It took Australia seven attempts but under Aaron Finch they finally laid their hands on a maiden Twenty20 World Cup title on Sunday with an eight-wicket triumph over New Zealand.
The Black Caps were also scheduled to travel to Australia for an ODI series but the fixture was on Friday postponed to next summer (2021-22) due to the pandemic.
Afghanistan's top-order batsman Hashmatullah Shahidi could not confirm if off-spinner Mujeeb, who missed the last two matches against India and Namibia due to injury, will be fit to face New Zealand.
An unwell Trent Boult skipped the New Zealand cricket team's training session at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui on Monday, staying away from the squad as a precautionary measure. The left-arm pacer is among eight players including Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner, who are attending the first half of the camp that started on Sunday.
For the Indian captain and his team, the WTC final is like their Test debuts as young players trying to come up the ranks.
The legendary Kapil Dev feels Virat Kohli's admission of his team not being brave enough in the T20 World Cup loss to New Zealand is a "very weak statement" and head coach Ravi Shastri along with mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni should step up to lift the players' morale.
Cricketers, current and former, shared New Zealand's pain on losing the title on boundary count with many of them asking for a "serious look" into the rule, slammed as "absurd".
The right-hander's form is a far cry from the man who blasted the Black Caps to the final four years ago on his way to finishing the tournament as the top run scorer.
India and New Zealand will lock horns in the finals of WTC at the Ageas Bowl, Southampton
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and women's all-rounder Amelia Kerr picked up national player-of-the-year awards at a ceremony in Auckland on Thursday.
South Africa turned the tables on New Zealand with a 198-run victory in the second Test in Christchurch on Tuesday, crushing the hosts' hopes of a breakthrough series win over the Proteas.
England men will begin their 2022 home summer with a three-match Test series against world champions New Zealand.
Joe Root scored his fastest Test century while Ollie Pope struck a superb 145, as England launched a stirring fightback to reach 473/5 at the close of play on the third day of the second Test against New Zealand on Sunday.
All-rounder Colin de Grandhomme struck a belligerent half-century to steady New Zealand in the second Test on Saturday after South Africa's seamers torched the home side's top order during a see-sawing Day 2 in Christchurch.
Hosts England lock horns with New Zealand at the Riverside with both sides knowing that victory would secure their passage.
India knocked England out of contention from the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final in June with their 10-wicket triumph in the day-night third Test in Motera which propelled the hosts to the top of the standings.
Trent Boult, who has played 73 Test for New Zealand, said he expects a bit of banter between the rival players since they are all familiar with each other due to the Indian Premier League.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has been ruled out of Friday's fourth T20 International against in Wellington owing to a shoulder injury. Pacer Tim Southee is leading the Black Caps in his absence.
New Zealand coach confirmed his team would rest on Friday with temperatures expected to reach 45 degrees Celsius
Images from Day 4 in the first Test between India and New Zealand, at Green Park in Kanpur, on Sunday.
Tim Southee will captain the T20 side.
Win against Pakistan pushed the Kiwis to top of the heap as they became the sixth country in the past 10 years to be ranked number one in Test cricket.
Most of the Test squad and staff had been transferred to hotel quarantine where they will warm up for the two-Test series against England
New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson said it was a difficult call to skip IPL and he hopes to be a part of it in the future.
Check out the head to head record between the World Cup finalists.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson will miss the one-day series against Bangladesh with an elbow problem, New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Tuesday.
In the World Test Championship final in June, New Zealand, in all likelihood, will meet either India or England, who will clash in a four-Test series, starting on Friday.
New Zealand's Indian-origin spinner Rachin Ravindra, who played a pivotal role in helping his side draw the first Test against India, said he was quite nervous about how the game would pan out as far as his bowling was concerned.
Given the Indian batting line-up's weakness against swinging deliveries, New Zealand could go in with an all-pace attack with the pitch likely to offer pace and bounce.
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) said on Tuesday all of its home-based players heading to England for a two-match Test series and the World Test Championship final have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
England captain Eoin Morgan was devastated by their loss in the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup and said Jimmy Neesham's blistering cameo tilted the see-saw contest in New Zealand's favour.
Images from the T20 World Cup final between New Zealand and Australia, in Dubai, on Sunday.
'It gave the viewers that spectacle, with three possible results going into the final session. I think we saw similar characteristics on this wicket when we played against England.'
In the epic final at the Lord's, New Zealand lost to hosts England on boundary count-back after scores were tied even after the super over. Gambhir believes the Black Caps have been putting up impressive performances in the World Cups but have never got the credit they deserve.
Images from the T20 World Cup semi-final between England and New Zealand, in Abu Dhabi, on Wednesday.
India will hope the return of regular captain Virat Kohli proves to be the difference for the hosts against New Zealand when the world's two top-ranked Test sides clash in the second and final match at the Wankhede Stadium from Friday.
Bangladesh had made a bright start, reducing their opponents to 57-3 but Conway and Latham steadied the innings with a 63-run stand for the fourth before the former added another 159 for the fifth with Mitchell.
India and New Zealand will fight it out for the inaugural title at Southampton's Ageas Bowl
Trent Boult, Finn Allen, Jimmy Neesham, Adam Milne and Scott Kuggeleijn, coaches and former players James Pamment and Shane Bond, Mike Hesson were the first to land in Auckland
Shane Bond's controversial letter to New Zealand Cricket over the Black Caps captaincy issue contains another explosive accusation.
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