New Zealand has qualified for five World Cup semifinals (1975, 1979, 1992, 1999 and 2007) and is in sight of a quarterfinal place this time.
Ross Taylor's ton in the previous tie has infused self-belief in the squad and with him entrusted with the captaincy, the Kiwis are primed for action over the next two league games.
Canada is just a speedbreaker for New Zealand in the fifth game on Sunday, and the Kiwi focus is firmly on the crunch match against Sri Lanka.
Taylor is not the only player in the Blackcaps camp capable of turning a match on its head. All-rounders Jacob Oram, Scott Styris and Tim Southee can come with explosive performances.
Oram and Styris were a huge success in the 2007 edition and have shown flashes of form which makes them such dangerous opponents when in flow.
Aggressive batting
Pakistan learnt the hard way about Oram's aggressive batting and incisive seam bowling, while Styris has been quiet by his standards. With an experience of 136 ODIs, it is only a matter of time before he flexes his arms.
Southee checked Pakistan's run chase with three vital wickets, is showing a relish for pressure situations and may emerge as the match-winner in the knockout phase.
Taylor is known to be a proactive captain who likes to keep rivals guessing, so Canada can expect no respite as the Blackcaps look to consolidate gains.
New Zealand's forceful showing in all departments in the fourth match is a sign that the lessons drilled in by coach John Wright and bowling coach Allan Donald about technical adjustments on sub-continent wickets have been absorbed.
The hot, humid conditions in Mumbai, a brand new Wankhede stadium wicket and early morning dew all will have figured in their calculations.
Weak links
Canada's batting has been the weak link so far. And Brendon McCullum is in a mood to improve upon his rapidfire 50 off 20 balls in the 2007 WC against Canada and had a hit at the nets.
Leg-spinner Balaji Rao, fast bowlers Henry Osinde, Khurram Chohan and Harvir Baidwan face a tough task.
Captain Ashish Bagai, playing dual roles as captain and wicket-keeper, prefers to be patient with veteran John Davison, yet to deliver runs in keeping with experience as the oldest player in this WC.
Curator Sudhir Naik, who slogged for a year to prepare a new wicket, is confident of offering a firm track, good for batting. The New Zealand-Canada game is the first international match to be played at the new venue. Two T20 night games under lights have been played on the track.
“We started preparations around March last year till May, then after monsoons began levelling and rolling work,” said Naik, an ex-India Test batsman and Mumbai Ranji captain.
The teams (from): New Zealand: Ross Taylor (capt), Brendon McCullum, Hamish Bennett, James Franklin, Martin Guptill, Jamie How, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Luke Woodcock, Kane Williamson.
Canada: Ashish Bagai (capt), Rizwan Cheema, Harvir Baidwan, Khurram Chohan, Tyson Gordon, John Davison, Ravindu Gunasekera, Amabhir Hansra, Nitish Kumar, Henry Osinde, Zubin Sarkari, Balaji Rao, Karl Whatham, Hiral Patel, Parth Desai.
Match starts 9.30 a.m.
