New Zealand cricket team’s hopes of reaching the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final have officially been dashed after an innings-to-hour 323-run defeat to England in the second Test at Wellington. It was not just that the result handed Tom Latham’s men a 2-0 series lead but that they would be mathematically eliminated from the final.
These reigning WTC cycle winners came into this series with very feeble qualification hopes, but needed to be on top of things with a perfect run to remain in the race. But successive defeats against a revival-looking England have ended those hopes, as New Zealand dropped down the table.
The Test match in Wellington had been a case study of England’s power both with bat and ball. Harry Brook and Joe Root made them all pay with commanding centuries, both of which mastered the New Zealand attack. Brook’s strike-playing prowess and Root’s credentials dominated England’s second innings and helped create an impossible target for the visitors.
The last nail in the coffin came from a wild performance by young pacer Gus Atkinson who made a hat-trick in New Zealand’s second innings. His flames tore apart the hosts and did away with any remnant of resistance. England’s convincing win under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum demonstrated that they have a bold, rogue-like style and are becoming one of Test cricket’s exciting sides.
For New Zealand, this defeat in the series is the latest twist in a WTC cycle. The Blackcaps, who made history earlier by whitewashing the series 2-0 in India, looked confident coming into the second leg of the competition. But they have struggled with inconsistent action. An early blow was a first-Test defeat to England in Christchurch, compounded by a slow over-rate penalty costing key points and undermining their already thin qualification chances.
New Zealand is currently 6th in the WTC standings with 44.23% points (PCT). Even with a Test win in the series, their PCT will increase only to 48.21%, still way lower than the 60% needed for final qualification.
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What’s more frustrating is how unpredictable their shape is throughout the cycle. Seven losses in 13 matches is a worrying slide for a side that used to be among the most consistent in Test cricket.
With the recent standings, it seems like the race is raging among the best players to reach the WTC final. Australia – with a series win over India at Adelaide, tops the table followed by South Africa and India (both with PCT above 55%). It will be determined by South Africa’s next games and Sri Lanka-Australia clash to determine the second finalist while India still has a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series to sustain their hopes.
For England though, even if they play well, there is no door to the WTC final. They lie fifth with an unbreakable point deficit, and they, along with New Zealand, will have no further say in the ultimate result of this cycle.
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For New Zealand, it’s still hard to see how they’ll remain consistent, with some of the core guys like Tim Southee and Kane Williamson coming into their golden years. The breakout performances of players such as Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell give some promise but the Blackcaps must work to repair their own vulnerability if they want to return as serious candidates next WTC cycle.
Meanwhile England’s new dynamism and attacking cricket is still in demand. They might have lost their WTC dreams but what they have shown against New Zealand is that cricket will face even more tests for their competition.
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The quest to reach the WTC 2023-25 final becomes a race for life Australia, South Africa and India lead the pack. New Zealand is for now a done deal with their lacklustre campaign, left to reflect on missed chances and further questioning where they stand in a shifting Test cricket world.
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