New Zealand has always been one of the most underrated teams in the game of cricket. They have always played competitive cricket, but more often than not, the result hasn’t gone their way. Despite ending a number of ICC events as runners-up and semi-finalists, New Zealand has won only two ICC tournaments in its entire history.
Well, they are the first winners of the World Test Championship, which was held in 2021. Apart from that, they won the Champions Trophy in 2000. These two are the major wins in New Zealand’s cricket history. This article will have all the details related to these two tournament wins for the Black Caps.
List of ICC Trophies won by New Zealand
| No. | Year | Title | Opponent |
| 1 | 2000 | Champions Trophy | India |
| 2 | 2021 | World Test Championship | India |
1. 2000 Champions Trophy
The 2000 Champions Trophy (formerly known as the ICC Knockout Trophy) was held in Kenya. New Zealand won their first ICC event after winning that tournament. They faced Zimbabwe in the quarterfinals, beat them by 64 runs, and advanced to the semi-finals. The Black Caps faced Pakistan in the semis. Pakistan scored 252 runs in their first inning, with Saeed Anwar scoring 104 runs.
Shayne OConnor for New Zealand took 5/46. Chasing the target, New Zealand lost two wickets for just 15 runs in 3.5 overs. But after that, they had some good partnerships in the middle. Roger Twose was the top scorer with 87 runs. Nathan Astle (49) and Craig McMillan (51*) also made decent contributions. New Zealand made 255/6 and won the game.
Then they made it to the final of the tournament. In the final, they met Team India. The Men in Blue were also undefeated in that tournament. However, that streak ended in the final. India posted a good score of 264/6 in their first inning. Sourav Ganguly made 117 with nine fours and four sixes. Chasing the target, Chris Cairns scored an unbeaten hundred and made 102 not out with eight fours and two sixes. New Zealand made 265/6 and won their maiden ICC title.
2. 2021 World Test Championship
The second big ICC event, which New Zealand won, was the World Test Championship. After the increasing popularity of T20 cricket, it looked like Test cricket was fading away. It was when the ICC introduced the World Test Championship, which will have a two-year cycle. The first edition was between 2019 and 2021, and New Zealand played in the final.
They faced Team India in the final, and the Men in Blue almost won against every team during this period. In the final, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl first. They restricted the Indian team to just 217 runs in 96.1 overs, with none of the batters reaching a half-century. Kyle Jamieson took 5/31 for the Black Caps. In reply, New Zealand made 249 runs in 99.2 overs.
They took a 32-run lead in the first inning. India had a worse batting performance in the second inning. The whole team got dismissed for just 170 runs in 73 overs. The Kiwis got a target of 139 runs to win. They made 140/2 in 45.5 overs to become the first champions of the World Test Championship.