30-Oct-2007
Bill Brown was Australia’s captain in the first Test against New Zealand in 1945-46 © The Cricketer International
1945-46 in New Zealand
The Trans-Tasman neighbours have always had a big-brother little-brother rivalry and it was Australia’s superior attitude that prevented the first Test from being played until 1945-46 (it was not given official status until 1948). New Zealand wished it had taken a little longer as they lost by an innings and 103 runs in two days. Batting first on a rain-affected surface, they were dismissed for 42 and fared only slightly better in the second innings with 54. Bill Brown, captaining Australia for the only time, declared on 199 after he made 67 and Sid Barnes added 54, with Jack Cowie picking up a career-best 6 for 40. It was the last Test of Bill O’Reilly, who waved goodbye with eight wickets, and the first of Keith Miller and Ray Lindwall.
Australia 1 New Zealand 0
1973-74 in Australia
Twenty-seven years later Australia accepted a request for another series and hosted a three-game rubber before a return leg. Keith Stackpole’s 122 set up the innings-and-25-run victory at the MCG before New Zealand had the better of the second game at Sydney. Two days were lost to rain, including the crucial final one, which began with Australia 425 behind with eight wickets in hand. The third fixture also went to Australia by an innings, with Rod Marsh (132) and Kerry O’Keeffe (85) combining for a match-defining 168-run stand before Geoff Dymock captured seven wickets on debut.
Australia 2 New Zealand 0
1973-74 in New Zealand
Two months later Australia jumped across to New Zealand and received a severe shock when they lost the second Test by five wickets. Glenn Turner’s twin centuries were responsible for the victory in a low-scoring match, which followed a run-glut in the opening game. Greg Chappell’s double of 247 not out and 133 gained him the record for the most runs scored in a Test and he and Ian Chappell became only the second set of brothers to score a hundred in both innings of a first-class match. However, the contest was drawn and New Zealand batted only once. The deciding game was won by Australia by 297 runs after Ian Redpath carried his bat in the second innings for 159 in front of 35,000 spectators.
Australia 1 New Zealand 1
1976-77 in New Zealand
New Zealand held on for a draw in the opening game, finishing at 8 for 293 with Bevan Congdon on 107, after Doug Walters (250) and Gary Gilmour (101) had pushed Australia to 552 and Kerry O’Keeffe captured 5 for 101. Australia needed only 28 to win the second and final Test by 10 wickets, Dennis Lillee doing most of the damage with match figures of 11 for 123.
Australia 1 New Zealand 0
1980-81 in Australia
Dennis Lillee’s second-innings 6 for 53 drove Australia to another 10-wicket victory in the opening Test and he also starred in the second game with 5 for 63 before Jim Higgs (4 for 25) secured the eight-wicket success. In the drawn final game Richard Hadlee claimed nine wickets, finishing the series with 19 at 18.9. The Test contests were quickly forgotten when Greg Chappell ordered his brother Trevor to deliver an underarm ball in a final of the one-day series.
Australia 2 New Zealand 0
1981-82 in New Zealand
The next year’s contest was opened with a rain-ruined match at the Basin Reserve, but New Zealand took the second fixture by five wickets thanks to strong contributions from Bruce Edgar and Richard Hadlee. The home team’s chance to win their first series against Australia ended in Christchurch when Greg Chappell started the game with 176 and Lillee, Thomson and Alderman forced the follow-on. Australia lost only two wickets in the chase and New Zealand had to wait another four years to break through.
Australia 1 New Zealand 1
1985-86 in Australia
Australia were pillaged by a visiting knight-to-be and from the start of the three-match contest New Zealand looked switched on. Richard Hadlee routed the hosts for 179 in the opening encounter in Brisbane, collecting 9 for 52, which at the time was the fourth-best analysis in a Test innings. Martin Crowe led a terrific batting effort as New Zealand declared at 7 for 553, which was their highest Test innings. Not even Allan Border’s fighting 152 not out could stop Australia crashing to an innings defeat as Hadlee finished with 15 for 123. Hadlee grabbed another seven victims in the second Test in Sydney, but the spinners had more assistance and Bob Holland’s 10 for 174 helped Australia level the series. Again Hadlee was the danger man in Perth, taking 11 for the match to finish with 33 at 12.15, the best figures in a three-match series since SF Barnes in 1912. It gave New Zealand their first series win against Australia. They would not have to wait long for their second.
New Zealand 2 Australia 1
1985-86 in New ZealandThe lowest of the low came for Australia when they were defeated in back-to-back series by New Zealand and almost lost their captain Allan Border, who felt his team-mates were not putting in. The figures back him up. Border averaged 72.50 and only two others got above 33, while no member of his squad took ten wickets in the three-match series. Rain ruined the first Test in Wellington and a century from Border in each innings at Christchurch could not force a result, leaving the outcome hanging on the third game in Auckland. Earlier that season Australia had been hassled by Hadlee; this time they were bamboozled by Bracewell. After Australia took a first-innings lead John Bracewell spun them into oblivion with 6 for 32 in the second – he took ten for the match – and New Zealand eased to their target of 160.
New Zealand 1 Australia 0
Dennis Lillee was a problem for New Zealand in the 1970s and early 1980s © Getty Images
1987-88 in Australia
If Australia could have chosen two men to bat for the series Mike Whitney and Craig McDermott would have been at the bottom of their list. However, that was the situation they found themselves in as the third Test reached its finale with Australia 1-0 up. Chasing 247 from a minimum of 92 overs, Australia were cruising at 5 for 209 when Hadlee sparked a collapse of 4 for 18. But he could not prise out that last wicket – the final pair survived for 4.5 overs and when Whitney defended the last ball New Zealand had lost the Trans-Tasman Trophy. Hadlee had again been excellent throughout the tour, taking 18 wickets and earning the Man-of-the-Series award. But the final result had been set up in the first match in Brisbane, when David Boon’s century and some good fast bowling from McDermott and Bruce Reid earned Australia a nine-wicket win. The second Test was always a draw waiting to happen, with Allan Border, Andrew Jones and Martin Crowe all striking centuries on a belter in Adelaide, before the series regained its vigour with the tense conclusion at the MCG.
Australia 1 New Zealand 0
1989-90 in Australia
A one-off Test played only to fill an unexpected hole in Australia’s home schedule, the 1989-90 match in Perth nonetheless proved to be a classic. A pair of big, strong allrounders made their Test debuts – Chris Cairns for New Zealand and Tom Moody for Australia – and Moody was quickly in the action with 61 after Australia were sent in. Richard Hadlee was missing due to an Achilles injury and David Boon enjoyed facing the New Zealand attack, posting a career-best 200 in Australia’s 9 for 521 declared. Australia seemed set for a victory when they made New Zealand follow-on 290 behind, but Mark Greatbatch had other ideas. Following his first-innings 76, he again top scored in the visitors’ second effort, grinding out an unbeaten 146 that took him 485 balls and nearly 11 hours. Australia looked like they might get over the line regardless, when New Zealand were 7 for 234, but Martin Snedden’s 202-minute 33 not out helped secure the draw.
Australia 0 New Zealand 0
1989-90 in New Zealand
On the return trip that summer things did not go quite as swimmingly for Australia’s batsmen. In another one-off Test, this time in Wellington, Allan Border chose to bat and Danny Morrison and Hadlee immediately made him regret it. Australia crashed to 12 for 4 and were dismissed for 112 as Hadlee finished with 5 for 39, giving him his 14th five-wicket haul in Tests against his trans-Tasman rivals. New Zealand did not fare much better, scoring 202, and when Australia’s nightwatchman Peter Taylor made 87 to lift their second innings to 269, Australia felt they had a chance. New Zealand needed 178 on a pitch that had given Bracewell sharp turn as he took 6 for 85 in the second innings, and Australia hoped Taylor could exploit the conditions. But the home side ended Australia’s run of 14 Tests without a loss as John Wright decided attack was the best way to survive, striking 17 fours and a six in his 117 not out. The 1-0 victory was a fitting way for Hadlee, then 38, to finish his career-long battle with Australia. During the match he became the fourth man to achieve the Test double of 3000 runs and 300 wickets, and he ended up with 130 Test wickets against Australia at 20.56.New Zealand 1 Australia 0
1992-93in New Zealand
Would New Zealand be able to maintain their recent home record against Australia in the post-Hadlee era? Allan Border’s squads had lost their previous two series in New Zealand and he had no intention of letting the same happen again. The tour got away to a fine start for Australia, who cleaned up by an innings and 60 runs in the first Test in Christchurch. It was notable for Shane Warne bamboozling the batsmen with match figures of 7 for 86, Ken Rutherford’s fighting 102 and, most importantly, one lofted sweep by Border in his innings of 88. The boundary took him past Sunil Gavaskar’s mark of 10,122 runs to become the leading run-scorer in Tests, a record he would hold for nearly 13 years until Brian Lara surpassed him. Morrison’s career-best 7 for 89 could not stop the second Test ending in a draw, meaning Australia only had to come up with a draw in Auckland to win the series. But just as Hadlee had in series past, Morrison troubled Australia in back-to-back Tests. Australia never really recovered after he took 6 for 37 in their first-innings 139. Martin Crowe threw the new ball to the offspinner Dipak Patel in the second innings and his 5 for 93, including a wicket in each of his first two overs, helped set the scene for a New Zealand chase of 201, which they achieved with five wickets to spare.
Australia 1 New Zealand 11993-94 in Australia
A one-sided series that bored the crowds and embarrassed the New Zealanders, this three-match contest was at least notable for one reason – it featured the Test debut of Glenn McGrath. The first of his 563 meticulously memorised wickets was Mark Greatbatch, who went on to have a horror tour, scoring 67 runs from six innings. Although the opening Test at the WACA ended in a draw, New Zealand were horribly outclassed in Hobart and Brisbane. Martin Crowe’s knee injury kept him out of the second and third Tests and Ken Rutherford took on the captaincy and immediately suffered the ignominy of leading New Zealand to their heaviest Test defeat – an innings and 222 runs at Bellerive. Michael Slater, David Boon and Mark Waugh struck centuries before Shane Warne and Tim May combined for 16 wickets. The game was so lopsided that Hobart spectators stayed away even though it was only the second Test to be held at Bellerive. The visitors crashed to another innings defeat at the Gabba where this time Border and Steve Waugh were the centurions.
Australia 2 New Zealand 01997-98in Australia
A 2-0 series loss, a failure to win a first-class match on tour and an inability to reach the finals of the one-day tri-series that followed the Tests does not paint a pretty picture of New Zealand’s tour. But the results were deceptive. This was a new-look team that featured a fresh young captain, Stephen Fleming, a promising teenage spinner, Daniel Vettori, and a more aggressive outlook than previous New Zealand squads. They still lost the first Test in Brisbane by 186 runs but there were encouraging signs – Craig McMillan made 54 on debut, Chris Cairns was dangerous with bat and ball, and Fleming impressed with 91. However, McGrath’s 5 for 32 sunk the visitors as they chased 319. Despite McGrath missing the next two Tests through injury the result at the WACA was even wider – an innings and 70 runs – as McGrath’s replacement Simon Cook collected the only seven wickets he would ever take in his two Tests. Fleming then won praise for his captaincy in Hobart, where he displayed his hunger to win by declaring 159 behind. Mark Taylor in turn left his declaration until lunch on the fifth day, setting New Zealand 288 for victory. Warne grabbed five and the visitors were 9 for 222, but Simon Doull and Shayne O’Connor hung on for 38 minutes to force the draw.
Australia 2 New Zealand 01999-2000 in New Zealand.
Shane Warne finished the first Test, a 62-run victory to the visitors, by becoming Australia’s leading wicket-taker and the team equalled its previous-best winning streak of eight. A Chris Cairns century was overshadowed by hundreds to Michael Slater and Steve Waugh in the next game at Wellington, which pushed Waugh’s side past Warwick Armstrong’s, and he sealed the 10th win in final game as Justin Langer (122 not out) steered them to a six-wicket triumph. The streak would end at 16.
Australia 3 New Zealand 0
Are you Hadlee in disguise? Danny Morrison stepped up in 1992-93 © Getty Images
2001-02 in Australia
This was a rarity for the Australian team: three draws in a row. Rain in Brisbane forced the captains to declare three times in the hope of a result, which New Zealand almost achieved when finishing 10 short of the target. The Hobart weather spoiled the second game before the sides went to Perth and the New Zealanders produced their best performance of the series. Four batsmen – Vincent, Fleming, Astle and Parore – scored centuries as they posted 9 for 534 declared and after Vettori took six wickets they set Australia 440 to win. If New Zealand had won umpiring decisions against Steve Waugh and Jason Gillespie the result could have been different, but this time it was Australia who held on.
Australia 0 New Zealand 02004-05 in Australia
Michael Clarke’s first home Test started with a century and Adam Gilchrist jumped in with a hundred to erase the damage of Jacob Oram’s unbeaten 126. Worse was to come for the New Zealanders, as Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie both posted half-centuries, and the visitors collapsed for 76 to lose by an innings. The punishment continued in Adelaide, where Justin Langer sweltered over 215 and Ricky Ponting refused to enforce the follow-on.
Australia 2 New Zealand 02004-05 in New Zealand
Australia were back in New Zealand the following March and Stephen Fleming was confident of a reversal. The ledger was the same and the only thing preventing Australia from a 3-0 result was the rain in Wellington. Australia relied on centuries to Simon Katich and Adam Gilchrist to save them in Christchurch before Shane Warne’s five second-innings wickets settled the result. Damien Martyn joined Gilchrist as a century-maker in Wellington and in Auckland it was Ricky Ponting’s turn. He picked up 105 and 86 not out to seal the series with a day to spare.
Australia 2 New Zealand 02008-09 in Australia
A 2-0 defeat in India gave Australia a harsh reality check. The team was already in a transitionary phase, particularly in the spin department, and the short home series against a struggling New Zealand side was their chance to make amends. Australia had a horror of a start at the Gabba when Tim Southee had them wobbling at 23 for 3 on the first morning. Michael Clarke compensated for the top-order’s struggle against the moving ball with a crucial 98. New Zealand’s batsmen didn’t flatter either. In conditions loaded against the batsmen, Simon Katich carried his bat with a century in the second innings to close out New Zealand’s hopes of a rare win. Mitchell Johnson began a stellar summer with nine wickets in the match to round off a comprehensive win. Australia’s batsmen played to their potential in better batting conditions in Adelaide, piling on 535, thanks to centuries by Clarke and Brad Haddin. The New Zealand top order crumbled in the second innings and the tourists conceded an innings defeat and a clean sweep. New Zealand slipped to eighth in the Test rankings, above Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. They were far more competitive in the one-dayers, squaring the five-match series 2-2.Tests Australia 2 New Zealand 0
ODIs Australia 2 New Zealand 2 No Result 1
T20Is Australia 1 New Zealand 02009-10 in New Zealand
The Australians came off a home summer in which they won five Tests and drew one, against West Indies and Pakistan. New Zealand came off a competitive home series against Pakistan, but their batting against top-quality bowling was still a worry. In the first Test in Wellington, the in-form Michael Clarke and Marcus North piled on centuries, before the Australian bowlers exposed New Zealand’s batting frailties again. It was a memorable debut for Ryan Harris as he took four wickets in the second innings. Brendon McCullum’s 104 was the only bright spot after New Zealand were made to follow on. Things looked up for New Zealand in Hamilton when they took a first-innings lead, but Simon Katich’s century and a string of half-centuries put Australia in an impregnable position. Mitchell Johnson took ten wickets in the match to complete yet another clean-sweep in the Trans-Tasman rivalry. Ricky Ponting suggested that New Zealand coax Shane Bond out of retirement, given the paucity of express bowlers in the country.Tests Australia 2 New Zealand 0
ODIs Australia 3 New Zealand 2Chappell-Hadlee Series
The trophy, recognising two great cricketing families, was first played for in 2004-05 and was introduced with the aim of being an annual three-match contest. Rain in Brisbane prevented the first series from being decided – it was locked at 1-1 – and a year later Australia took the prize in New Zealand. They won the opening game easily, had to fight to defend 322 after Andrew Symonds’ 156 in the second, and had 331 overhauled in the third when Scott Styris (101), Jacob Oram (42) and Brendon McCullum (50 off 25) exploded. New Zealand whitewashed Australia during an amazing performance in 2007, posting scores of 340 and 350 to demoralise a side missing Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting (they chose to rest in the lead-up to the World Cup). Matthew Hayden grabbed an Australian-record 181 in the third game at Hamilton, but it wasn’t enough as Craig McMillan thrashed 117 to make Australia suffer. In the return series at the end of 2007, Australia had their revenge. Ponting settled the first of several scores, his 24th one-day century leading Australia to a seven-wicket victory in the opener in Adelaide. Rain ended Australia’s hopes of regaining the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy within three days as only six overs were possible in the second ODI at the SCG, but Ponting’s mission of revenge was completed after his 134 not out set up a 114-run victory in Hobart.