Right before the start of the Champions Trophy, New Zealand seems to be finding the right mojo with their performances. With their tri-series win, New Zealand boosts ODI rankings with their performances.
It was a one-sided performance from New Zealand, as they dominated the whole tri-series without losing a single game. On the other end, Pakistan looked huffed and puffed with their performance.
New Zealand Boost ODI Rankings
In the last 12 months, New Zealand has played some fantastic cricket in ODI. As they reached the semifinals of the 2023 ODI World Cup, they won the tri-series right before the start of the Champions Trophy.
As New Zealand finished the whole tournament without losing a single game, they went on to stay at Number 4 in the ODI rankings. Meanwhile, India is at the top of the order as they complete the whitewash against England.
Blackcaps were clinical in both the tri-series and also world rankings. Winning three out of three, they took the overall points tally to 105 from 100. In total, they have 4414 points from 42 matches played.
Similarly, Pakistan sat in the 3rd position, even though they went on to lose the game against New Zealand. They have 108 ratings right before the start of the Champions Trophy, at home.
Of all of these, the biggest surprise is Australia. Being the 2nd placed team in the ODI ranking sheet, Australia went on to lose the ODI series, 2-0, against Sri Lanka.
None of the Australian batters found their way with the willow. Still, Australia sits in the 2nd spot with a total rating of 110.
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New Zealand Dominate the Tri-Series Finals
Although New Zealand had so many injuries to look upon, they didn’t flinch, and won the tri-series which consisted of South Africa and Pakistan.
Defeating Pakistan at their home could be a difficult assignment, but they did the job with the greatest of ease. The final match began with Pakistan batting first, but they didn’t do well in that at all.
The team in green was bowled out for 242 runs in the batting-friendly deck of Karachi. With dew in the outfield, and no swing at all, Pakistan struggled to pick up regular wickets. New Zealand, in the end, won the game by 5 wickets.
It was a one-way traffic, with half-centuries from Kane Williamson and Tom Latham. In the end, it was an easy chase.
What Next For New Zealand?
As the Kiwis will be high on confidence, they will be keen to make an impact with their performance in the Champions Trophy. Their next ODI assignment will be the Champions Trophy.
New Zealand will be playing the 1st match of the tournament against the host Pakistan. It will be a repeat of the tri-series final.
The match will be played on 19th February, from 2.45 p.m. IST. As Karachi will be hosting the day-night contest, expect some runs from both teams.
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