Tag: New Zealand

New Zealand coach Luke Ronchi said Sunday that his side’s ICC World Cup 2023 experience in India would help end their barren run in Bangladesh, as they prepare to face the hosts for a two-Test series.

New Zealand has largely played on Asian soil this year, with series in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh in various formats, before they played the ICC World Cup 2023 in India in October and November.

The Kiwis put up a credible show at the tournament, losing to hosts India in the semi-final.

“It’s definitely going to help us,” Ronchi told reporters ahead of Tuesday’s match at Sylhet.

“I think if we’d come straight from green wickets in New Zealand to the Bangladesh wickets, it’s a big change,” he added.

“But for the majority of our group here, they have been in India. They’ve been at the World Cup.

“They have been practising on different surfaces, slower and turning sort of surfaces. So that hopefully helps us for this Test series.”

Before travelling to India, New Zealand ended their 15-year wait to win a series in Bangladesh, beating the home side 2-0 in the three-match one-day international series.

The Kiwis have not, however, won a Test in Bangladesh since their three-wicket win in Chittagong in 2008.

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Their next three Tests, including both matches in a 2013 series, ended in a draw.

The visitors, who played with just one spinner back in 2013, named a spin-heavy squad for the upcoming series.

This time, Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel join Ish Sodhi along with two spin all-rounders, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra.

Ronchi believed spinners from both camps would play a big role.

“The quality of spin and pace in both sides is going to be really high,” he said.

Bangladesh will miss regular captain and experienced spinner Shakib Al Hasan for the series, while pacers Taskin Ahmed and Ebadot Hossain will be out due to injury.

Veteran batsman Tamim Iqbal and opener Liton Das are also not available for the series due to injury and a family break respectively.

“It’s challenging to lose that much of experience from any team, especially for Bangladesh,” said coach Chandika Hathurusingha.

He said the absences did, however, offer a chance to test other players.

“I think it’s exciting, and it’s an opportunity for some of the youngsters to make their name,” he said.

The second Test of the series will be held in Dhaka from December 6–10.

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MUMBAI: Batting maestro Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer’s magnificent hundreds, followed by Mohammed Shami’s seven-fer propelled India to defeat New Zealand by 70 runs and qualify for the ICC World Cup 2023 final.

Set to chase a daunting 398-run target, New Zealand’s batting lineup unfolded in the penultimate over and could score 327 in response despite Daryl Mitchell’s 134.

New Zealand got off to an unwanted start to a daunting pursuit as they lost both their openers Devon Conway (13) and Rachin Ravindra (13) inside eight overs with just 39 runs on the board.

Daryl Mitchell and skipper Kane Williamson kept the Blackcaps in the run chase despite the early debacle as the pair put together a 181-run partnership for the third wicket.

The third-wicket partnership put the Indian bowlers under pressure before Mohammed Shami returned to the attack and removed the New Zealand captain in the 33rd over.

He scored 69 in 73 deliveries, hitting eight boundaries and a six.

New Zealand then suffered another blow to their pursuit when Shami struck again to remove Tom Latham for a two-ball duck in the same over.

Mitchell then joined forces with Glenn Phillips to add 75 runs for the fifth wicket but Jasprit Bumrah broke the threatening partnership by dismissing the latter, who scored a brisk 41.

Phillips’ 33-ball knock featured four boundaries and two sixes.

Mohammed Shami then put New Zealand further to the backfoot by getting rid of Mark Chapman (2) before putting a final nail in the coffin by claiming the prized scalp of Mitchell.

Daryl Mitchell top-scored for New Zealand with a gutsy 134 in 119 deliveries, laced up with nine boundaries and seven sixes.

Indian bowlers then ran through New Zealand’s lower order and bundled out the former runners-up for 327 in 48.5 overs.

Mohammed Shami led the bowling attack for India with brilliant figures of 7/57 in 9.5 overs while Kuldeep Yadav, Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj made one scalp each.

Rohit Sharma once again provided India with a blistering start after winning the toss scoring 47 runs off 29 balls featuring four boundaries and as many sixes.

He departed in the ninth over, bowled by Tim Southee with 71 runs on the board as Kane Williamson took a magnificent catch to dismiss his Indian counterpart.

Virat Kohli joined Shubman Gill and together they knitted a solid 93-run partnership from 86 balls before Gill was retired hurt due to cramps.

Shreyas Iyer then joined Virat Kohli and they ran riot against New Zealand bowlers, adding 163 runs from 128 balls for the second wicket.

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Virat Kohli broke two records during the partnership as went past Sachin Tendulkar’s 673 runs in the 2003 World Cup to score the most runs in a single edition of the World Cup with 701 runs.

Virat Kohli also became the first batter to score 50 centuries in ODI cricket leaving behind Sachin Tendulkar with 49 centuries.

Virat Kohli’s record-breaking innings ended on the final ball of the 44th over by Tim Southee as Devon Conway pocketed a low catch at deep square leg.

He scored a total of 117 runs off 113 balls, featuring nine boundaries and two sixes.

Shreyas Iyer also scored a century, scoring a brisk 105 runs from 70 balls, with the help of four boundaries and eight sixes.

KL Rahul remained not out at 39 off 20, to see India reach a mammoth 397 runs in their allocated 50 overs.

Tim Southee topped the wickets chart for New Zealand with three wickets, however, he conceded 100 runs from his ten overs, while Trent Boult picked one wicket for 86 runs.

READ: Virat Kohli becomes the first batter to score 50 centuries in ODI cricket

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson opted to bowl first and his bowlers justified the decision reducing Sri Lanka to 70-5 inside the first ten overs.

Sri Lanka’s opening batter Kusal Perera was the only batter who posed a threat to New Zealand’s brilliant bowling, scoring a majority of the team’s total.

He scored a blistering 51 run-knock from 28 balls, with the help of nine boundaries and two sixes.

Sri Lanka further slipped to 105-7, bringing Maheesh Theekshana to the ground with New Zealand eyeing to wrap things up quickly.

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Theekshana stood on the other end, as he lost two partners before Dilshan Madushanka joined him and together they knitted a cautious 43-run partnership for the last wicket from 87 balls.

Theekshana played his career-best knock in ODI cricket, scoring an unbeaten 38 runs from 91 balls with the help of three boundaries, while his partner Madushanka scored 19, his highest individual in any form of cricket.

Rachin Ravindra finally ended the frustrating partnership, as Madushanka got caught behind, thus ending the Sri Lankan innings at 171.

Trent Boult topped the wickets chart for New Zealand, while Ravindra, Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner picked two wickets each.

BENGALURU: New Zealand have won the toss and elected to field first against Sri Lanka in the 41st ICC World Cup 2023 match at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Sri Lanka

Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (c)(wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka

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New Zealand

Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (c), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham (wk), Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD:

Overall ODIs: Matches 101, New Zealand 51, Sri Lanka 41, NR 8, Tied 1

ODI World Cup: Matches 11, New Zealand 5, Sri Lanka 6

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New Zealand captain Kane Williamson insisted his team will “focus on cricket” when they face a potentially make-or-break clash with Sri Lanka, shrugging off fears that rain may return to wash away their ICC World Cup 2023 dreams.

Williamson’s team lost a rain-hit match at the same Bengaluru venue last weekend against Pakistan despite posting a mammoth 401.

Pakistan won by 21 runs via the DLS method after scoring 200-1 in 25.3 overs, edging ahead on the required run rate when the game was halted due to the weather.

The defeat was a fourth successive loss for the Kiwis in the ICC World Cup 2023 who had won their opening four games.

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New Zealand, runners-up in the last two editions of the World Cup, are fourth in the table and need a win on Thursday to push their bid to secure a semi-final spot.

A washout could open the door for either Pakistan or Afghanistan to leapfrog them and grab the remaining last-four place.

“There’s lots of things that we can’t control and the weather is one of those,” Williamson told reporters on the eve of the game against 1996 champions Sri Lanka.

“You mentioned that there might be some of it, there may be a thought in the back of your mind, but at the end of the day, our focus will be on the cricket that we want to play and trying to put all our focus and energy into that.”

Afghanistan and Pakistan have the same number of points as New Zealand while India, South Africa and Australia have already sealed semi-final places.

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Williamson returned in the previous match after recovering from a broken thumb to make a valiant 95 in a 180-run stand with Rachin Ravindra, who hit 108.

Lockie Ferguson, who has claimed eight wickets in five matches, missed the previous two games with an Achilles injury has now recovered to be available for selection.

Kane Williamson said Ferguson “balances out our attack nicely” but did not reveal the team for the all-important match.

Fast bowler Matt Henry was ruled out of the rest of the ICC World Cup 2023 last week with a torn hamstring and Kyle Jamieson has taken his place in the squad.

Ravindra has stood out with 523 runs including three centuries to boost his team’s run-making ability despite recent losses.

Ravindra, a Wellington-born Kiwi of Indian-origin, played a key role in the team’s opening four victories and Williamson lauded the run-machine for his “amazing talent”.

“We sort of knew the talent was there, but to come out and repeat and be one of the players of the tournament so far, not only with the bat, but he’s also making really valuable contributions with the ball,” said Williamson.

“Very special player and great that he’s on our side.”

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New Zealand on Tuesday selected five spin bowlers to tackle the turning wickets expected in Bangladesh for the two-match Test cricket series later this month following the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023.

Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner returns to the Black Caps’ Test squad for the first time since 2021 to join Ajaz Patel and Ish Sodhi as the main spin bowlers.

New Zealand’s options with the turning ball are boosted by all-rounders Rachin Ravindra, who has hit three centuries at the ODI World Cup, and Glenn Phillips.

Seamer Kyle Jamieson returns after back surgery to form a three-man pace attack with captain Tim Southee and Matt Henry, who is recovering from a hamstring injury.

“We’ve selected a squad we think can compete and succeed in Bangladesh,” said New Zealand selector Sam Wells.

“With Ajaz, Ish, Mitch, Glenn and Rachin, we have a strong spin group that will offer good variety and options during the series.”

“Mitch had a strong back half of the Plunket Shield campaign last summer and has made good strides in his red-ball bowling,” Wells continued.

“Rachin brings a left-arm orthodox option and has improved considerably over the past 18 months with the ball – and his performances with the bat at the World Cup speak for themselves.”

Pace bowler Trent Boult has been left out after making himself unavailable for the tour of Bangladesh.

The first Test starts in Sylhet on November 28 with the second beginning eight days later in Dhaka.

New Zealand Squad for Bangladesh Series

Tim Southee (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Kane Williamson, Will Young

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BANGALORE: Left-handed opener Fakhar Zaman on Saturday, bagged multiple records with his quickfire century against New Zealand in the 35th match of the ICC World Cup 2023.

Fakhar, who played a match-winning 81-run knock against Bangladesh, backed it up with a sensational century in a daunting 402-run pursuit against New Zealand.

Despite losing his opening partner Abdullah Shafique early, the left-handed opener kept Pakistan in the hunt with clean hitting.

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Fakhar Zaman pelted the Blackaps’ bowlers and brought up his 11th ODI century in just 63 deliveries.

His belligerent knock had powered Pakistan to 160/1 in 21.3 overs, 10 ahead of the par score as per the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern (DLS) method, before the rain intervened.

At the stoppage, Fakhar Zaman was unbeaten on 106 in 69 deliveries, laced up with seven boundaries and nine sixes.

Notably, his 63-ball hundred is the fastest ton by a Pakistan batter in a World Cup game.

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The record of the fastest World Cup century, however, belongs to Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, who conceded just 40 deliveries to reach the milestone against the Netherlands in the ongoing mega event.

Fakhar’s 63-ball hundred ranks joint-ninth on the list of fastest World Cup centuries with India’s captain Rohit Sharma, who scored a 63-ball century against Afghanistan, which also came in the ongoing edition of the World Cup.

Moreover, Fakhar Zaman has thus far hit nine sixes amid his ongoing entertaining knock to go past Imran Nazir’s record of most sixes hit by a Pakistan batter in a World Cup innings.

The right-handed opener smashed eight sixes against Zimbabwe in the 2007 World Cup in West Indies.

He came close to break Imran Nazir’s long-standing record in his last outing for Pakistan when he smashed seven sixes against Bangladesh on Tuesday.

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