Rating Test teams of this decade

5. New Zealand – 7.5/10

New Zealand is amongst those top nations which played the fewest Tests this decade (81). The team went through a transition phase in this decade but dealt with it very nicely. They started the decade under the captaincy of Daniel Vettori. Then it was Brendon McCullum who took over the reins and added an aggressive flavour. Later, Kane Williamson was made the captain and he helped bring the calmness back into the side.

The Kiwis never played more than 3 matches in a series throughout this decade. Right at the start, they bagged losses against Australia, India and Pakistan. Till October 2013, it was a very tough phase for them. In 15 series, they won only three and two of those wins came against Zimbabwe. But they picked up after that by winning 6 series out of 10. They drew two and lost the other two. Then came the away losses against South Africa and India.

But under Kane Williamson, the side bounced back and won against Pakistan and Bangladesh before South Africa defeated them once again in 2017. From thereon, they figured out the right set of players and brought out some indomitable performances. From December 2017 till the end of this decade, the Kiwis remain unbeaten and even won five series in a row before drawing a couple of others. In the last one against England, they managed to get over the line and finished the decade on a good note.

W/L Ratio: 1.103