Former Black Cap says World Test Championship win will encourage more kids to play the game

New Zealand players celebrate with the winners trophy after their win in the World Test Championship final cricket match against India, at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. Photo / AP

Whanganui's former Black Cap, Andrew Penn, was up early yesterday morning to catch the final moments of New Zealand's eight-wicket victory over India in the World Test Championship final.

"It was just gripping to watch," Penn said.

"Of the three possible results, I thought New Zealand winning would have been the least likely.

"With India's potent attack, it would be quite a hard chase if they got 200 ahead."

Penn, who played five one-day internationals for New Zealand, said the fact the Black Caps were beating nations with far more resources made the achievement even more special.

"This team has just got better and better over the last six or seven years.

Andrew Penn said the country should be "immensely proud" of the Black Caps' victory. Photo / Lewis Gardner

"It's the way they play the game as well. It's in the right spirit and they conduct themselves so well on and off the field.

"That's something the country should be immensely proud of."

While he was "a little bit biased", Penn said high-quality test cricket was still the best sporting spectacle to watch.

"It has so much drama and for people who really follow the game, it's test cricket they love the most.

"Wearing my hat as a Cricket Whanganui board member, it's up to us to promote the game as much as we can.

"When a team does very well, the young kids want to emulate them. This is an opportunity to get them into cricket."

Penn said Cricket Whanganui had completed construction of a new indoor net complex at Jubilee Stadium and they were close to finalising a new head coach.

As for which of the triumphant Black Caps would make the "all-time" New Zealand XI, he said it was more a matter of which of the country's greats would make the current team.

"You have to ask the question, who outside of this team would get in?

"There'd be [Richard] Hadlee and [Martin] Crowe obviously, and I think Chris Cairns would be in there, too. Dan [Vettori] has been our best spinner.

"Look at our quicks at the moment - Southee, Boult and Wagner. Their records are astonishing. There's Williamson, Taylor, Watling, even Henry Nicholls. Tom Latham is close to being our best-ever opener as well.

"Then you've got Kyle Jamieson, who will be one of our all-time greats, and Devon Conway could be the best batsman in the world in a year's time - he's that good."