New Zealand Cricket World Cup squad introduced in ‘best team announcement ever’
The announcement of New Zealand’s 15-man squad for this year’s Cricket World Cup by its “number one fans” has been described as “the best thing to happen on the internet today”.
Family members, including children, took turns announcing the names of the Blackcap players selected for the International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament in a one-minute and 38-second video.
Around two million people watched the video on X, formerly known as Twitter, which was accompanied by a caption: “Our 2023 @cricketworldcup squad is unveiled by its #1 fans!”
The family members of each selected player first read out his cap number – a player’s appearances in a cricket match at international and domestic levels – where they know him from, and then the player’s name.
The first family to announce a team name was the wife, daughter and son of the team’s captain, Kane Williamson.
In the video, Williamson’s wife can be seen saying, “161, my daddy, Kane Williamson,” while the couple’s toddler repeats after her.
The fiancée, girlfriend, grandmother, mother, toddlers and wives of the other team members will similarly read out the names of the New Zealand players selected to take part in the One Day International (ODI) Cricket World Cup.
Tom Latham’s son appeared in the video and appeared to want to follow in his father’s footsteps, as a bat could be seen next to the youngster.
Just over three weeks before the start of the 2023 ICC Tournament, the Blackcaps’ novel approach to announcing their squad impressed some fans with the creativity involved.
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One user wrote: “The nicest team came up with the nicest and cutest WC announcement video. How beautiful is this,” while another wrote: “This is the best thing on the internet today.”
One user wrote that a comment from James Neesham’s grandmother left her in “tears.”
They said: “Grandma immediately had tears in her eyes because she was so proud of her grandson!” Great job media team!”
Another person called the video the “best team announcement ever.”
The ICC tournament will feature 10 teams, including current cricket world champions England, who will begin their title defense with a clash against their 2019 finalist rivals New Zealand in the opening match on October 5.
The ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 is scheduled to take place in India from October 5 to November 19.