had sunk to a new, excruciating low.

New Zealands’ World Cup on the other hand is a much more joyous tale. Brendan McCullums‘ side faced very little, if any resistance to their aggressive and brutal approach. They swept aside opposition with ease leaving them floundering in their wake. Some of the world’s best players were left shell shocked by this revolutionary New Zealand side. Yes, the final did not go their way, but they created a whole new breed of cricket lovers in the process as they turned the heads of their rugby mad nation. They followed the lead of their inspirational captain and what a lead it was. Playing without fear, without apprehension and even without mercy, they came within a hurdle of World Cup glory.

When New ZealandEdgbaston pitch: the kind of pitch that haunts bowlers and their families for generations, after they spend their ten overs being ripped apart by happy go lucky batsmen. England would have been counting their plentiful lucky stars when they were put into bat by McCullum, as they smashed their way to a record breaking 408, after a calculated ton from Joe Root and a blistering century from Jos Buttler saw the Black Cap bowlers blown away.

New Zealand stuttered to 198 all out, to fall to a brutal 210 run loss. England had fought fire with fire, and they had won. The aforementioned doom preachers squirmed uncomfortably in their seats as they realised the revolution had caught.

In the second One Day International (ODI) New Zealand scampered along to a