In 2000, New Zealand, led by Stephen Fleming, defeated Sourav Ganguly’s India in the Champions Trophy final, which remains New Zealand’s only global title in white-ball cricket to date.
Back then, the tournament was known as the ICC KnockOut World Cup. In the second edition of the tournament, when New Zealand clinched the title, Will Young was just eight years old, beginning to fall in love with cricket. For him, New Zealand’s first-ever global trophy became a dream. Now, just one win stands between him and fulfilling that dream. Young wants to bring back the memory of that historic day for his country.
In the 2000 final in Nairobi, India, led by Ganguly, scored 264 runs with the captain’s century. In response, New Zealand was 132 for 5 at one stage. However, a brilliant unbeaten century from Chris Cairns and a 122-run partnership with Chris Harris saw New Zealand clinch the victory, with Fleming lifting the trophy. That was New Zealand’s first and only global title.
Since then, New Zealand has reached the finals of the 2009 Champions Trophy, the 2015 and 2019 ICC World Cups, and the 2021 T20 World Cup, but they returned home empty-handed each time. They did win the inaugural ICC World Test Championship in 2021, but there hasn’t been another colorful final in limited-overs cricket.
Now, more than two decades later, ahead of another final, Young reflects on the memories of his childhood.
“There were some iconic players in that squad, and many of the current team grew up idolizing them. It’s incredible to have a chance to replicate that achievement 25 years later.”
“I was eight years old then, just beginning to fall in love with the game. I vividly remember how New Zealand dominated the tournament. Watching them win was a remarkable experience.”
Now, Young and the team are eager to experience that joy for themselves. More than just reminiscing, they want to bring that golden success back to their country.
“As I was boarding the plane to leave the country, I was thinking about that time. On the day the Champions Trophy squad was announced, Scott Styris, the all-rounder from the winning team, shared some stories about their performances in that tournament.”
“It’s great to acknowledge the past. New Zealand has done it before. Now, it’s about maintaining that legacy. I hope in the next few days, we can do the same.”
Over the last six years, New Zealand has had some memorable battles with India on the big stage. They defeated India in the 2019 World Cup semi-final to reach the final and won the 2021 World Test Championship title by beating India. However, in the 2023 World Cup semi-final, India overwhelmed them.
Young believes the past encounters won’t affect the upcoming battle.
“We’ve had some fantastic matches with India recently, including the Test Championship final and the 2023 World Cup semi-final. However, to be honest, those results don’t matter now. It’s all about performing on the specific day; there’s no room to dwell on the past.”
“We’ll try to adapt and, come Sunday, no matter the challenge ahead, we hope to play our game and keep our nerves in check.”
