Tom Latham says New Zealand have 'possibility' of qualifying for WTC Final

Opener Tom Latham believes that New Zealand have a possibility of qualifying for the final of the ongoing edition of the ICC World Test Championship if they keep on performing well. The Kiwis beat West Indies comprehensively by an innings and 12 runs at the Basin Reserve, Wellington to win the two-match series 2-0. 

'That may be a possibility'

"In our conditions, we certainly know how to play in these conditions which is great. Whatever team we face with, we are certainly willing to learn on the back of previous performances," ESPNcricinfo quoted Latham as saying.

The BlackCaps will now be hosting Pakistan in a two-match Test series and Latham is looking forward to the challenge with a lot of excitement.

"At the moment, we will enjoy this victory and then we will shift [focus] to Pakistan. I think the beauty of this group is we focus on each game at a time, each series at a time. When you look too far ahead, sometimes you can get caught a little bit. So our focus will shift to Pakistan and then whatever happens post that, then we will assess," he added.

"The goal at the start of the Test Championship was to get to the final, and if we play well and give ourselves a chance, that may be a possibility," the wicket-keeper batsman further added.

 

READ: Mushfiqur Rahim Loses Temper During Bangabandhu T20 Cup Match, Nearly Hits Team-mate

New Zealand register clean sweep 

West Indies were already reduced to 244/6 at stumps on Day 2 as they still continued to trail by 86 runs and on Day 3, they managed to add only 74 runs to their overnight score before being bundled out for 317. 

By the virtue of their latest series win, New Zealand have edged past England in the ICC World Test Championship points table. The Kane Williamson-led side now occupies the third spot with 0.625 Percentage of points (PCT) while England have been pushed to the fourth position with 0.608 points in their tally. Australia (0.822) and, India (0.750) grab the first two places. 

READ: Justin Langer Says Chris Green 'looks In Really Good Spirits' To Make His Test Debut

Nonetheless, the Kiwis could not dethrone Australia from the top spot and have to content being the second-best side in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Test Ranking for teams. Even though both teams are tied at 116 rating points, it is the superior point difference that separates both sides from each other. 

While the Black Caps 2,793 points in their tally from 24 matches. It is Tim Paine & Co. who have the last laugh as they have 3,028 points from 26 games. 

(With ANI Inputs)

(Image Courtesy: AP)

READ: Virat Kohli's First Test Innings On Australian Soil In 2011 Making Hosts Play Mind Games?