“Hail the Nice guys” was the slogan that was chanted throughout the last 6 days of the Grand final of the ICC World Test Championship. The nice guys did in fact manage to get the better of the Indian side as they went on to win the inaugural ICC Test championship at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.
2019 World Cup was something very tough for us, this makes up for that- Ross Talyor
Despite continuous rain and the pandemic not allowing the stadiums to fill up, the Cricket world managed to witness a stellar match and no credit is to be taken away from Virat Kohli and Co. who showed great intent from ball one.
But their lack of match practice in the English sides did backfire on the Asian side and they will hope they can get back to winning ways in the upcoming series against England.
Cricwizz, today brings you a collection of intriguing and unique stats revolving around the ICC WTC final.
603
With the very important wicket of Rohit Sharma in the second innings, where the kiwi pacer managed to trap the aggressive opener leg before the wicket. Tim Southee became only the second kiwi bowler after Daniel Vettori to claim 600 pus international wickets and he is also the first New Zealand pacer to reach the elite milestone.
List of the top wicket-takers in for New Zealand overall
| 1) | Daniel Vettori | 696 |
| 2) | Tim Southee | 603 |
| 3) | Sir RJ Hadlee | 589 |
| 4) | Trent Boult | 507 |
| 5) | CL Ciairns | 419 |
1979
The last time a Test match was played upto the 6th day was back in 1979 and interestingly India were part of it. The 6-match series between West Indies and India saw 5 matches ending up in a draw. India though managed to win the 4th Test by 3 wickets to win their first-ever series against West Indies at home.
The 6th Test began on the 2nd of February, 1979, with the 5th of February being allotted as a rest day. The match was pushed to the 6th day in hope of a result but the effort went in vain.
2013
It was after 8 years that both the opening pairs of the respective teams managed to not lose their wicket in the first 20 overs of the first innings. Both Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma along with the pair of Devon Conway and Tom Latham ensured they played out the first 20 overs of the 1st innings but the batsmen to follow did not compliment them well as we saw a collapse on both sides.
71
The foxy off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin overtook the Australian pacer Pat Cummin’s tally of 70 wickets to become the highest wicket-taker in the ICC World Test Championship series. The 34-year old finished with 71 wickets from the 14 matches at a strike rate of 46.4 and economy of 2.62. The next best spinner in the list is another Australian- Nathon Lyon, who is placed 5th overall with 56 wickets to his name.
2018
The Indians were completely outplayed in the all-important clash and the scorecard does suggest how the Indian batsmen struggled to get going. It is for the first time since the Test in Lords in 2018 that not a single Indian batsman managed to cross the 50- run mark. Did the lack of match practice in England play a part in this disarray in the Indian batting?
75
The Kiwi spearhead not only was shining with the ball but also made sure he cleared the ropes on a couple of occasions. Tim Southee had a significant role in increasing New Zealand’s lead in the first innings. He now stands 15th in the list of players with most sixes in the red-ball format. The kiwi is just three shy of the Indian former Indian skipper MS Dhoni.
Southee managed to overcome the Australian legend Ricky Pointing, who has 73 sixes to himself. A great feat for a fast bowler, Don’t you think?
46
Kyle Jamieson was all over the Indian batsmen as he managed to pick up 5 crucial wickets in the first innings. The 6ft 8in giant, who is currently the second tallest active player in the world, only behind Pakistan’s Mohammad Irfan, became the first New Zealand bowler to pick up his 5th 5-wicket haul in just his first 8 matches. It surely is the beginning of a wonderful journey for the kiwi pacer.
It's a massive moment. To have some context around Test cricket is big and to be standing here now is surreal- Kyle Jamieson
The sensational pacer after being awarded the Man of the Match award for his outstanding performance of 7/61.
With 46 wickets under his belt, the 26-year old also now has the most wickets for New Zealand after playing 8 matches in the longest format.
61
Starting with the Australian tour of England back in the August of 2019, where the 5-match series was drawn 2-2. The ICC WTC series has featured 61 matches including the final. Team India finished at the top of the league table with 9 wins from 17 matches. Second-placed New Zealand managed to win 7 out of the 11 matches and emerged victorious in the grand finale to win their only second ICC World title.
21
It's the first time we have come away with a world title, and the 22 players who played a big part in getting across the line deserve all the appreciation- Kane Williamson
The spirited Kiwis ensured they came on top in the crucial encounter against India and it is without any doubt that the side deserved to win the prestigious title. Though finished as runners-up on several occasions, the kiwis were winless in the ICC tournaments for 21 years, the side were for that reason always considered to be the chokers who often failed to cross the finish line, this title though will serve them all well and also now ranks them at the top of the Test rankings.
In what has been a pleasant treat to the Cricket lovers, tell us which was your moment in the final, and do also let us know which of the stat intrigued you the most?
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