There is always a big BUT lurking around whenever New Zealand and ICC events find mention in the same sentence.
Just like when the team made it to the final of the 2015 ODI World Cup or the 2019 WC, beat India in the 2016 T20 World Cup or in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final or in the Test series at home, a 'but' has never been far away. Not many have given New Zealand a chance before the beginning of most ICC events, but the Kiwis continue to defy the odds and come out on top each and every time.
Hence, it was only fitting that when the criminally underrated, and by the way, the No. 1 ranked Test team finally won an ICC Trophy after two decades, following up on their 2000 Champions Trophy victory in Nairobi, it came on the south coast of England, in a secluded little town, far away from the hustle-bustle of London and the legacy of Lord's.
The Underdog Tag That Has Stuck
For an island with a population of under 50 lakh, less than half of Mumbai alone, punching above their weight is often an expression which finds mention.
This is for the simple reason that in the first place, the Kiwis were never considered threats, but as they keep on climbing the rungs of multi-team tournament ladders one after the other, one cannot help but admire their spotting prowess, determination, and of course, the spirit with which they play the game.
Interestingly enough, New Zealand's middle-order mainstay Ross Taylor said in an interview just before the WTC final that they were not the favourites and the tag of underdogs sits well on their head.
Forever the underdogs, New Zealand have kept rocking the favourites' boat over the last five-six years. They finally succeed in capsizing it at Southampton.
11 Proven Match-Winners
Keep the flags and the dhols aside for a bit and you will find that Williamson & Co were a better side, even man to man, in the given set of conditions for the WTC final.
The addition of Devon Conway has come as a massive boost for the side, which has been struggling to find an able batting partner for Tom Latham. The latter has been exceptional over the last few years, ending as the second-highest scorer for the team in the WTC cycle.
Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor have the experience of old country folks. Had it not been for their vigil in the last moments of day six, the story might have seen a few more twists. Henry Nicholls and BJ Watling are known to score tough runs time and again.
Colin de Grandhomme is a wild card and has the ability to change the game on his own, be it with his nagging line and length in conducive conditions or with the use of the long handle.
All the four seamers New Zealand picked in their line-up for the WTC final find a place among the top wicket-takers in the recently-concluded two-year Test cycle, with Tim Southee finishing as the fourth-highest with 56 wickets at an impressive average of 20.82. Rest assured, his three-quarter ball will be talked about for years to come.
Kyle Jamieson, the Player of the Match in the big final, has 43 wickets from just seven matches at a sensational average of 12.5. The giant has exemplary control over his line and length and also possesses the smarts to make things happen even when there is not a lot on offer from the surface.
Left-arm pacers Trent Boult and Neil Wagner follow suit with 39 and 35 wickets at 27.74 and 22.97 respectively. While Boult provides swing in ample proportions with an awkward low release from a left-arm angle, Wagner is more than prepared to bowl his heart out even on a pancake.
You would struggle to find a single weakness in the side, particularly when spin does not play that big a role in the match. And, this is when Matt Henry, India's tormentor in their last World Cup campaign and quality spinner Ajaz Patel were still on the bench.
Indian Team Out of Excuses
When New Zealand beat India by 10 runs in the 2007 T20 World Cup despite scoring just 190 runs, the excuse was that a couple of the Indian bowlers, namely Ajit Agarkar and S Sreesanth, had an off day.
When the team trumped India at their own game with their spinners breathing fire on a dust bowl in the World Twenty20 clash at Nagpur in 2016, India apparently had slices of luck going against them.
The 18-run defeat of Kohli's men in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final was put down to 40 minutes of bad play, the inclement English weather, and the match stretching over two days.
When India were whitewashed in New Zealand in a two-match Test series last year, the conditions and the pitch were to blame.
Now, after India's defeat in the final of the World Test Championship, New Zealand's familiarity with the conditions and their attack's suitability to the same is the big excuse.
Isn't this how matches of cricket are supposed to be won and lost? Right from the coin toss to rain and dew, there is always a factor of luck in every contest, and the team which can account for that and still come out on the right side deserves to win.
With or without the pitch/weather, New Zealand have succeeded in doing so against India and other top-quality sides consistently over the last half-decade, and it is high time that they get their due.
Because, beyond the admirable sportsmanship, the good blokes and the perpetual underdogs of world cricket have been playing some mighty fine cricket.
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