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New Zealand have a rich cricketing history, but I started taking notice of the Kiwis only since their match against Australia in the 2003 World Cup. The handsome lad, who went by the name Shane Bond, donning the most stylish cricket jersey of the time, was sending 150-plus kmph thunderbolts that left even the best of the Aussie batsmen hopping and ducking for cover. Remember, this was the Australia of the early 2000s we are talking about. It was the same team which amassed a mammoth 359 against India in the 2003 World Cup final before winning the contest comfortably.
Bond simply couldn’t care less. His deliveries curved in at a thunderous pace, with some spitting up from unplayable lengths. The star-studded Aussie batting line-up was interrogated and humiliated by the cop-turned-cricketer.
With the Kiwis, one thing is a given. They don’t save things for judgment day. They attack with all their might when they possibly can. When Bond finished his quota of 10 overs (in which he claimed six scalps for just 23 runs), Australia were reeling at 88-7, with 21 more overs to go.
But this is the legendary Australian side we are talking about. When you are smothering them, make sure they are dead before you take the pillow off. Once Bond’s quota was over, the Aussies began to rebuild their innings. Australia added 120 more runs and finished at 208-9, with Andy Bichel top-scoring with a 83-ball 64.
The Aussies' reply came hot and swift in the form of a hurricane named Brett Lee. The Kiwis were blown away without a trace by one of the fastest bowlers the game has ever seen. The New Zealand team had reasonably good players - Stephen Fleming, Daniel Vettori, Scott Styris, Nathan Astle, and a guy named Brendon McCullum, who could be seen flying behind the stumps every now and then. But beyond Bond, there were no giants in the New Zealand team, like someone who could be called the best in the world at that time. Like EMPs, they produced short bursts of violent energy, but that’s that. It was never sustained for longer periods.
Yes, they were graced with exceptional talents in the past - be it Bond, Martin Crowe or Sir Richard Hadlee - but that luxury came only once in a while. Mostly New Zealand played with whatever they had at their disposal, putting 100 per cent of their heart and soul into every game they were part of. Ferocious but vulnerable - like a cornered cat.
If not for injuries, Bond could have become one of the most successful pacers in cricket history. But that was the thing about New Zealand cricket. Could haves, would haves and should haves - something was amiss all the time.
Brendon McCullum set the ball rolling for New Zealand's resurgence
It is this aspect of New Zealand cricket that has changed in the last few years. McCullum laid the platform, infusing more and more aggression into the team. But he made sure his team played the game in its true spirit - shunning away from any sort of negative play, something which their trans-Tasmanian rivals Australia are infamous for. His team were growing into a potent force in the most ideal way one could imagine.
When Kane Williamson took over, the transformation was complete. In Willamson, New Zealand have one of the best batsmen and captains of the modern era. His cool and deceptively gentle style might be antithetical to McCullum's, but the fighting spirit is simply the same.
Trent Boult and Tim Southee form a menacing bowling pair. Tom Latham has been brilliant as an opening batsman over the last few years, and now he has the company of Devon Conway, who made his Test debut with a double century against England at Lord's earlier in the month. Kylie Jamieson, meanwhile, is a giant in every sense. Standing at 6’6, he averages 42 with the bat and 14 with the ball. Add Ross Taylor’s experience and Neil Wagner’s precision and grit into the mix, and we have a formidable force that can pin down the best at anytime, anywhere in the world.
New Zealand are not fighting for survival anymore. They have become ruthless beasts of the game. This team fights because they want to dominate like the best. It did take some time for them to get a formal recognition of true greatness. The Kiwis came close to winning the ODI World Cup in 2015, even closer in 2019, but glory eluded them on both occasions.
The time has now come for the "nice guys" of world cricket. In the World Test Championship (WTC) final, they were one step ahead of India most of the time. New Zealand truly deserve every bit of the WTC mace.
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