Black Caps seeking to ice the cake
CRICKET
ANOTHER final at Lord’s — gulp.
The Black Caps are through to the inaugural World Test Championship in England later this year.
They are the first team to secure a berth — their spot was confirmed when Australia pulled out of next month’s series against South Africa due to the Covid19 pandemic.
The remaining finals slot will be determined by the India England fourmatch series which starts in Chennai this week.
India shapes as the favourite but England will have other ideas, and Australia still retains a slim chance.
If the series is evenly contested Australia can still squeak through on points.
Whichever side the Black Caps end up playing, their fans will have mixed feelings about a final at Lord’s.
New Zealand was robbed of shared World Cup glory because of an obscure boundary countback rule which handed England the title despite the score still being level, even after a superover decider.
That experience will still be raw for some of the probably playing personnel.
But Black Caps coach Gary Stead said any lingering disappointment could be directed positively.
‘‘The way I look at it, is what happened back in 2019 has been and gone — we can’t change it we can’t do anything about it,’’ he said.
‘‘So now it is about us moving on to what is in front of us now and I think our guys are professional and skilful enough that they will be able to do that.’’
There will definitely be no super over this time around. If the game is a draw or an unlikely tie, the title will be shared.
‘‘It is obviously very, very exciting . . . for the players and staff that are involved but also for the wider New Zealand cricket family and obviously the fans.
‘‘It is something you always try to aspire to, to reach those levels. When you look at the two World Cups finals in the last wee while and now the inaugural World Test Championship final as well, then to me it signals that a lot of things have been put in place that are going well.
‘‘It will be nice now to get to the final and hopefully ice the cake if we can.’’
The Black Caps will have the perfect preparation for the match. They will play tests against England in June in the leadup to the final.
They will also take some impressive form into the game. The side is unbeaten in 17 home tests and has strung together six consecutive wins to earn the right to play in the final.
However, the recent record away from home is mixed. The Black Caps were drubbed 30 in Australia in 201920, so there is room for improvement, Stead said.
‘‘I think if you look around world cricket . . . many teams struggle in overseas conditions still and I think that is part of the challenge for the teams is to find ways to win overseas.’’
Australia has ruled out summoning its elite players for the twenty20 series against New Zealand despite pulling out of the test series against South Africa, AAP reports.
Frontliners including Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and David Warner, will still miss the fivematch T20 series in New Zealand.
Australia will instead stick with the original T20 squad announced last week.