Major honours
The smallest player pool of any top-tier team, yet a side that consistently punches above its weight. New Zealand played its first Test in 1930 but waited 26 years for its first win, beating the West Indies in Auckland in 1956 in its 45th Test. Through the 1970s and 1980s, Richard Hadlee carried the team almost single-handedly, becoming the first fast bowler past 400 Test wickets and retiring with 431. The modern New Zealand side is defined by Kane Williamson's composed batting, the swing bowling of Trent Boult and Tim Southee, and a reputation for sportsmanship. New Zealand was runner-up at consecutive ODI World Cups in 2015 and 2019 and the 2021 T20 World Cup, with the 2019 Lord's final ending cruelly — tied on runs, tied again in the Super Over, and lost only on boundary count. The reward came in 2021 at Southampton, where New Zealand beat India by eight wickets in the inaugural World Test Championship final to claim its first world title. In 2024 it swept a series 3-0 in India, ending India's 12-year unbeaten run in home series.
Record comparison
Bars are scaled to the strongest team in this list.
Club legends
Rivalry
The trans-Tasman rivalry with Australia still carries the residue of the 1981 underarm bowling incident. Against England, the ending of the 2019 World Cup final has made the fixture a talking point for a whole generation.