New Zealand basks in ‘golden 48 hours’ after sporting triumphs

WELLINGTON: New Zealand hailed one of the country’s finest weekends in its sporting history Monday after the triple success of winning the Women’s T20 World Cup, a rare Test triumph in India and America’s Cup sailing glory.

“This was a weekend that will go down in New Zealand’s sporting annals,” sports minister Chris Bishop said in a statement. First, the crew of Emirates Team New Zealand completed a commanding 7-2 victory over Ineos Britannia on Saturday to retain the America’s Cup.

The dominant Kiwis lifted the world’s oldest international sporting trophy for the third consecutive time after beating their British opponents by 37 seconds in the ninth race off Barcelona to end the best-of-13 series.

On Sunday, New Zealand crushed the mighty India by eight wickets in Bengaluru to record their first Test cricket win on Indian soil for 36 years. Later the same day an outstanding all-round performance by Amelia Kerr led the country to their historic first Women’s T20 World Cup crown as they beat South Africa by 32 runs in Dubai.

Throw in a ruthless 64-50 victory over world champions Australia in Wellington in netball, and it had many in New Zealand debating whether the country had ever known a weekend like it. “The best weekend for NZ sport ever?” asked Radio New Zealand. Jesse Mulligan, a presenter on RNZ, said: “It’s been a golden 48 hours for New Zealand sport.”

The New Zealand Herald ran a poll on its website asking readers which was their highlight, also throwing in Auckland FC’s win on their debut in the A-League and Liam Lawson’s ninth-placed finish in the Formula One in Austin, Texas.

The T20 World Cup win came out top with 33 percent of the vote, followed by the America’s Cup and then the Test victory in India. “Kiwi sports fans can be forgiven if they’re caught yawning at work today, after so much sporting excitement packed into one weekend,” added Bishop.