Black Caps quintet named in ICC teams
Black Caps BJ Watling and Neil Wagner have been selected in the International Cricket Council’s test team of the year for the first time, it was announced yesterday.
Tom Latham has been included for the second year in a row, while Trent Boult and Kane Williamson have made the cut for the ICC’s ODI team of the year.
The honours will come as a pickme-up to the Black Caps quintet, all of whom were involved in the recent 3-0 test series loss to Australia across the Tasman.
Watling’s standout achievement in 2019 was his double century against England at Mount Maunganui in November, which set the Black Caps up to win the test – and the series.
The wicketkeeper batted for more than 11 hours in making 205, his highest test score by 63 runs. He had also played a big hand in the team’s previous outing, when he made 105 in their win over Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Wagner took 43 wickets at an average of 17.81 and a strike rate of
37.6 in 2019, his best return in any calendar year.
The left-armer took four fivewicket bags in his 11 innings in the field – 5-47 against Bangladesh in Hamilton in February, 5-45 against Bangladesh in Wellington in March,
5-44 against England in Mount Maunganui in November, and 5-124 against England in Hamilton a week later.
Latham made a strong start to the year on home soil, scoring 161 against Bangladesh in Hamilton, and also made 154 against Sri Lanka in Colombo and 105 against England in Hamilton.
He finished 2019 having scored
601 runs in 12 innings at an average of 50.08.
Williamson’s inclusion in the ODI team of 2019 comes after a year where he scored 948 runs in 20 innings at an average of 59.25, including two 100s and six 50s.
Both his centuries came at the World Cup – 106 in a successful chase against South Africa and 148 against the West Indies, when he scored more than half of the Black Caps’ total of 291.
Boult took 38 wickets in 2019 – his most in any calendar year – at an average of 23.97 and a strike rate of 30.5.
He had one five-wicket bag –
5-21 against India in Hamilton – and two four-wicket hauls, both at the World Cup – 4-30 against the West Indies and 4-51 against Australia.
The ICC teams of the year are selected by a group of prominent journalists, broadcasters and former players from around the world.
The players will be presented with their team of the year caps at New Zealand Cricket’s end of season awards on March 30.