Southampton: Leading former New Zealand cricketers such as Brendon McCullum and Richard Hadlee are awestruck with the showing of skipper Kane Williamson's boys in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against India here and feel this is probably the country's greatest-ever team.
New Zealand had, on Wednesday, become the first World Test Championship winners after they defeated India by eight wickets in a low-scoring and close final.
"I'm not sure it's sunk in yet. The game was on a bit of a knife-edge -- it almost had that feeling of the previous two World Cups, get close but we won't quite get across the line. But for them to have been able to manufacture a result against the weather and a very formidable Indian side, to do it on the biggest stage is quite superb, McCullum told SEN radio.
The former New Zealand skipper, who played all formats, added that, "I'm sure over the coming days, weeks even years we'll look back at this moment and be so proud of what Kane's men have been able to achieve and the heights they've been able to scale.
"For a country with pretty limited resources it is pretty amazing really and to do it against the powerhouse of world cricket on the biggest stage is something that makes it more satisfying."
Cricket legend, Hadlee, said in a statement through New Zealand Cricket (NZC) that, "The whole team has shown a high degree of professionalism. Their skill sets have complimented each other to make them a complete playing unit. The management and support staff have also played important roles in preparing players to perform at the highest level.
"Over the years NZC have built a significant depth of players, which makes us one of the most competitive teams in world cricket. It's fair to say that this current group of players is the best in our history," added Hadlee, one of the greatest pace bowlers of all time.