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Congratulations to New Zealand for attaining Number 1 Test Ranking for the first time

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MenInG

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Amazing for Kane Williamson and his men.

Well deserved and a matter of pride for the Kiwis

They have achieved the feat for the first time in rankings history

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Well deserved even if it is going to be very short-lived. They are a phenomenal side at home.
 
India were No. 1 for 4 years straight.

Then pandemic happen and suddenly Australia become No.1 without playing for whole year.

And then NZ demolish hapless WI and Pakistan and they become No.1

Don't rule out either India or Australia becoming No.1 in next 2-3 months.

Proper Musical chair this is!
 
NZ need to be more ruthless.

It’s what’s holding them back from being in the league of the Big 3.
 
Congratulations...

What NZ need to do is win more games away vs top sides, India, SA, Aus and Eng. They haven't won a single game in these four countries in the last 5 years, and have just two wins in the last 10.

Sounds quite dire for what is a no.1 team.
 
Sir Alex said:
Congratulations...

What NZ need to do is win more games away vs top sides, India, SA, Aus and Eng. They haven't won a single game in these four countries in the last 5 years, and have just two wins in the last 10.

Sounds quite dire for what is a no.1 team.
Click to expand...

Even Pakistan have won more than them in (Aus,Eng and SA) in the last 10 years:inti
 
deep82 said:
India were No. 1 for 4 years straight.

Then pandemic happen and suddenly Australia become No.1 without playing for whole year.

And then NZ demolish hapless WI and Pakistan and they become No.1

Don't rule out either India or Australia becoming No.1 in next 2-3 months.

Proper Musical chair this is!
Click to expand...

For any team to stay in No. 1 even if they don't play for a while, they have to be at more than 130 points.

Otherwise there will be musical chairs only.
 
Congrats to NZL, now Sri Lanka is the only big team to not have been ranked no.1 in test cricket's history.
 
Sir Alex said:
Congratulations...

What NZ need to do is win more games away vs top sides, India, SA, Aus and Eng. They haven't won a single game in these four countries in the last 5 years, and have just two wins in the last 10.

Sounds quite dire for what is a no.1 team.
Click to expand...

Err, they haven't toured India, SA or England in the last 5 years, so a bit hard to win isn't it?

The last time they did play a series in England was in 2016 & they drew the series 1-1

Do you not think before you post?
 
Snatch said:
Err, they haven't toured India, SA or England in the last 5 years, so a bit hard to win isn't it?

The last time they did play a series in England was in 2016 & they drew the series 1-1

Do you not think before you post?
Click to expand...
They toured India and SA in 2016 and Eng in 2015, so yeah in the last 5 years they have toured these places, maybe technically you can count England out as its been 5.5 years since their last tour, but the other two tours come within the 5 year period.
 
It's a shame non of those countries want NZ to tour cos lack of money generated
 
Congrats NZ.. ghar kay sher... j/k I’m a little salty obviously after seeing my team murked like that.

Think they will become a top 3 or top 4 side overall in the next decade. Now it’s really time to cash in on the gold too be it test championship, WC or WT20 (if anyone still cares about that), they have the talent for that kind of glory.
 
Snatch said:
Err, they haven't toured India, SA or England in the last 5 years, so a bit hard to win isn't it?

The last time they did play a series in England was in 2016 & they drew the series 1-1

Do you not think before you post?
Click to expand...

They toured India, SA in 2016 and lost. 2016 is within last five years threshold.
 
Meh. Aus or india will regain within months. Enjoy while it lasts.
 
I would like a friendly bump on what happened when Pakistan got to Test ranking number 1 back in 2016 lol...

eb29635b50e285876ea21e67ce03aa2f.png

76955.jpg


How long was the number 1 ranking?
 
I wonder why the play so few away tours. A bit unfair to not make them play more series. They've only toured aus, sri lanka and UAE. They'll play 2 tests vs eng this year. Hope they play more frequently
 
New Zealand's journey to the top of Test Rankings

With a victory over Pakistan by an innings and 176 runs, New Zealand have scaled the MRF Tyres ICC Test Team Rankings to become the sixth country in the past ten years to be ranked No.1 in Test cricket.

The seventh country ever to hold the top spot in the Test rankings, New Zealand spent much of the last couple of years in second place on the table with an impeccable home record recently.

So how did they get there?

Kane Williamson: Leading from the front

In an era of flashy superstars, Kane Williamson is a throwback to the old-fashioned copybook cricketer who oozes class every time he takes the crease. Such is the brilliance of Kane Williamson that not only is he the captain and fulcrum of the New Zealand batting order, but also the current No.1 Test batsman in the world, upstaging Virat Kohli and Steve Smith in the final ICC Rankings update for 2020. Williamson leapfrogged that formidable duo with three centuries, including two double centuries in his last six innings.

Following another match-winning double century from the skipper against Pakistan in Christchurch, the Black Caps seized the initiative in the Test and subsequently inching close to the top two spots in the ICC World Test Championship standings. The 364-ball double century a couple of days ago was a 573-minute masterclass in Test match batting from Kane Williamson, leading his team from the front. However, that was not the end of it, as he rewrote several records in the process:–

· Most Test centuries (13) & 50+ scores (31) in New Zealand

· First New Zealand captain to 2000+ Test runs at home

· Second New Zealand captain to score 3000+ Test runs

· Third New Zealand batsman to 7,000+ runs in Tests

· Joint-first for most double centuries in Test cricket for New Zealand: 4

· Third highest partnership in Test cricket for New Zealand (369 - Williamson & Nicholls)

· Second captain to score 10+ Test centuries since 2016

· Highest average in Test cricket since 2017 among batters with a minimum of 1000 runs:

Kane Williamson (NZL) – 65.74
Babar Azam (PAK) – 62.80
Marnus Labuschagne (AUS) – 58.81
Henry Nicholls (NZL) – 53.53
Steve Smith (AUS) – 52.62
Virat Kohli (IND) – 52.56

A full team effort for sustained excellence

While Kane Williamson has played a major role in New Zealand’s rise to the top, there is much more to the Black Caps than just their captain. Since 2017, Tom Latham, Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, and Williamson, have scored over 6500 Test runs between them which has included 21 centuries. With Tom Latham (11th), Henry Nicholls (12th) and Ross Taylor (14th) just outside the top-10 ICC Test Rankings for batting, there has been plenty of runs throughout the New Zealand batting order on the journey to the top.

The Kiwis’ pace duo Neil Wagner and Tim Southee are ranked third and fourth in ICC Test Ranking for bowing. Since 2017, the pair, along with Trent Boult, have picked up 275 wickets between them at an average of 23.95. The meteoric rise of Kyle Jamieson as the fourth pillar of the New Zealand bowling unit has added a new dimension and strength to this already talented attack.

The final piece of the puzzle for New Zealand’s rise has been the old adage, ‘There’s no place like home’. Having just broken its longest winning streak in Test cricket with its sixth win against Pakistan, New Zealand home series have proven to be an insurmountable challenge for every touring side for the past three years. Such has been the dominance of Williamson’s side on its home decks that March 2017 was the last time a visiting team won a Test in New Zealand.

England, South Africa, India and Australia have all enjoyed a year at the top of ICC Test Rankings in the last 10 years. With impeccable results against West Indies and Pakistan, both of whom were trounced in successive Tests by an innings each, New Zealand have proven they are now the most in-form Test team in world cricket and the rankings reflect that fact.

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/1966753/featured
 
They won’t be up there for long. Imagine almost losing/drawing a test at home against a Pakistan team playing without their best player.
 
This kiwi side is kind of similar to the Pakistani team of 2016 which became #1 team for a little while, just like Pakistan this kiwi side is amazing at home but horrible in away countries.
 
szrana007 said:
Congrats to NZL, now Sri Lanka is the only big team to not have been ranked no.1 in test cricket's history.
Click to expand...

Pretty sad for them, they’ve had such a boss team and true golden periods with Sanga, Mahela, Murali, Vaas all playing together.

Even in just this decade they have some excellent overseas wins. Definitely had the potential to be number 1 at some point.
 
The arrival of a Kiwi Garner in Jamieson is key. If he can stay fit he can be NZ's best ever bowler, probably after Hadlee.
 
deep82 said:
India were No. 1 for 4 years straight.

Then pandemic happen and suddenly Australia become No.1 without playing for whole year.

And then NZ demolish hapless WI and Pakistan and they become No.1

Don't rule out either India or Australia becoming No.1 in next 2-3 months.

Proper Musical chair this is!
Click to expand...

Dont forget NZ also demolished India which possibly gave them more points.
 
Well deserved, congrats. They have really put in great work over the last 5,6 years and this is the result.
 
Congrats. Greatest NZ team of all time. KW is a great player and is the nicest guy in professional cricket, if not professional sport, currently. Truly deserves to hold the mace even if it is for a little while. A great ambassador for our sport. Well done, Black Caps!
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
Pretty sad for them, they’ve had such a boss team and true golden periods with Sanga, Mahela, Murali, Vaas all playing together.

Even in just this decade they have some excellent overseas wins. Definitely had the potential to be number 1 at some point.
Click to expand...

Well they did reach no.2 back in 2009 when all of them were playing together, didn't reach no.1 though unfortunately.
 
Jeez i could use some of the salt in here to season my dinner.

We have never been a strong cricketing nation until recently let us have our moment while it lasts.

The rankings don't take into account tours from 10 years ago so I have no idea why they are being brought up. This team has vastly improved in the last 4 to 5 years.
 
Space Cat said:
Jeez i could use some of the salt in here to season my dinner.

We have never been a strong cricketing nation until recently let us have our moment while it lasts.

The rankings don't take into account tours from 10 years ago so I have no idea why they are being brought up. This team has vastly improved in the last 4 to 5 years.
Click to expand...

Well you guys were pretty strong in the 1980's with Hadlee and Crowe. Even won a test series in Australia in 1985-86. Anyways ignore the haters bro. Congrats on your well deserved no.1 status. Enjoy.
 
Space Cat said:
Jeez i could use some of the salt in here to season my dinner.

We have never been a strong cricketing nation until recently let us have our moment while it lasts.

The rankings don't take into account tours from 10 years ago so I have no idea why they are being brought up. This team has vastly improved in the last 4 to 5 years.
Click to expand...

There’s no bigger fan of NZ cricket than me, I just don’t think teams like Eng, Aus and NZ are as good as they say they are.
 
Congratulations to Black Caps. Kane Williamson is a truly legend of the game and an iconic figure in cricket for NZ.
 
YousafTheBeast said:
They won’t be up there for long. Imagine almost losing/drawing a test at home against a Pakistan team playing without their best player.
Click to expand...

I don't think they will hold the top spot for too long, but they were not really close to almost losing a test at home against Pakistan.

Congratualtions to NZ fans! It's great to see NZ doing well.
 
Newly minted as the world’s top-ranked test cricket team, now they wait, and hope.

New Zealand won’t play another test until June at the earliest (a mooted series in England), and may not know for two months if one of those will be the inaugural World Test Championship final at Lord’s - Covid-19 permitting.

For the Black Caps’ revered captain and top-ranked batsman Kane Williamson it means some welcome downtime with his wife and three-week-old daughter, maybe some Twenty20 cricket for the Knights, and only brief glances at the Australia versus India tests which are so vital to their chances of a return to Lord’s.

“I'll watch some of it [Australia v India] when I'm perhaps feeding my baby girl or changing some nappies - and it is always great cricket to watch - but I won't watch all of it,” Williamson said after their 2-0 series win over Pakistan.

“It's not in our hands at this point in time. We'll reflect on the cricket we've played and I'm sure we'll enjoy that and take a moment. But we can't control that. It would be nice if things fell our way, but we'll have to wait and see.”

It would be nice. But what are their chances? Reasonable, you could say, although an Australia-India final remains the clear favourite and there are complicated permutations. Remember the ICC world test rankings, which the Black Caps have scaled for the first time, having nothing to do with the WTC.

Now, cricket fans marvelling at their skipper’s batsmanship, or the whirlwind rise of Kyle Jamieson, must barrack for the old enemies Australia and England to help ruin India’s chances.

Or, become Indian and South African fans and hope they can roll Australia which would set up an India-Black Caps decider.

Another wicket for Kyle Jamieson as his New Zealand team-mates circle and they charge towards another test victory over Pakistan.
The two WTC finalists are decided on highest points percentage from their designated six home and away series, which for New Zealand is exactly 70 and is the magic number for Australia (77 per cent) and India (72 per cent) to stay ahead of. England (61 per cent) need a near miracle, including a 3-0 or 4-0 result in India next month.

Put simply, New Zealand will miss out if both these scenarios happen: Australia win three of their five tests against India (home) and South Africa (away), and India win four of six against Australia (away) and England (home). The 1-1 split of the first two tests across the Tasman was not good for the Black Caps, but also showed Australia are no certainties, and maybe even India are a better chance of achieving the above requirements.

Then, whisper it quietly, there is this scenario uncovered by cricket statistician Deepu Narayanan. If Australia beat India 3-1, India beat England 4-0 and South Africa beat Australia 2-1, it would provide more Kiwi fan agony: India 70.83% (510 points out of 720), Australia 70.33% (422/600) and New Zealand 70% (420/600). Ouch.


The one asterisk is the three Australia v South Africa tests scheduled for February-March, the same time Australia’s T20 squad will be in New Zealand. Those tests remain unconfirmed amid Covid-19, with South Africa, Perth and the United Arab Emirates potential venues.

South Africa successfully staged two tests against Sri Lanka which was encouraging, but if that South Africa series was cancelled, Australia would need to beat India in Sydney or Brisbane to stay ahead of New Zealand’s 70 per cent.

Here’s our (as simple as possible) guide to the race to Lord’s:

AUSTRALIA

Current points percentage: 76.7 (322 out of 420)

What’s left (max 180 points):

-India 2 home tests (30pts per win, 10pts per draw)

-South Africa 3 away tests (40pts per win, 13pts per draw)

Also: 2-test series in Bangladesh cancelled (120pts not contested)

What they need to top 70 per cent:

100 more points (win 3 out of 5 against India and South Africa; or draw both against India and win 2 against South Africa)

Current points percentage: 72 (390 out of 540)

What’s left (max 180 points):

-Australia 2 away tests (30pts per win, 10pts per draw)

-England 4 home tests (30pts per win, 10pts per draw)

What they need to top 70 per cent:

120 more points (win 4 out of 6 against Australia and England; or win 3 and draw 3)

ENGLAND

Current points percentage: 60.8 (292 out of 480)

What’s left (max 240 points):

-Sri Lanka 2 away tests (60pts per win, 20pts per draw)

-India 4 away tests (30pts per win, 10pts per draw)

What they need to top 70 per cent:

220 more points (win both against Sri Lanka; and win 3 and draw 1 against India)

Final points percentage: 70 (420 out of 600)

How they got there:

Drew with Sri Lanka 1-1 away (60pts)

Lost to Australia 0-3 away (0pts)

Beat India 2-0 at home (120pts)

Beat West Indies 2-0 at home (120pts)

Beat Pakistan 2-0 at home (120pts)

Also: 2-test series in Bangladesh cancelled (120pts not contested)

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/crick...ck-caps-to-make-world-test-championship-final
 
Space Cat said:
Jeez i could use some of the salt in here to season my dinner.

We have never been a strong cricketing nation until recently let us have our moment while it lasts.

The rankings don't take into account tours from 10 years ago so I have no idea why they are being brought up. This team has vastly improved in the last 4 to 5 years.
Click to expand...

I think NZ are currently about as powerful as England were in Strauss's time - strong and deep batting and very good, if not actual world class bowling (though Jamieson may change that). All they need is a Swann figure.
 
Robert said:
I think NZ are currently about as powerful as England were in Strauss's time - strong and deep batting and very good, if not actual world class bowling (though Jamieson may change that). All they need is a Swann figure.
Click to expand...
Strauss's England was a great side who thrashed Australia and India in their backyards. I doubt that current Kiwi side could do the same.
 
Not sure people understand just how good NZ are at the moment, especially in home conditions. Their pace attack is extremely well suited to their conditions, and their batting is decent as well. The no 1 test rating is justified in my opinion, I wouldn't bet against them if they were up against England or Australia.
 
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