New Delhi: New Zealand head coach Gary Stead is confident of making to the World Test Championship (WTC) final in the 2023-25 cycle as the Black Caps face the litmus test in their upcoming Asian tour for the next seven weeks.
The focus for New Zealand will shift to the five Test matches against Sri Lanka and India after their one-off Test against Afghanistan was abandoned without a ball being bowled, though the Greater Noida match wasn’t part of the WTC cycle.
New Zealand are currently placed third on the WTC points table with three wins and as many defeats, accumulating 36 points with a win percentage of 50. India (74 points) and Australia (90 points) are above New Zealand in the table.
Despite the Kiwis holding a poor track record in Tests in Asia (16 wins in 90 Tests), head coach Gary Stead was determined to make it to the final for the second time after winning the WTC title in 2019-2021 cycle.
“The World Test Championship is alive and well and we are currently in third place, and we want to make the finals again. We’ve been there once in the past, and we’re desperate to get there again,” the New Zealand coach said in a press conference on Friday.
New Zealand to face Sri Lanka and India challenge
The Tim Southee-led team will leave for Sri Lanka on Saturday as the two-match Test series kicks off on September 18 at the Galle International Stadium. The second Test will also be played in Galle between September 26 and 30.
The Black Caps will return back to India in October to face the WTC table toppers in three Tests in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai from October 16 to November 5.
“The conditions that we face in Galle will be, I’m sure, different to Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai when we come back here again. So, it’s still about adapting to the different surfaces,” Stead said.
New Zealand won the inaugural World Test Championship final after defeating India in the final by eight wickets in Southampton. The team failed to qualify for the final in the last cycle, finishing sixth on the table with 60 points and 60 and 38.46 win percentage.
New Zealand are currently placed third on the WTC points table with three wins and as many defeats, accumulating 36 points with a win percentage of 50. India (74 points) and Australia (90 points) are above New Zealand in the table. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
