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World Cup preview: New Zealand

With Williamson in charge and Boult among the world's best, can the Black Caps go one better than in 2015?

The squad: Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Tom Blundell, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neesham, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult

Who they are missing: The Black Caps called up a bolter in Tom Blundell and turned to leg-spinner Ish Sodhi, meaning there was no room for Todd Astle and Tim Seifert.

Form line (most recent first): WWWLWLLLWW

The 2015 result: Runners-up

Best finish: Runners-up (2015)

The big question: Can New Zealand go one better this time around? The Black Caps were the feel-good story of the 2015 World Cup they hosted with Australia, and Brendon McCullum's charges played blazing, entertaining cricket all the way to the final at the MCG. En route to the final, the Black Caps edged out Australia in a low-scoring thriller in Auckland before holding their nerve in an epic semi-final at the same venue against the Proteas. In the final – New Zealand's first – Australia proved too strong but as the saying goes, 'you've got to lose one to win one', so that mandatory loss is now out of the way. With Kane Williamson at the helm of a team with a potent attack and power in the batting ranks, will 2019 be the year the Black Caps take out their maiden World Cup title?

Player to watch: Plenty to pick from here, but in English conditions it's hard to go past left-arm swing king Trent Boult. Boult captured 22 wickets in nine matches in the World Cup four years ago by bending the new ball back into the right-handers and taking it away from the lefties. While spin is touted to play a part in the tournament it's hard to imagine there won't be swing-friendly conditions throughout the duration of the event. If the ball does move in the air there is little doubt Boult will take full advantage and cause havoc.

Dec 2017: Boult rips through Windies

Don't be surprised if: Kane Williamson is the tournament's leading run-scorer. The Black Caps captain is a world-class middle-order batsman and will likely play the anchor role for his side. That means Williamson is expected to face a lot of balls and rack up a lot of runs. While he might not look it, the 29-year-old is capable of taking the long handle and clearing the boundary, as has been seen in the Indian Premier League with Sunrisers Hyderabad. The right-hander is also one the most technically sound batsmen in the world, so should the ball swing around he has the tools to counter it.

June 2017: Captain Kane keeps Kiwis on even keel

World Cup numbers

Team record: Matches: 79 | Won: 48 | Lost: 30 | Tied: 0 | NR: 1

Highest total: 6-393 v West Indies, Wellington 2015

Lowest total: 112 v Australia, Port Elizabeth 2003

Most runs: In four tournaments Stephen Fleming scored 1075 runs at 35.83 to be New Zealand's all-time leading run-scorer at World Cups.

Most wickets: Right-arm seamer Jacob Oram and left-arm orthodox spinner Daniel Vettori hold the record with 36 wickets. Oram's average of 21.33, compared to Vettori's 32.44, gives him the edge. Those two players could be surpassed this tournament by Tim Southee (33 wickets) and Trent Boult (22).

Most dismissals: Hard-hitting batsman Brendon McCullum has the most World Cup dismissals for the Black Caps with 34, 3 of which 2 (30 catches, two stumpings) wearing the keeping gloves.

The fixtures:

June 1 v Sri Lanka, Cardiff, 7.30pm AEST

June 5 v Bangladesh, London (The Oval), 10.30pm AEST

June 8 v Afghanistan, Taunton, 10.30pm AEST

June 13 v India, Nottingham, 7.30pm AEST

June 19 v South Africa, Birmingham, 7.30pm AEST

June 22 v West Indies, Manchester, 10.30pm AEST

June 26 v Pakistan, Birmingham, 7.30pm AEST

June 29 v Australia, London (Lord's), 10.30pm AEST

July 3 v England, Durham, 7.30pm AEST