TOP STORIES
NZ vs WI, 1st Test: All you need to know, head-to-head, playing XI
New Zealand are set to host West Indies in the first Test of the three-match series, scheduled to begin on December 2 at Hagley Oval. After being comprehensively outplayed in both the ODI and T20I series, the visitors will be hoping to stage their comeback in the red-ball format. West Indies, who are riding a wave of misfortunes, will somehow hope to transform their fortunes.
For New Zealand, this Test series has greater significance as it marks their first steps in the 2025–27 ICC World Test Championship cycle, making them the last team to begin their campaign. Kane Williamson, who missed the tests against Zimbabwe, returns to the red-ball format.
New Zealand's most recent outing in whites came earlier this year in Zimbabwe, where they cruised to a comfortable 2–0 win. But that series bore no relevance to the WTC standings; this one does. In contrast, West Indies arrive with five straight defeats, sitting at the bottom of the WTC table. Their recent defeat was against India, where they were handed a 0-2 whitewash. For this tour, the return of Kemar Roach adds experience to a seam group missing Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph.
Head-to-head
Matches - 49
NZ won - 17
WI won - 13
Drawn - 19
NZ Possible XI: Tom Latham (c), Devon Conway/ Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (WK), Mitchell Santner, Nathan Smith, Matt Henry, Jacob Duffy, Zak Foulkes
WI Possible XI: John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, Shai Hope, Roston Chase (c), Tevin Imlach (WK), Justin Greaves, Anderson Phillip, Johan Layne, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales
Tags
More News
Jacob Bethell ruled out of The Hundred
England all-rounder Jacob Bethell has been ruled out of the 2026 edition of The Hundred competition due to a knee injury suffered during the recently concluded ODI series against India. The 22-year-old, who was scheduled to lead Birmingham Phoenix, will now remain on the sidelines. South African wicketkeeper Donovan Ferreira will replace him as the Birmingham...
The Hundred Competition 2026: All you need to know, squads, teams, and schedule
The sixth edition of the Hundred Men's competition is set to commence on Tuesday with the competitive clash between MI London and Sunrisers Leeds at The Oval. Mumbai Indian (formerly Oval Invincibles) will head into the tournament as defending champions, having clinched the title last year after beating Trent Rockets by 26 runs in the final at ...
"They cannot touch Virat and Rohit": R Ashwin amid wave of speculation over Rohit and Kohli's future
There has been a wave of speculation surrounding the future of Indian veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in India's plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup. Both the stars have retired from Test and T20I cricket, keeping themselves available in only ODIs. Recently, the duo were seen in India's three-match ODI series against England, where they demonstrated their wo...
Ruturaj Gaikwad to lead West Zone in Duleep Trophy
The squad of the West Zone for the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy has been named, with Ruturaj Gaikwad set to lead the outfit. Shams Mulani has been named the vice-captain of the side that features familiar faces in Shardul Thakur, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Tushar Deshpande and Prithvi Shaw.
Ayush Mhatre, who remained on the sidelines for ...
Ex-Indian cricketer lashes out at Indian management over KL Rahul's batting position
Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth has lashed out at the Indian team management, questioning the decision to send KL Rahul at No. 6. Srikkanth asserted that Rahul is more effective when he has time to settle at the crease rather than being rushed to deliver quick runs in the final overs. Notably, India's three-match ODI series in England ended on a d...
Android App
iOS App
YouTube
Instagram
Twitter