New Zealand’s Williamson hopes break sparks World Cup revival

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson hopes an upcoming break provides his side with a chance to revive their faltering World Cup campaign. The Black Caps suffered their third straight defeat of the tournament in a thumping 119-run loss to England at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.

Had they won, it would have been New Zealand and not England who were assured of a place in the semi-finals. But they were rarely in the hunt and New Zealand, who won five of their first six games in a sequence that included a washout with India, had to accept another defeat following losses to Pakistan and Australia -- the team that beat them in the 2015 final.

The consolation for Williamson’s men is they are all but certain of a place in the semi-finals given their huge net run-rate advantage over Pakistan.