Black Caps underdogs no longer

‘‘Then there is the persistent ‘nicest guys in cricket’ narrative, which is partly based in admiration but would not lead the line so much if people held their ability in higher regard,’’ The Guardian reported.

‘‘That team made England – the team and the nation of supporters – sweat on a cool and breezy afternoon.

‘‘They jiggled every knee, jangled every nerve, reanimated every dormant anxiety. They killed Lord’s softly, rocked it gently, battling their way to a mid-range score, squeezing the air out of the chase, then once Stokes and Jos Buttler looked to have taken the game away, came back with fierce bowling and fearless fielding to force a tie.

‘‘This was not New Zealand punching above their weight. This is their weight. They are the only side to go home without the trophy despite not losing a World Cup final. What they do have is a place, and this history.

‘‘They should never be described as anyone’s dark horse ever again.’’

Meanwhile England’s director of cricket Ashley Giles has played down claims England benefited from a ‘‘clear mistake’’ as they clinched Cricket World Cup glory, insisting Ben Stokes would probably have won the game anyway.

Giles laughed off the suggestion from former international umpire Simon Taufel that the winners should only have been awarded five runs, not six, after the ball ricocheted off Stokes’ bat and crossed the boundary as he dived to make his ground.

‘‘Well, you can look at so many moments during the day. If that had been the case, Stokesy got a full toss last ball, he’d probably have smashed it out of the park rather than try to nurdle two’’ Giles told Sky Sports.

Netball New Zealand boss Jennie Wyllie’s greatest legacy might be getting Noeline Taurua’s scrawl on a piece of paper again. Wyllie has done it once before working with the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Australia, where Taurua coaches, to ensure she could continue in that role while also guiding the Silver Ferns.

The predicament for NNZ is Taurua’s contract with the Ferns ends in less than week when the 2019 Netball World Cup draws to a close.

NNZ must do whatever it takes to keep Taurua with the Ferns and offer her a four-year deal through to the 2023 World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa. If that means bending the rules and allowing the best Ferns to compete in Australia’s Super Netball competition to keep Taurua happy, then so be it.

Taurua will return to the Sunshine Coast for the second half of the Super Netball season, where she and Ferns skipper Laura Langman will look to steer the Lightning to a third title.

Her three-year contract with the Lightning ends this season, leaving Taurua with plenty to contemplate as she strolls along the beach in Sippy Downs.

Taurua told Stuff in May she would take time out after the Super Netball season to assess what she wanted do in 2020.

With Super Netball starting later this year due to the World Cup, the stars aligned in 2019, allowing Taurua to juggle the Lightning and Ferns.

It’s unlikely she’d be able to carry out both jobs in the future, meaning Taurua is going to have to decide between club and country, should she aspire to remain in elite coaching.

She took over as Ferns coach from Janine Southby in late August with the side at their lowest ebb following a shambolic Commonwealth Games showing, where they finished fourth and failed to medal for the first time. It continued a dire run of results and talk of dissension in the ranks.

Restoring the Ferns’ lustre was never going to be a quick fix.

The Ferns aren’t on the level of World Cup title favourites Australia or England just yet, but they look a much happier and cohesive bunch and seem to be tracking in the right direction.

Taurua’s appointment was influential in getting Ferns legends Langman and Casey Kopua back in the black dress after breaks from the national squad. She recognised the strength and conditioning standards within New Zealand netball weren’t up to scratch and has attempted to raise the bar, bringing in minimal requirements.

The Ferns’ fitness has shone through in their early World Cup games, where they look among the most conditioned teams at the tournament. If they crash out in