NEW Zealand cricket legend Sir Richard Hadlee has labelled Kane Williamson’s World Test Champions the best Kiwi team of all-time.
Last Thursday morning (AEST), Williamson led the Black Caps to an eight-wicket win over India in the inaugural final of the Test championship in Southampton.
New Zealand edged out Australia by 0.8 per cent to take their place in the final in a convoluted format where Australia won more Tests than the Kiwis, including the 3-0 series thrashing between the two sides in the 2019-20 summer. Regardless, Hadlee said New Zealand “thoroughly deserve to be crowned world champions”.
“This is a special day in the history of NZ cricket, a day to celebrate the magnificent achievement of winning the inaugural World Test Championship,” he said.
“It was a thrilling Test match with twists and turns throughout, and despite the inclement weather and loss of time, it was a dominant Black Caps performance over a very good Indian team.
“It’s fair to say that this current group of players is the best in our history.”

Day six of the final began at 21:30hrs NZST, with the win clinched as dawn neared. In Wellington, bleary-eyed politicians including deputy prime minister and sports minister Grant Robertson, put their tributes into parliament’s Hansard.
“The exhilarating final played against India over the past six days was the culmination of two years of international fixtures,” he said.
“All of this happened through the difficulty of COVID-19 and this makes this achievement all the more remarkable. The Black Caps stand out for their determination and never-say-die attitude.” The win is New Zealand’s first international triumph at senior men’s level and comes after defeats in the past two 50-over World Cup finals.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern hailed the “brilliant and humble” side’s triumph.
“The Black Caps have made New Zealand proud. This was a masterful performance from a team at the top of their game and on top of the world.” (AAP)`