In the 21st Century, followers of cricket the world over are condemned to witnessing endless cycles of 🇮🇳, 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and 🇦🇺 cricketers, journalists & fans competing over some mythical but much desired moral high ground …

It’s twenty years ago (!) that I applied to join the New Zealand foreign service. Representing to our great country to the world is one of my life’s great privileges. Cannot recommend it more highly.

What an absolute shock a qualification system would be chosen that sees 🇮🇳 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇦🇺 get three of the six men’s cricket slots at the 2028 Olympics. Presumably if 🇮🇳 falls behind 🇵🇰 in the rankings before 2028, or 🇦🇺 behind 🇳🇿, a new system will be chosen? theguardian.com/sport/2025/jul…

Excited to watch BLACKCAPS play Tests in 🇿🇼 over next couple of weeks. I remember the closest 🇿🇼 came to winning a Test v 🇳🇿- chasing 366 in 2011 (also in Bulawayo), they reached 265/3 before collapsing. 2008-2012 was a dark period for 🇳🇿 in Tests: won 10, lost 21 overall.

Harris, Larsen, Patel.

❤️

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇮🇳 🇦🇺 cricket discourse.

First ever election: Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association, 2000 First local body election: 2001 (Prendergast v Wareham v Morrison for Wellington Mayor) First national election: 2002 First/only European election (I was eligible while studying in 🇬🇧): 2004

Slowly, quietly, 🇿🇼 are starting to put BLACKCAPS under pressure.

I’ve admittedly watched it mostly through highlights, but 2-2 seems like a 🇮🇳/ 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 series result more reflective of the balance between these two talented but flawed sides than 3-1 would.

Chris Woakes coming in at number 11 to try and score the winning runs despite being badly wounded will definitely have Gavin Larsen in the 1992 Shell Cup final vibes.

The umpires want to see Woakes bat too.

Chris Woakes is Gavin Larsen. Mohammed Siraj is Chris Cairns?

Not sure why India has stopped trying to get Atkinson out.

2-2! A just end to a fantastic series. Siraj simply sensational on Day 25.

Only 13 of 2598 men’s Tests (0.5%) were won by <10 runs: 2025🇮🇳beat🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿by 6 2024🏝️beat🇦🇺by 8 2023🇳🇿beat🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿by 1 2018🇳🇿beat🇵🇰by 4 2011🇳🇿beat🇦🇺by 7 2005🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿beat🇦🇺by 2 2000🇿🇦beat🇱🇰by 7 1994🇿🇦beat🇦🇺by 5 1993🏝️beat🇦🇺by 1 1982🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿beat🇦🇺by 3 1902🇦🇺beat🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿by 3 1885🇦🇺beat🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿by 6 1882🇦🇺beat🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿by 7

Watching your team win a Test by capturing the final wicket with the opposition batters within sight of victory is a rare & thrilling experience. BLACKCAPS fans have been lucky enough to see it thrice in last 15 years: Hobart 2011 v 🇦🇺, Abu Dhabi 2018 v 🇵🇰, Wellington 2023 v 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿