Published: Mar 14, 2025, 01:40 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 14, 2025, 01:40 PM (IST)
Even though the team lost to India in the Champions Trophy 2025 final, New Zealand team got praised by former Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who emphasized their consistency. Ponting praised the remarkable Champions Trophy run by the Black Caps, which ended with a defeat to India in the finals.
New Zealand had prepared well for the champions Trophy as they defeated strong teams in the tri-series against South Africa and Pakistan. They only faced two defeats in the Champions Trophy, one in the group stage and one in the title deciding clash against India. Despite accepting that he had not picked the team to reach the semifinals, Ponting was happy with the team’s impressive performance.
“I don’t think it (New Zealand’s campaign) went wrong at all. I think they had another outstanding tournament. They were brilliant right the way through. I was asked at the start of the tournament who l thought the final four would be, and as soon as you start talking about fours for ICC events, you just have to put New Zealand in it, because they just always do it,” Ponting said.
“I didn’t do it this time because I thought Pakistan would make it being home, and I thought South Africa would make it. So I didn’t have New Zealand there, and sure enough, there they are again. What a dominant performance it was against South Africa in their semi-final to make it through to the final. You probably can’t play a better game of one-day cricket than that. To bat first and make 360-odd, I think it’s the highest total ever in a Champions Trophy game,” he added.
The Black Caps performed great, with captain Mitchell Santner getting the special spotlight for his leadership skills and Glenn Phillips for his impressive fielding. Kane Williamson’s century against South Africa in the semifinals was impressive, along with Rachin Ravindra who recovered from an injury and made massive contributions in the whole tournament.
