Videocon Triangular Series, 2005-06

1. New Zealand 2. India 3. Zimbabwe

New Zealand won the second one-day triangular tournament held in Zimbabwe. As in 2001, India were the losing finalists, maintaining their unwanted habit, while Zimbabwe lost all four matches.

Four years earlier, India lost the final here to West Indies; this time, a strong New Zealand side made all the running to claim their fourth title in a one-day tournament. Their only defeat came in the second game with India, when they rested their two leading bowlers, Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori. Bond was named the player of the tournament after taking 11 wickets at 8.63. The batting was more of a team effort, with six players scoring 130 or more runs during the five matches; Lou Vincent reached 246 after scoring an astonishing 172, a New Zealand one-day record, in the first game.

The Indian players were less consistent, relying too much on one or two individuals, who did not always receive adequate support. Mohammad Kaif, with 277 runs, was the highest run-scorer of the tournament, while pace bowlers Irfan Pathan and Ajit Agarkar took 21 wickets between them. But there was only one front-line spinner, Harbhajan Singh, which proved a major weakness in the final; things might have been different had Anil Kumble arrived before the ensuing Test series.

Kevin Curran's reign as Zimbabwean coach began with two disastrous defeats. The first, after New Zealand plundered 397 runs in only 44 overs, was their heaviest in any one-day international. The managing director of Zimbabwe Cricket, Ozias Bvute, subsequently announced that only three players - Tatenda Taibu, Heath Streak and Andy Blignaut - had done enough to be offered contracts when they were renewed in September, which led to further unrest among the excluded players.

Match reports for

1st Match: Zimbabwe v New Zealand at Bulawayo, Aug 24, 2005
Report | Scorecard

2nd Match: India v New Zealand at Bulawayo, Aug 26, 2005
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3rd Match: Zimbabwe v India at Harare, Aug 29, 2005
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4th Match: Zimbabwe v New Zealand at Harare, Aug 31, 2005
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5th Match: India v New Zealand at Harare, Sep 2, 2005
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6th Match: Zimbabwe v India at Harare, Sep 4, 2005
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Final: India v New Zealand at Harare, Sep 6, 2005
Report | Scorecard