New Zealand finally overcame the odds and the pain of two consecutive ICC finals losses to become the ICC World Test Champions after beating India by eight wickets on the final day.
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“If you fall, get back up. That is what life is all about.” New Zealand’s cricket team understands this phrase better than any other side on planet earth. In their cricketing journey, New Zealand was always the perennial underachievers. They would be promoted to dark horses or a team that punches above its weight in major events. New Zealand, with a population that is not even a quarter of Mumbai, only managed to gain international recognition when they reached the final of the 2015 ICC World Cup.
Playing fearless cricket, they were blown away by their Australian neighbors in the cauldron of the Melbourne Cricket Ground. That first hurt was soothed by the fact that they had finally reached the final of a major event. But, four years later, the hurt was magnified thousand times over. Yet again, they reached the final of the ICC World Cup. The normal match was tied. The Super Over was tied. No team lost. One team was declared the winner due to a technicality of more boundaries. In that chaos, there was one bad umpiring decision that changed the course of the match. Other nations would have cried foul. New Zealand took the hurt and shouldered on.
Before the ICC hurt, there was immense pain in the New Zealand side in 2012. The side had hit rock bottom when they were blasted out for 45 against a Proteas side that had Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander. A dressing room rift between Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum did not help matters. From the hell of Newlands, a new team emerged. One with a new culture and a team ethos that would make everyone comfortable.
Great teams are not built overnight. It requires plenty of setbacks to finally get the team right. For New Zealand, Newlands 45 was the catharsis for them to evolve into a stronger unit. From 2013 to 2015, New Zealand finally made winning a habit. They found a core of players who could deliver the goods for the side.
Tim Southee was an emerging star when he started to fade in that middle period. He found an ally in Trent Boult, his Under-19 bowling partner and best friend. With Boult’s arrival, Southee finally found his mojo. They were like Batman and Robin. When Neil Wagner came into the side, the dynamics changed. Southee and Boult would swing through oppositions like a Samurai wielding his sword. Wagner would be the battering ram, pounding on the defences until they broke.
They found greatness even in the batting. Brendon McCullum was aided by Kane Williamson while Ross Taylor’s differences were kept aside. McCullum, Williamson and Taylor formed the bedrock for success in the coming years.
Sandwiched between the hurts of ICC events, there was still a lot of pain for New Zealand. They had not won series in South Africa, Australia and India. They were whitewashed by Australia twice in 2016 and 2019. India spun them out in 2016. But, they never gave up hope. When the ICC World Test Championship cycle was announced, they finally found a vision.
New Zealand had built a tremendous bench strength in that time. They had found Tom Latham, Colin de Grandhomme. But, the game-changer was BJ Watling, their keeper who has retired after 12 years. Watling was the glue to the batting as he helped them out of a tough situation.
If one has to recollect the point when New Zealand’s mental strength was forged, it came against India at the Basin Reserve in 2014. Having finally won a Test against India after 12 years in Auckland, the team was determined to not give up on that hard-fought win. New Zealand were staring down the barrel at 94/5 in the second innings, still trailing by 152 runs. An innings defeat was inevitable.
But, McCullum led from the front and in two days, he changed the game totally. On day 5, McCullum etched his name in the history books as he became the first New Zealand player to hit a triple hundred. New Zealand had saved the Test in an incredible manner. The lessons from that exhibition of mental discipline probably served them well seven years later.
When the ICC World Test Championship cycle was announced, New Zealand already had a core of 11 players and a solid bench strength. Tom Latham was another solid addition in the batting. Henry Nicholls provided flair down the order. Colin de Grandhomme was the X-factor whose aggression complimented the brilliance of Taylor and Williamson. New Zealand did not have six batsmen. They played with 11 batsmen. Everyone was expected to contribute.
The key in this line-up was Kyle Jamieson. A six fot eight bowler hitting the right lengths gave an added dimension to the New Zealand team. They now had a quartet of bowlers. But, they could also bat. Jamieson averaged 47. Tim Southee has hit over 70 sixes in his career. Boult and Wagner contributed at crucial times. It was this mindset that would help them in a big way.
New Zealand also benefited from two Tests against England before the ICC World Test Championship final. The Indian cricket team was jumping from bubble to bubble. While that was happening, New Zealand finally got acclimatized to the conditions and they managed to win a series in England after 21 years. In that series, the emergence of Devon Conway, who hit a double hundred at Lord’s on debut, was the final piece of the jigsaw puzzle that had to be fit in.
Wagner knew pain immensely. He bowled 27 overs with a broken toe against Pakistan in Mount Maunganui. Yet, he took two wickets and never gave up. Every person in that New Zealand team was hurting, which is why the desire was greater.
Conway had to abandon everything in South Africa to start a new career in New Zealand. Williamson, Taylor, Nicholls, de Grandhomme, Southee, Boult and Latham all carried the scars of the loss of 2019. Wagner’s Bay Oval pain was worth the trip to Southampton. It must also be remembered that New Zealand only managed to seal their spot in the final after Australia lost points in Melbourne against India. With their tour to South Africa cancelled due to coronavirus complications, New Zealand made the trip to Southampton.
Even here, they were the underdogs. India had massive success in ICC events as compared to New Zealand. India had won all. New Zealand the perennial bridesmaid. India was the Goliath to New Zealand’s David. But, they had belief. All the pain from all these years was channeled at the Rose Bowl. Rain, bad light, wet outfield did not stop their focus.
The ICC World Test Championship final was a battle of two equal teams. Neither yielded an inch. India were bowled out for 217 without a single fifty from their players. New Zealand were boosted by Latham and Devon Conway’s partnership. But, they were staring down the barrel at that time. But, the tail came to the rescue. India’s last three wickets contributed just 12 runs. New Zealand’s last three – 57. In a game of small margins, this was the crucial factor. All the lessons of the last seven years were learnt well.
New Zealand’s bowlers all kept plugging away. Jamieson hit his right lengths, Boult and Southee exhibited their artistry while Wagner was Wagner. Williamson demonstrated his nerves of steel and ice as his 49, combined with partnerships with the tail got New Zealand the vital lead.
India collapsed again in the second innings. In their last three series in England, the collapses have been far too frequent. New Zealand had nervy moments. But, the old firm of Williamson and Taylor stood up and delivered the goods. When Taylor whipped Mohammed Shami to deep midwicket for a boundary, all the hurt was erased. The joy in the New Zealand team was unparalleled. The fans at Southampton truly celebrated. January 2013, March 2015, July 2019 and all the other instances of hurt in those seven years were overcome with that one stroke.
“We don’t always have all the stars, and we saw that in this match. We saw so much heart and commitment. It ebbed and flowed, no one really had the upper hand for six days, and I’m happy we’re on the right side of it,” New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said after the match. Nice guys don’t always finish last. New Zealand and their cricket team are proof of it.
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