NZ Men’s Cricket team guide
The New Zealand Cricket Team, also known as the Blackcaps, is one of the oldest countries to play Test cricket, playing their first Test match way back in 1930 against England in Christchurch. They were the 5th nation at the time to make their debut in Test cricket after England, Australia, South Africa and the West Indies.
They had to wait a further 26 years for their first win, which came against the West Indies in Auckland. New Zealand cricket jerseys are fully black from their initial days in One Day Internationals and T20 cricket.
India and New Zealand Test cricket started in the 1955/56 season when New Zealand toured India for a 5-match series, which India won by a 2-0 margin. India New Zealand cricket relations have been very good since then, with both teams playing 23 Test series to date.
Some of the best New Zealand national cricket team players include Richard Hadlee, Martin Crowe, and Stephen Flemming, as well as some modern-day New Zealand cricket players including Kane Williamson, who is also the current captain in all forms of the game, Ross Taylor and Trent Boult.
The New Zealand cricket player with the most runs in test cricket is Ross Taylor, who recently retired, scoring 7683 runs from 112 Tests. The top players in the current side are Kane Williamson, who has scored 7272 runs in Tests, Tim Southee with 338 Test wickets and Trent Boult with 301 wickets.
Gary Stead is the current Head Coach of the New Zealand cricket team. New Zealand is also the No.1 ranked side in ODI cricket while they are 3rd and 4th in Test and T20 cricket.
New Zealand in ICC tournaments
Historically, New Zealand tends to punch above their weight in ICC tournaments. They started off really well, reaching the semifinals stage in the first two World Cups in 1975 and 1979. After being eliminated early in 1983 and 1987, they reached the semifinals once again in 1992 under Martin Crowe and 1999 under Stephen Flemming. They finally won their first ICC event in 2000 by triumphing in the Champions Trophy.
The trend continued as they lost in the semifinals once again in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups. They took it one step further in 2015 and 2019, reaching the finals, only to lose it once again. Last year they lost in the finals of the T20 World Cup to Australia.
India and New Zealand clashed in the inaugural World Test Championship final, which New Zealand won by 8 wickets. They have been a bogey side for India in recent times, defeating them in the 2019 World Cup semifinals as well.
Although they have won just 1 ICC event, they have perhaps been the most consistent team in ICC tournaments over the past 10 years. New Zealand cricket players like Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor in batting, Southee and Boult in the bowling department have formed a core group that has taken them into uncharted territories in ICC events.
Under the tutelage of their inspirational captain Kane Williamson, New Zealand cricket is in good hands and are a formidable side in all formats of the game.