World Test Championship Final: New Zealand's formula for success has a lot more than being 'nice guys'

"Sometimes, just sometimes, nice guys do finish first," an ecstatic Simon Doull screamed on-air as Ross Taylor hit the winning runs for New Zealand in the World Test Championship Final.

It's the first cricket world title for New Zealand, a country with a population of just about five million and a handful of first-class cricketers. The Black Caps, over the years, have carved a niche for themselves. They are the 'nice guys,' who have redefined aggression in cricket. They are fearless in the way they play but not brash in how they conduct themselves. It's refreshing in a sport that, for a very long time, has held the 'in your face' attitude, popularised by the Australians, as the hallmark of a champion.

This transformation in New Zealand cricket first began in 2013 under the leadership of Brendon McCullum after they were shot out for 45 in the Cape Town Test. On that horrific night, McCullum, then coach Mike Hesson and other members of the support staff sat together and drew the roadmap to redemption for a team that lacked 'soul'.  The focus was on earning respect, giving respect, and most importantly identifying with traits that defined a New Zealander — 'humble and hardworking'.

The overhaul has no doubt excellently complemented their on-field performances. In these eight years, New Zealand twice reached the final of the ODI World Cup and are currently the No 1 Test team. So naturally, as Kane Williamson lifted the World Test Championship mace, the conversation around their win veered towards the 'nice guys' culture. However, sticking just to it would be a gross injustice to the process that also includes having a high-class domestic structure, strong A-team program, continuity, and also freedom to play in T20 tournaments.

Working on the core and sustaining it

Former head coach Hesson in an interview revealed that there were "selfish behaviours" in the team when he took over in 2012. There was insecurity, players were fighting for their places, and not for the team. The management started working on making the team greater than the sum of its parts.

From the start of 2014, New Zealand have called up only 35 players for 60 Tests. The lowest among all Test teams, which only indicates how settled the core has been. The players have been backed through thick and thin and in return those who kept faith have been reward with match-winning performances that have taken the team to the pinnacle.

The sense of insecurity slowly disappeared and players started to revel in the success of teammates.

The acknowledgment of it came recently when Tom Latham credited the change in the team's attitude for the Test series win against England in England.

"Probably six or seven years ago, the leadership group sat down and thought we'd try to play a brand of cricket that was true to us and something that we could hold our hat on. It came through in the World Cup in 2015 — we try to play like Kiwis, something we hold true to this group. Team-first mentality — it's been a massive shift and I'm sure it will continue in the coming years," said the opener.

Also, New Zealand Cricket's (NZC), one of the least money-making boards, decision to allow their players to participate in overseas T20 leagues has enabled a cordial relationship between the players and administrators. It has kept the national team's core intact and talent drain to a minimum. The exact opposite of what happened in the West Indies, where some of the top performers have decided to become freelance cricketers after falling out with the board.

Work on the domestic front

Another factor that Latham, in his media interaction after the England series, reckoned as a major force behind Black Caps' recent success is the country's top-class domestic structure.

With a very small population, New Zealand only have six domestic teams to ensure a strong core and even distribution of talent across teams. This results in high-quality matches, challenging the players and preparing them for the international arena.

In 2018, the first-class tournament Plunket Shield was pruned from 10 to eight rounds, in order to expand the A-team program that led to bridging the gap between domestic and international cricket. A direct benefit of it is a strong bench strength

The scary squad depth was highlighted during their second Test against England where they made six changes, for the first time within a series, and still managed to beat the hosts, winning their first Test series in England since 1999.

Additionally, New Zealand over the years have relaid their pitches with Patumahoe soil to give more pace and bounce to their infamous slow seaming tracks. This has worked in producing players who can adapt to overseas conditions quickly.

Performance spike

A settled core and better-prepared players eventually led to remarkable on-field results. Since 2014, New Zealand have won 33 out of 60 Tests. In 57 matches in the seven years preceding 2014, they had only won 12.

In the 2007-13 cycle, New Zealand only won four away Tests. They have won 10 in the last seven years. Meanwhile, beating them at home has become an insurmountable challenge for visiting teams. New Zealand last lost a Test at home in March 2017. Their strong home form was a major reason behind them reaching the No 1 Test ranking and World Test Championship Final.

Talking about personnel, skipper Williamson has been the fulcrum of the batting with consistent run-scoring. He has been ably assisted by hardworking Taylor, Latham, Devon Conway, Henry Nicholls, and BJ Watling. But their four-pronged pace attack consisting of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, and Kyle Jamieson has been the main driving force behind the Test success.

In the final, despite a lot of time being lost to the rain, the skillful Kiwi bowlers outdid their Indian counterparts as Virat Kohli and his batting partners struggled to put up a resistance. In many ways, New Zealand are lucky to have so many top performers at the same time in their side. In many ways, it's the process that has enabled them to have all the players together and perform so well.

This is not to say that New Zealand being the 'nice guys' means nothing. It speaks about the honourable values that have been inculcated at an institutional level. It has helped the team build characters and form an identity which has showed a way to the cricketing world. Nice guys lose too, and New Zealand know it better than most. They will lose again, so now that they are world champions for the first time, the focus must be on the institutional practices that have got them here, and not the image alone.