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New Zealand’s Will Young draws inspiration from the Black Caps’ 2000 ICC KnockOut win over India ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy final, emphasizing learning and adapting.
Will Young in the 2025 Champions Trophy. (AP Photo)
New Zealand opener Will Young is taking inspiration from the Black Caps’ four-wicket win over India in the ICC KnockOut final in 2000 ahead of Sunday’s 2025 Champions Trophy clash between the two teams.
The Champions Trophy used to be called KnockOut for its first two editions, until 2002, and New Zealand were its second champions. They beat Sourav Ganguly’s India by chasing down 265 runs in the last over with four wickets to spare in Nairobi. It was the first men’s ICC title in the Kiwi history.
“There were some iconic names in that squad and those are the ones plenty of guys in this squad looked up to back in the day,” the 32-year-old opener said in an interview with the ICC.
“It is cool to be trying to achieve the same thing 25 years later. I was eight years old at the time and just starting to fall in love with the game. I am well aware of New Zealand’s exploits in that tournament and it was fantastic to see them win. I’m thinking back to before we boarded the plane to come over here, we had an unveiling of the Champions Trophy squad. Scott Styris was there that day and told a few stories about the team and their exploits in that tournament.
“It was cool to recognise the past and that New Zealand has done this before. It is just about passing the baton and hopefully we can emulate them in a couple of days,” he added.
New Zealand have reached the final here after beating Pakistan and Bangladesh in the group stage and then South Africa in the semi-final. The only match they lost here was the group-stage game against India.
Young said the team has taken lessons from that match, adding that now the final would be about which team could better disconnect themselves from the past.
“It was a great opportunity to see the style of cricket they will bring, especially at that venue and in those conditions,” he said.
“There is plenty we can take from that in a scouting point of view, especially in my eyes as a batter, but I am sure the bowlers got a good look at their batters as well and how they are likely to approach things. There’s been some great battles over India in recent history including the World Test Championship and the 2023 World Cup semi-final. We’ve had some great games against India.”
“But to be honest, it is who will show up on the day, you can’t be too stuck in the past. We’ll look to be able to adjust and adapt to whatever challenges are in front of us on Sunday and hope the game we’ve got and the nerve that we hold will be enough,” Young added.
For more in-depth coverage of the Champions Trophy, check out the latest Points Table to see where your favorite team stands. Stay updated on the tournament’s top performers with the Most Runs and Most Wickets leaderboards. Keep following for all the latest updates!
- Location :
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
