Runs on the board - New Zealand cricket

In early January 2007 at Auckland's Eden Park, New Zealand suffered what was, at that time, its heaviest-ever cricket one-day international (ODI) defeat, losing by 189 runs to Sri Lanka. The Black Caps, as the New Zealand team is known, scratched together a paltry 73 runs, their second-lowest ODI total ever. Things went from bad to worse a few weeks later when the Black Caps failed to make the finals of a triangular tournament featuring traditional rivals Australia and England. Many New Zealand cricket fans hit the panic button. Talkback radio shows were flooded with calls to axe the coach and the captain and start again.

But, as they say, cricket is a funny old game.

There was little optimism when Australia arrived in Wellington for the Chappell–Hadlee Trophy ODI Series in mid-February. A week later the Australians returned home with their tails firmly between their legs, having lost the series 3–0. Suddenly people started talking about the New Zealand team hitting form at the right time. The lows of January were forgotten, as the Black Caps leapt to number three in the world rankings. With the World Cup in the West Indies just around the corner, fresh optimism was breathed into the game. All, it seemed, was well with the world.  

Two days after the men's series was wrapped up, the New Zealand women's team, the White Ferns, defeated the Australian team, which is the current world champion, in a game during a quadrangular tournament in India. It completed a memorable week for New Zealand cricket. (Though the Australian women had the last laugh a few days later when they beat New Zealand by six wickets in the final.)

The backdrop of the 2007 Cricket World Cup provides an opportunity to relive some of the highs and lows in the history of New Zealand cricket, especially our relationship with the inventors of the game, England, and our nearest rivals, Australia.

After some encouraging early form, which saw the Black Caps reach the semi-finals, New Zealand's 2007 World Cup ended badly. In the last Super 8 match the Black Caps suffered their heaviest ever ODI defeat at the hands of Australia, losing by 215 runs, before losing to Sri Lanka in the semi-finals by 81 runs. In the aftermath of this defeat Stephen Fleming resigned as captain of the one-day team.