Australian cricketing great Glenn McGrath is undeterred by New Zealand's recent World Cup skid and is confident the Blackcaps will be right in the mix, come knockout time in India.
After their blazing start to the tournament, the Blackcaps have crashed to three consecutive defeats against three of the tournament's heavyweights to leave them precariously positioned in a share of fourth place.
On Saturday, they'll face Pakistan in their penultimate group game, where victory would essentially assure them a spot in the semi-finals. Lose and they'll face a must-win scenario against Sri Lanka on Thursday.
Part of an Australian side that won three consecutive World Cups, former opening paceman McGrath knows a thing or two about what it takes to succeed at the tournament, and is confident the Blackcaps have the all-round ability and pedigree to right the ship with the business end approaching.
"New Zealand started at a rate of knots," McGrath told Newshub. "They’ve got a quality team, with both their batting and bowling line-up
"Bit of a hiccup recently losing their last three games, but the game against Australia could've gone either way. That game against South Africa, you can have those, but I think they’ll still be in contention for the final four.
"It’s a World Cup and there's something about New Zealand in big tournaments - especially when they play Australia. They seem to lift, so they'll need to do that for the rest of the tournament."
McGrath, who took 381 one-day wickets during his ICC Hall of Fame career, offered some simple, but sage advice for the Blackcaps, heading into their critical clash against Pakistan at Bengaluru.
"Just have another good game, get the confidence up," he added, speaking from the Noosa Triathlon, with which his Glenn McGrath Foundation is partnered.
"The way they started was amazing. They've gone out, they’ve backed themselves.
"You can have a couple of bad games every now and then - put it behind them and just refocus. Have another good win next game and that might just kickstart them towards the finals."
Amplifying the Blackcaps' issues has been a spate of ongoing injuries, most recently to key fast bowler Matt Henry. He's been forced out of the competition with a right hamstring tear and replaced in the squad by Kyle Jamieson.
They were also without seamer Tim Southee to start their campaign, while captain Kane Williamson return from knee surgery was shortlived, with a freak hand injury. He's expected to return against Pakistan.
Mark Chapman and Lockie Ferguson have also been limited.
McGrath admits such issues are extra disruptive in tournament settings.
"It can have a big impact, no doubt," he said. "When you're losing key players, the way the team feels and the harmony going in is off.
"When one person goes down and you lose a couple of games, unfortunately, it's the nature of the beast. Hopefully, the guys coming in can lift and do the job."
McGrath expects the Blackcaps will be part of the final four contending for a Cup, he says, they deserved to win in 2019, when they fell to a boundary countback defeat against hosts England in the final.
While he's been encouraged by his beloved Australian team's recent performance after their shaky start, he's adamant all roads to title victory will go through hosts India.
"India is going to be tough to beat, there's no doubt about that," he said. "South Africa, they're just a powerhouse when it comes to hitting, they’ve been playing incredibly well.
"I'll never write Australia off and New Zealand, so close last World Cup. I thought they deserved to win the last one, so it would be good to see them there, but whoever wins is going to have to beat India in the final and they're going to be tough."
Join Newshub at 6pm Saturday for live updates of the Blackcaps v Pakistan World Cup match
