New Zealand secured their first-ever major trophy in cricket as they defeated India in the final in Nairobi during the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy.
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For New Zealand, when it comes to their cricket, they have forever been tagged the perennial underachievers. The cricket team does not have the massive amount of success as their counterparts in Rugby, the All Blacks. In their entire cricket history, New Zealand never had massive amounts of success like the West Indies, Australia, England, and India. In the 80s, they had started a revival under Sir Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe. They won the series in Australia, England, and ensured they did not lose at home to the West Indies. Thanks to these exploits, they gained confidence on the world stage as well.
In the ODI World Cup, New Zealand had reached the semifinal in 1975 but struggled from 1979 till 1987. During the 1992 World Cup that was held in Australia and New Zealand, they upset the odds and topped the group. But, they had to suffer heartbreak when they lost in the semifinal in Auckland to Pakistan. After struggling in 1996, New Zealand once again reached the semifinal in 1999 but was thrashed by Pakistan yet again.
When the 21st century dawned, the situation almost remained the same. The ICC Champions Trophy, which began in 1998 in Dhaka, now shifted to Nairobi for the second edition. New Zealand was once again deemed the dark horses, with India, Australia and South Africa touted to be the favorites.
A total of 11 teams were participating in the ICC Champions Trophy which was called the ICC Knockout event. India had defeated Kenya in the qualifying round and they entered the quarterfinal. New Zealand had already secured direct qualification as they were one of the top five teams in the 1999 World Cup. But, India was one of the favorites with their magnificent performances.
They first defeated Australia thanks to the exploits of Yuvraj Singh who hit 84 in his first outing with the bat. Things only became better for India in the semi-final. Sourav Ganguly smashed 141 and was assisted by Rahul Dravid who hit a fifty. India successfully managed to defend the total thanks to Zaheer Khan’s brilliance and Anil Kumble’s guile. The win against South Africa saw India reach the final.
New Zealand, on the other hand, surprised everyone. Roger Twose blasted 85 and Paul Wiseman took 4/45 to help them beat Zimbabwe by 64 runs in the first match. In the semifinals, Twose was the star yet again. Saeed Anwar had smashed a brilliant century but Pakistan was pegged back thanks to a haul of 5/46 from Shayne O’Connor. Twose hit 87 and guided New Zealand to a crucial four-wicket win against Pakistan. They would now be facing India in the final.
India was deemed the favorites for the ICC Knockout Trophy thanks to the form shown by the batsmen and the bowlers. With Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Dravid, Yuvraj in top form, India’s batting was in fine form. Zaheer Khan, Anil Kumble, and Venkatesh Prasad, along with Ajit Agarkar were in top form. The odds were stacked against New Zealand.
However, New Zealand had a slight edge over India in major ICC events. After their loss in 1987, New Zealand won in 1992 and 1999 against India. Heading into the match, New Zealand won the toss and chose to field. But, it looked like the wrong decision was made. Ganguly was once again the star. The left-hander shared a 141-run opening stand with Sachin Tendulkar who hit 72. It looked like another big score was on the cards.
But, Tendulkar was run-out but Ganguly went past his century. At 202/1 in the 39th over, all did not seem lost. But, New Zealand put on a fabulous exhibition of death bowling. India could manage just 62 runs in 11 overs, with the middle order failing. This resulted in a dramatic shift in momentum. But, even then, New Zealand did not start well. They lost Craig Spearman and Stephen Fleming cheaply.
New Zealand were reeling at 132/5, with their key player Roger Twose being stumped for 31. But, they had Chris Cairns, a batsman who was a big-hitter and a game-changer. Cairns was technically sound against pace but against spin, he was simply sublime. He found a good ally in Chris Harris and the duo began the repair work. Cairns was also battling a knee injury so effectively, he was batting on one leg.
But, Cairns went on to play one of the great knocks in the modern era. His eight fours and two sixes completely deflated the Indian bowling. In the 47th over, he hit a four and six off Kumble that swung the game in New Zealand’s favour. Cairns went on to score a brilliant century and New Zealand won the match by four wickets.
After playing cricket for close to seven decades, New Zealand finally had one major trophy in their cabinet. Although they struggled for consistency, the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy showed that New Zealand belonged in the list of elite nations. In subsequent years, New Zealand would reach the 2007 and 2011 semifinals. They went one step ahead in 2015 and 2019, losing in the finals to Australia and England. But, in 2021, they once again defeated India in an ICC event, this time in the final of the ICC World Test Championships. 21 years on, the ICC Knockout event remains a monumental event for New Zealand in their cricket history.
