New Zealand Cricket Team
In December 1832, Henry Williams, a British minister who resided in New Zealand, wrote about some boys playing cricket on Horotutu beach. This was the earliest record of cricket in the nation. Then, in 1835, Charles Darwin saw a game of cricket being played between a missionary's son and some liberated Maori slaves. Darwin had just arrived in then ation on HMS Beagle. At the end of 1842, a cricket match was played for the first time ever in New Zealand in Wellington. A "Blue" squad from Wellington competed against a "Red" team in this match.
When George Parr's England XI went on tour to New Zealand in 1863, they became the first team ever to visit the country. 22 teams traveled to New Zealand to play cricket between 1864 and 1914. One was from Fiji, fifteen were from Australia, and six were from England. The first team to represent New Zealand faced off against New South Wales in Christchurch in February 1894. By 160 runs, the visitors prevailed in the game. They played the next year again but were defeated by 142 runs. This was New Zealand's first victory in cricket.
A Brief Look at New Zealand Cricket History
In 1904, a very talented Australian team that included players like Warwick Armstrong, Victor Trumper, and Clem Hill faced off in New Zealand's first two international games (not tests). They avoided a thrashing in the first game thanks to the good ol' New Zealand weather, but they weren't as lucky in the second. The game's score, an innings and 358 runs in favor of Australia, remains the second-largest defeat in New Zealand's cricketing history. 26 first-class games, largely against English countrysides, were played during New Zealand's 1927 tour of England. They succeeded in defeating Derbyshire, Somerset, Worcestershire, and Glamorgan.
The ICC granted them test status due to their performances on this trip. England played four three-day tests while visiting New Zealand in 1929. Despite losing the first game, the host team could tie the other three. The opening partnership of 276 runs between Jackie Mills and Stewie Dempster in the second game remains the record for a New Zealand match versus England.
Before World War II, New Zealand could only secure test matches against England and South Africa after playing South Africa for the first time in 1931. The entire sport of cricket was suspended for seven years when the war began. Australia was the opponent in their first test following World War II. This match wasn't regarded as an official test at the time, but the ICC granted it test status in 1948. The Kiwis who participated in this game likely regret it because Australia bowled them out for just 42 and 54 runs, respectively. This was the only test the two teams played until 1972 due to the New Zealand Cricket Board's refusal to provide Australian players on tour with a fair allowance.
New Zealand versus West Indies
In 1949, the New Zealand team sent one of its top players to England. Jack Cowie, Martin Donnelly, Bert Sutcliffe, and John R. Reid were members of this team. All four test matches, however, resulted in high-scoring draws. The New Zealand team defeated West Indies by 190 runs in 1956 to earn their first-ever test victory (they still lost the series 3-1). They had to play 45 games and wait 26 years to achieve their first victory. They added seven more test victories over the next 20 years. Richard Hadlee joined the team in 1973, and as one of the best bowlers in the world, New Zealand's victory rate climbed significantly. In 1977, New Zealand won their very first test match against England (after 48 attempts), with Hadlee taking 10 wickets in the game. In the 1980s, New Zealand could call on some very talented players such as Martin Crowe, Bruce Edgar, John Wright, Andrew Jones, John F. Reid, Jeremy Coney, Geoff Howarth, Ian Smith, and Lance Cairns.
The Newzealand cricket players picked up their first win against Australia in 1985 in Brisbane when they won by an innings and 41 runs. New Zealand were able to compete more in one-day cricket and their most infamous match came about in 1981 when they were playing against Australia at the MCG. They needed 6 runs off the last ball to tie that game, so Greg Chappel, the Australian captain at the time, told his bowler to bowl an underarm delivery so that the New Zealand team batsman had no chance of hitting it out of the park. To this day, this remains one of the most unsporting decisions ever made in cricket. Hadlee took ten wickets in the 1977 match between New Zealand and England, which resulted in New Zealand's first test victory (after 48 tries). In the 1980s, players like Martin Crowe, Bruce Edgar, John Wright, Andrew Jones, John F. Reid, Jeremy Coney, Geoff Howarth, Ian Smith, and Lance Cairns could be counted on by New Zealand.
Currently, Kane Williamson serves as their captain under the direction of head coach Gary Stead.
How Have the New Zealand Cricket Team Been Doing Lately?
The New Zealand cricket team has had a really good 2021, that is for certain. They started off the year by completing a 2-0 Test win over Pakistan, and followed that up with a 3-2 win against Australia in a five-match T20 series. They then played Bangladesh in a three-match ODI series and won 3-0 and then beat them 3-0 in a three-match T20 series.
Next, they played two Tests against England and won the series 1-0, and then became the inaugural Test Championship winners by beating India by eight wickets in the final. They then played Bangladesh in five T20 matches in September and just lost 3-2.
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