World Test Championship makes for ‘bigger carrot’: New Zealand’s Latham

MUMBAI: The World Test Championship has breathed new life into the five-day format by making every match important, New Zealand skipper Tom Latham said Thursday ahead of his side´s final battle against India.

The Black Caps have revived their chances of making the WTC final at Lord´s next year with an unbeatable 2-0 lead for their first-ever Test series win on Indian soil.

“From our point of view there is a bigger carrot at the end in terms of the World Test Championship, so for us every game is really important,” Latham told reporters in Mumbai on the eve of the third Test.

India´s lead at the top of the WTC standings has been cut after their two losses, with Australia a close second followed by Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

India have made the two finals of both previous WTC seasons, losing to New Zealand in the inaugural edition and then to Australia last year. Latham said winning the competition previously “gives you a taste of what that success feels like”.

“I think once you do it once, you want to do it again,” he added.

New Zealand beat India at their own game of spin in the second Test last week in Pune with Mitchell Santner taking a match haul of 13 wickets.

But Latham said India are a “quality side” and two defeats “doesn´t make them a bad team overnight”.