Mark Richardson: Black Caps must grow a pair when heat goes on

Ross Taylor needs to visualise success at next year's World Cup. Photo / AP

The Black Caps need to grow some balls. Their failure to progress past pool play in the ICC World T20 was yet another display of wilting under pressure in a defining match.

To have any chance of succeeding at next year's World Cup, they have to reverse this trend.

There's no doubting this team has the talent and even the balance and depth to succeed in New Zealand and Australia next year but will they have the nous?

All teams experience a crunch moment that defines them and their tournaments. New Zealand teams have invariably lost that moment.

What will it take in a crunch pool match, or semifinal or let's hope the final for this team to prevail?

It will take courage, balls ... but, most importantly, sensible application of that courage-under-fire attitude rather than senseless bravado or risk taking.

In the spectacular failure that was the recent Sri Lankan game, the most promising moment was when Brendon McCullum recklessly charged down the wicket and ran past a Rangana Herath delivery to be dismissed for a duck.

I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and say he had realised Herath was the threat and a two-over assault would quickly tip the game in New Zealand's favour.

It failed because the execution lacked composure but the thinking wasn't at all clouded.

This is what I see in the great players, such as Australia's Adam Gilchrist, Aravinda de Silva of Sri Lanka and Indian captain MS Dhoni who seize the moment.

They don't freeze. They're not paralysed by the fear of failure nor do they let racing minds allow them to flail with abandon.

There's no question in my mind these players are experiencing the anxiety the common player feels. This is where the New Zealand team must go.

McCullum needs to harness his self-confidence and the likes of Ross Taylor need to accept they are within touching distance of greatness. A player such as Taylor should already be visualising that key moment in 2015 and seeing himself succeed.

This is also the reason I am glad that, once leaving the field, Corey Anderson took no part in that batting collapse. He portrays the qualities I look for, so I'm glad he won't carry any mental scars.