'The skill set is very high' : Stephen Fleming backs New Zealand to come out with flying colours in T20 international Cup

Former New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming has backed New Zealand to come good in the upcoming T20 International Cup in UAE and Oman. Fleming believes that New Zealand have never had more skillful players than the current group and if the team can get their combination right, they could go the distance.

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“It’s a good squad. We’ve never had as much talent as this within New Zealand Cricket, so getting the right balance and the way you want to play the game is very important. The skill set and what these guys put out, and entertain us with, is very high," Fleming told stuff.co.nz on Sunday.

New Zealand come into the showpiece event having lost their last series to Bangladesh. However, quite a few players were missing from that squad. Other players barring Kane Williamson, Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult have not played a lot of cricket of late. Fleming pointed out the importance of getting used to the conditions in the warm-up games. New Zealand will play England and Australia in warm-up games before locking horns with Pakistan in their tournament opener.

“Coming to grips with these conditions will be the challenge in warmup games… is going to be very important, and there’s a couple of key games first up so dealing with pressure and starting the tournament well is a priority." “There’s a little bit of time before my MIQ (Managed Isolation and Quarantine) spot and it’s just a great opportunity. We’ve talked for a while about sharing ideas and coming into the camp and watching these players who I’m a big fan of," Fleming added.

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Fleming will assist New Zealand coach Gary Stead for the showpiece event. The southpaw has been in UAE for over a month and led CSK to their fourth IPL title. He will give his inputs to the team on how to tackle the conditions. New Zealand are clubbed with India, Pakistan and Afghanistan in Group B.