The next seven weeks will be challenging for New Zealand as it plays five Test matches - two against Sri Lanka, followed by a three-match outing against India - to stay in the hunt for a World Test Championship final berth.
Despite winning the inaugural edition in 2021, New Zealand failed to qualify to the final last year, and this time around, it’s placed third on the points table, just behind India and Australia.
New Zealand also maintains an underwhelming record in Asia, with just 16 wins from 90 Tests, and in India, it could only win twice in 36 outings. Gary Stead, the team’s head coach, is well aware of these numbers, but he is optimistic about making it to the WTC final once again.
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“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,” Stead said on Friday, after the team’s one-off Test against Afghanistan was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
The Kiwis will host England for a three-Test series later this year, and Stead understands that each opportunity matters for his side. “Every Test match we play will be an important one,” he said.
“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,” the seasoned coach said.
On Saturday, the team will leave for Sri Lanka, where it will play two Tests at Galle, before returning to India for a three-match series, to be held in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai.
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