team that, when at their best, can lead New Zealand to victories against any team.
Guptill, Williamson, Taylor, Boult and now Ferguson, to name a few, are amongst the best in the world in their craft.
But to be the best, they have to believe they are the best. Right now, it’s obvious there’s barely an ounce of that belief there.
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