New Zealand yet to win a Test Series in this WTC cycle, Check Out their results so far

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The defending World Test Championship (WTC) Champions New Zealand are going through an underwhelming time in the 2021-23 cycle.

The Blackcaps won the 2021 WTC, beating India in the final at Lord's. But since, they have managed only 2 Test match victories.

New Zealand WTC Rank:

New Zealand are currently sitting in 8th position in the WTC 2021-23 cycle table, just above bottom-placed Bangladesh. They have only 36 points after playing 11 Test matches, across 5 Test series.

New Zealand Yet to Win a Test Series since 2021 Final:

The Kiwis have had a torrid period post their WTC victory in 2021. They haven't managed a single series win since their triumph against India in the final.

In this current WTC cycle, they have had five test assignments.

New Zealand vs India:

New Zealand kicked off their current cycle against India. They toured India in 2021 for a two-match Test series. The Blackcaps drew the first match in Kanpur, but lost the second match in Mumbai. They lost the series 1-0.

Played 2 Win 0 Draw 1 Loss 1

New Zealand vs Bangladesh:

Their second assignment was against Bangladesh at home for another 2-match Test series. They had a nightmare start to the series as the Tigers beat them in the first match. The Blackcaps came back in the second match strongly to win by innings and 117 runs, but could only draw the series 1-1.

Played 4 Win 1 Draw 1 Loss 2

New Zealand vs South Africa:

The two-match Test series against South Africa also ended in a 1-1 draw. New Zealand won the first match at Christchurch comprehensively, but failed to back that up in the second and suffered another defeat against the Proteas at home.

Played 6 Win 2 Draw 1 Loss 3

New Zealand vs England:

The crushing blow was inflicted in the England series in the summer of last year. The WTC Champions travelled to England in hope of resurrecting their form, but got thrashed by the hosts in the three-match Test series. England came away 3-0 victorious and thus the chances of Kiwis to defend their crown in this cycle evaporated.

Played 9 Win 2 Draw 1 Loss 6

New Zealand vs Pakistan:

Tim Southee-led New Zealand struggled to get a positive result against Pakistan as well. Pakistan were recently battered 3-0 by England at home, but Kiwis couldn't capitalize on that. Both matches of the two-match Test series ended in draws.

Played 11 Win 2 Draw 3 Loss 6

New Zealand Upcoming Matches:

The final straw for New Zealand to complete this disappointing cycle will be a home series against Sri Lanka. The Blackcaps host the Lankans in March and two Test matches will be played in Christchurch and Wellington respectively.

Their hope of making the top two in this cycle is dead and buried, but at least they can improve their position in the table.

Why New Zealand Failed in this WTC Cycle:

To dissect this, the components of their failure can be categorized into two parts.

Lack of Cutting Edge

The first one has to be the lack of conviction in crunch situations. There have been instances throughout this cycle where the Kiwis haven't been able to capitalize on a positive momentum. It started against India 2021, and is yet to be treated in 2023 as they just squandered an opportunity to win the second Test against Pakistan. We have witnessed them missing out on chances to finish the prey which has backfired and has caused significant damage to their hopes.

Poor Home Form

They have missed out on opportunities to win Test Series at home, that also against Bangladesh and South Africa. The former, although are a much-improved side, shouldn't have come away with any points from their visit down under. But New Zealand allowed the Tigers a leeway in the first match and they grabbed it with both hands. Also, another home series against South Africa has also put a significant dent in their quest.