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The Black Caps are looking at history on multiple fronts as they head to Christchurch for Test 2 against Pakistan that begins Sunday at Hagley Oval.
If they can back up their victory in the first round at Bay Oval on Mount Maunganui in a place where they were only denied twice in seven attempts, they will have won a record six rounds in a row.
They will have completed a perfect season at home, winning four events out of four for the first time after coming close by winning three out of four each of the past three summers.
Phil Walter / Getty Images
Black Caps closer Kyle Jamieson celebrates with his teammates after hitting a crucial wicket in their win over Pakistan in Test 1.
They will officially move to No. 1 in the International Cricket Council’s event standings, a historic achievement that they can also achieve with a draw and a 1-0 series win.
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And they will also have done their job when it comes to their hopes of reaching the final of the World Trials Championship.
The ICC decided in November to judge the first edition of the World Testing Championship based on the percentage of points each nation had earned, rather than gross totals, after the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cancellation and postponement of several series in 2020.
As it stands, the Black Caps are competing with Australia, England and India for a place in the top two and need a victory in Christchurch to have any chance of doing so.
Should they succeed, they will keep an eye out for the two upcoming games in the ongoing Australia-India series, which continues on January 7 in Sydney; England’s two-game series in Sri Lanka, which begins Jan. 14; and England’s four-game series in India, which begins on February 5 and will be completed on March 9.
Australia is also supposed to tour South Africa in February and March for three tests, but those matches have yet to be scheduled as nations grapple with the logistical challenges of playing amid a global pandemic.
By the end of the Black Caps’ first Test against Pakistan, Australia had won 77 percent of their possible points, with 180 more at stake; India had won 72 percent, with 180 more at stake; the Black Caps had won 67 percent, with just 60 more at stake; and England had won 61 per cent, with 240 more at stake.
A victory in Christchurch will lift the Black Caps up to 70 percent, and then they will need two of the other teams to finish below that mark to book their trip to Lord’s for the inaugural final next June.
The ICC rankings are updated at the end of each test series, so while it is possible to say that the Black Caps would be ranked No. 1 if the cricket world came to a stop on Wednesday night, when they achieved a dramatic victory in the first test against Pakistan at Mount Maunganui, they still have work to do to make it official.
A win or a draw in the second round will do that, but they would love to stay there even after the Australia-India series ends at the end of January.
For that to happen, they need to win the second round and for Australia and India to tie their series or for India to win it 2-1, or for them to tie the second round, win their series 1-0 and for Australia and India to tie their series.
Set in stone are the Black Caps’ five consecutive victories, something they have only achieved once before, in 2005 and 2006.
Back then, they beat Sri Lanka by one inning and 38 runs at Wellington, Zimbabwe by one inning and 294 runs at Harare and one inning and 46 runs at Bulawayo, and the West Indies by 27 runs at Auckland and 10 wickets at Wellington.
This time they beat India by 10 wickets at Wellington and seven wickets at Christchurch, the West Indies by one inning and 134 runs at Hamilton and one inning and 12 runs at Wellington, and Pakistan by 101 runs at Mount Maunganui.
So a victory in Christchurch will put the Black Caps in uncharted territory on many fronts.
But when it comes to captain Kane Williamson, all that “context” must remain in the back of his players’ minds as they focus on the task at hand.
“It’s about playing cricket well,” he put it Wednesday after the Bay Oval win.
“The attention and context that has been provided with the World Trials Championship is excellent and it has been given an added touch to try out cricket.
“It is in the back of people’s minds, but not in the forefront of what we need to control and the effort it takes to play our best cricket against a very strong team in Pakistan.
“They proved that today, and we’ve seen it on several occasions, that they are an excellent team in all areas, so for us it’s about adjusting to the conditions again and just trying to do the basics well and play our style of cricket the best we can and what happens after that, we’ll see. “
What’s at stake for the Black Caps in the second test
- A win will be your sixth consecutive test win – a new record
- A victory will give them a perfect record in a summer at home consisting of more than two tests for the first time
- A victory will keep your hopes alive of reaching the inaugural World Trials Championship final.
- A win or a draw will move them to number 1 in the ICC event rankings
