Data check: New Zealand’s top performers, key stats from victorious World Test Championship campaign

New Zealand etched their name in cricket’s history books on Wednesday as they defeated India by eight wickets to win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship final at Southampton.

Two years after their agonising Super Over loss to England in the 50-over World Cup final at Lord’s, the Blackcaps claimed their first major world title.

“It’s a very special feeling,” said captain Kane Williamson at the presentation ceremony as he paid tribute to a “formidable” India side.

“It was just great the heart that our team showed to get across the line in what was a brilliant Test. We know we don’t always have the stars – we rely on a few other bits and pieces to try and stay in games and be competitive and I think we saw that in this match.”

New Zealand competed in six series in the inaugural WTC cycle (including the final) and played a total of 12 matches – winning eight and losing four.

Here’s a look at New Zealand’s top performers in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship:

Now let’s take a look at New Zealand’s matches through the inaugural ICC World Test Championship and their top performers in each series:

Against Sri Lanka (2019)

New Zealand started their WTC campaign with two matches in Sri Lanka in August 2019, and the Blackcaps made a strong comeback in that series. The first Test was in Galle and saw key performances from Ross Taylor, BJ Watling and left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, who bagged a five-wicket haul in Sri Lanka’s first innings. The hosts won that opening game by six wickets but the visitors stormed back to win the second and final Test in Colombo by an innings and 65 runs. Centuries from Tom Latham and Watling helped the Kiwis post a mammoth total while Tim Southee picked six wickets in the match.

Against Australia (2019-’20)

New Zealand toured Australia for a three-Test series in 2019-’20 and it proved to be the lowest phase in their WTC cycle. The two teams played three Tests in that series (in Perth, Melbourne and Sydney) and the hosts notched up emphatic wins in each of the games, with Mitchell Starc and Marnus Labuschagne playing starring roles. The first Test saw Southee bag a match haul of nine wickets and an 80 from Taylor in the first innings, but Australia won that match by 296 runs. The hosts then continued to dominate by winning the second and third Tests by 247 and 279 runs respectively. Opener Tom Blundell hit a century in the second Test and Neil Wagner was among the wickets, but the Aussies proved to be too strong right through.

Against India (2020)

The eventual finalists of the inaugural World Test Championship met in a two-Test series in early 2020, with hosts New Zealand completing a comfortable clean sweep. Skipper Williamson got an 89 in the first Test and Southee picked another nine-wicket match haul as the Kiwis won by 10 wickets in Wellington. Kyle Jamieson, who was playing his debut series, won the player of the match in the second Test in Christchurch for his five-wicket haul and quick fire 49 in the first innings. New Zealand won the second Test by seven wickets and that marked the beginning of a dominant home run for them in the whites.

Against West Indies (2020)

This was the most successful series for New Zealand in their WTC campaign. West Indies visited for a two-Test series in December 2020 and the Kiwis won both matches (in Hamilton and Wellington) by an innings. In the first Test, skipper Williamson smashed a career best 251 as his side posted a mammoth total of 519/7 batting first. Wagner (six wickets) and and Southee (five wickets) then led with the ball as the Windies struggled to cope with the Kiwi bowlers’ swing and accuracy. Latham led the Blackcaps in the second Test and it was Henry Nicholls who hit a 174 to set up a big win for his team. Southee and Jamieson picked seven wickets each in that match, with five-fors in the first innings.

Against Pakistan (2020-’21)

This was New Zealand’s last Test series in their WTC campaign before the final and they made sure they were clinical. Williamson put the Pakistani bowling attack to the sword in the first Test in Mount Maunganui with a masterful 129, while Taylor, Latham, Blundell, Nicholls and Watling got half-centuries too in that match. The Kiwi bowlers fired in unison in the first Test to help their team bring up a 101-run victory. The second match in Christchurch saw the hosts take things up a notch and register an innings and 176-run win. Williamson slammed 238, Nicholls got 157, and Daryl Mitchell scored an unbeaten 102 batting at No 7. But it was Jamieson who stole the show by picking five wickets in the first innings and six in the second.

All stats courtesy ESPNcricinfo

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