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The History of Australia-New Zealand Testsby John Polack
1980-81The 1980-81 series enjoyed a less spectacular passage into the history books. It nonetheless followed a very similar pattern to its predecessor. And again, both Walters and Lillee assumed starring roles as Australia triumphed 2-0 in the three match duel. Complemented by an innings of great determination from opener Graeme Wood (111), the Australian spearhead was rampant in the course of a ten wicket win by his team in the First Test in Brisbane. It is true that the New Zealanders contributed to their own demise with some indiscreet shot selection, but Lillee's line and length were immaculate as he returned figures of 2/36 and 6/53. On either side of Wood's exhibition, he was the major force behind two stunning collapses (one of 7/32 and another of 7/61) which ensured that the visitors were unable to muster any more than 225 and 142 in their two innings. In terms of the New Zealanders' inability to mount the requisite degree of resistance with the bat, the Second Test in Perth produced a near carbon copy. Although the Australians encountered more than a few problems of their own before Walters (55) and Rod Marsh (91) rectified the situation, the tourists were always in trouble once they had again stumbled against Lillee (5/63) to surrender for 196 after being invited to bat. That they crashed to the even more paltry total of 121 the second time around in the face of an attack led by the accurate leg spin of Jim Higgs (4/25) only exacerbated their predicament. In some ways, the final margin of eight wickets was probably flattering. The Third Test in Melbourne ended in the spectre of a rather uninspiring draw, but it was a match littered with incident and racked with controversy. Indeed, both teams ended the Boxing Day Test in bitter mood, the respective captains left fuming over various matters. For New Zealand, much of the angst centred upon the extraordinary decision of Umpire Robin Bailache to invoke the provisions of the intimidatory bowling law in order to decree that number eleven batsman Higgs was not out in gloving a short lifting delivery to the wicketkeeper. There was certainly considerable justification for their annoyance too, because it not only seemed a harsh ruling at the time, but it also allowed the Australians to add a priceless forty-two runs to their first innings score. That deed aside, Walters (107) was again the headline act as Australia progressed to 321. For the first time in the series, the visitors' top order then clicked when it came their turn to respond, and they ended a mere four runs short of the Australian tally. Notwithstanding the grandeur of the play of Greg Chappell (78) in resisting the odds on a capricious pitch, the subsequent heroics of Richard Hadlee (6/57 going with his first innings 3/89) in helping to reduce the Australians to a second innings total of 188 accordingly looked to have the tourists on track for success. But another collapse (this one seeing them plunge from 1/95 to 5/101 at one point) made a draw their only real target in the finish, and it was a result that they achieved in grim fashion and with four wickets in tact. Matters did not end there however. Indeed, they took on something of a life of their own when Chappell exploded at a media conference in the Test's aftermath. The Australian captain did not hold back at all in declaring that his team had been infuriated by the suitability (or lack thereof) of the low and slow pitch, that it wanted matches shifted away from the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and that it would only continue to play at the ground under protest. Culminating as it did in the infamous underarm incident later in the season, it was a sentiment that was to have ramifications that nobody would ever come to forget. Captains: GS Chappell (Aus) and GP Howarth & MG Burgess(NZ) Australia 2 New Zealand 0.
As the pipe opener to the new series, the First Test in Wellington was literally a damp squib. The weather in the New Zealand capital again proved highly unsuited to cricket on this particular occasion; persistent rain permitting a total of a mere five hours' play on the first three days and none at all on the fourth. In such action as was possible, New Zealand opener Bruce Edgar (55) added his own contribution to the complete paucity of excitement by labouring for 310 minutes to raise one of the slowest half centuries in Test history. Overall, only eight wickets fell - New Zealand reached 7/266 and Australia 1/85. For all of the brickbats that had been thrown at Edgar, though, the last laugh belonged to him in the Second Test at Auckland a fortnight later. It was his courageous innings of 161, and Richard Hadlee's haul of seven wickets (2/38 and 5/63) that were chiefly responsible for a five wicket triumph - and for what was only their country's thirteenth win in 147 Tests and its second against Australia in fourteen attempts. Another Graeme Wood (100) century featured as the tourists attempted to overhaul a 177 run first innings deficit. But the fact that not a single other member of his team reached forty in either of their innings of 210 and 280 left them ruthlessly exposed. Undaunted by the loss of three early scalps, the Kiwis finished the job impressively. As well poised as they may have been to complete their maiden series win over their Trans-Tasman rivals, the New Zealanders did not make a good fist of retaining their advantage in the Third Test in Christchurch. This time, it was the majestic batting skills of Greg Chappell which played the major role in their downfall. Having been no stranger to unwelcome distractions during earlier meetings with New Zealand, the elegant right hander chose the occasion of his last Test against the Kiwis to play one of the finest innings of his career - in the form of a magnificent 176. Notwithstanding the effect of some determined fast bowling from Richard Hadlee (6/100), Chappell's innings guided Australia to 353 in its first innings. From there, the home team capitulated; it was dismissed for 149 in response and then 272 (of which John Wright contributed a sterling 141) as it followed on against a well balanced attack. Australia duly rounded off the match with eight wickets in hand and the series ended at 1-1. Captains: GP Howarth (NZ) and GS Chappell (Aus) New Zealand 1 Australia 1.
It was in the First Test in Brisbane (and on the coat tails of one of the most sensational individual bowling performances of all time) in November 1985 that the change of fortune was initiated. By the time that Richard Hadlee (9/52 and 6/71) claimed the wicket of Bob Holland to end Australia's first innings at 179 early on the second morning, only two men had produced finer bowling figures in an innings in the entirety of Test cricketing history. On either side of a lengthy delay caused by poor light, his was a spellbinding performance and his artistry with the ball completely confounded an Australian batting line-up in which only three men reached double figures. The ninth wicket was the only one that he failed to capture, and he even played his part in that dismissal by means of a well judged catch in the outfield. If Hadlee had not clearly enough illustrated his team's determination to make its country's lack of success in Australia a thing of the past, Martin Crowe (188) and John Reid (108) certainly confirmed the impression by then leading their side to what remains its highest ever score across the Tasman - 7/553 declared. With a lead of 374 runs at his disposal, captain Jeremy Coney naturally tormented the Australians with ferociously attacking fields thereafter, and the home side's score was soon a perilous 5/67 the second time around. Bravely, Allan Border (152*) and Greg Matthews (115) defied the insurmountable odds for a time with a magnificent 197 run stand for the sixth wicket, but there was no way back in the face of Hadlee's assault. He ended with the astonishing match analysis of 15/123 (the best ever return by a New Zealand bowler in a Test) and his side triumphed by an innings and 41 runs. Fortunately for the Australians, the slow, grassless pitch prepared for the Second Test in Sydney was of significantly less assistance to the redoubtable paceman. With off spinner John Bracewell (whose 83* and 2* with the bat, and 2/51 and 3/91 with the ball represented a glowing endorsement of the selectors' late decision to rush him to Australia for the match), Hadlee (5/65) nevertheless efficiently reduced the locals to 227 in their first innings as they replied to 293. Earlier, Bracewell had been the top scorer in New Zealand's innings and the senior partner in an extraordinary record-breaking stand of 124 for the last wicket with Stephen Boock (37). From the time that they then started a second innings slide against leg spinner Holland (6/106 and 4/68) which saw them surrender ten wickets for ninety-five runs to be dismissed for a paltry 195, however, even Hadlee (2/58) was unable to retrieve the situation. Led by David Boon (81) and Wayne Phillips (63), Australia ultimately won by four wickets and thus levelled the series. With another eleven wickets, it was again Hadlee (5/65 and 6/90) who exerted a large bearing upon the outcome of the vital Third Test in Perth. Around some lusty hitting from tailender Craig McDermott (36), Hadlee crashed through the middle and lower Australian order during the match's early stages to reduce his opponents to an unsatisfactory 203. Although cracks and variable bounce were by now already manifesting themselves on the WACA pitch, Edgar (74) and Crowe (71) held their nerve sufficiently impressively to steer their team to 299 in reply. Border (83) was at the vanguard of a determined counter-attack from the Australian middle order in its second innings of 259, but there was insufficient support from the lower order as it crumbled against Hadlee's searing accuracy. The task of scoring the 164 runs they needed to win was made more difficult than it appeared by both the nature of the pitch and the pressure that was built as a consequence of the reality that they had never before secured a series success over their neighbours, but the New Zealanders duly prevailed. The defiant Crowe (42*) was once more at the forefront but, in truth, it was an admirable effort from each of the batsmen whose services were called upon to round off the six wicket win. There was no great surprise, of course, in the scenes of jubilation that accompanied the reaction to the win by Kiwi supporters on either side of the Tasman nor in the outpouring of emotion that subsequently greeted the team's return home. There were also few shocks in store in the announcement of who had been named Man of the Series. Captains: AR Border (Aus) and JV Coney (NZ) New Zealand 2 Australia 1.
At Christchurch, the Second Test also finished in a draw. But this was a much more satisfactory game, and it showcased the batting talents of two exceptional players. Shoring up the defences of two otherwise stuttering innings, it was Allan Border (140 and 114*) who led the way for Australia with a magnificent double which saved the game for his team, made him only the fifth player in Tests to twice score dual centuries in the one match, and left him third on the list of all-time run scorers for his nation. In between, the majestic Crowe (137) played equally courageously, defying the inconvenience of being forced to retire hurt halfway through his innings (after being struck a vicious blow on the jaw) to register an epic hundred. Around the performances of their two batting stars and the fall of some drenching rain for most of the fourth day, Australia totalled 364 and 7/219 while New Zealand amassed 339 and 1/16. It was in Auckland and by means of an eight wicket victory that the home team clinched the series. Initially, though, they seemed in trouble; opener Geoff Marsh (118) led Australia toward 314 before Bracewell (4/74) struck back and, in reply, only Coney (93) looked truly assured as Matthews (4/61) helped reduce the New Zealanders to a modest 258. It was then that the defining moments of the series were played out. As wickets tumbled around him, David Boon (58*) became only the tenth man to carry his bat for Australia in a Test innings. But the quality of his performance could not save a team which crashed to Bracewell (whose 6/32 afforded him the distinction of being the only New Zealand spinner to claim ten wickets in a Test) and ignominiously registered a mere 103, its lowest ever score against this particular foe. Needing 160 to win, the locals courted disaster when Edgar (1) was dismissed early, but the path to victory was paved with only one further dismissal. Although Rutherford (50*) survived one extremely anxious moment - he was actually given out caught behind before wicketkeeper Tim Zoehrer graciously asked his captain to recall him - he was able to join with John Wright (59) and Crowe (23*) to make light work of an exacting task from there. Captains: JV Coney (NZ) and AR Border (Aus) New Zealand 1 Australia 0.
Played as it was on a placid pitch and in almost intolerable heat, there was nothing particularly attractive about the Second Test in Adelaide. The batting of Crowe (137) and Border (205) again loomed large, as did the strokemaking of New Zealander Andrew Jones (150 and 64), particularly through the middle stages of what was his maiden Test century. But there was never any remote prospect of a result once the tourists had made 9/485 and the locals 496 in reply. In the end, it was probably the act of sportsmanship from New Zealand captain Jeff Crowe in acknowledging that he had narrowly failed to catch Border when the left hander was on 66 which was the defining highlight of an otherwise dreary Test. In stark contrast to its immediate predecessor, the Third Test in Melbourne was, by any measure, one of the great Trans-Tasman encounters. It featured several superb individual performances, was laced with tension and excitement all the way through to the most dramatic of finishes, and it was also embroiled in controversy. It was as early as the first afternoon when such controversy erupted, and it came in the form of a particularly unedifying act from Australian wicketkeeper Greg Dyer in claiming a 'catch' from the bat of Jones. Subsequent television replays confirmed that a tumbling Dyer had actually dropped the catch underneath his body before he had picked the ball up again as he rolled across the ground. Dyer's intervention aside, the New Zealanders batted their way without too many hindrances to a total of 317. A luckless Wright (99) and Martin Crowe (82) again assumed most of the responsibility for the position, while McDermott (5/97) and left armer Mike Whitney (4/92) took the honours for Australia. The home team stuttered to a potentially disastrous 6/170 before all-rounders Peter Sleep (90) and Tony Dodemaide (50), the latter on debut, came to the rescue and provided the impetus that saw their team ultimately establish a first innings lead of 40 runs. Hadlee (5/109) was once more superb with the ball. The highlights of the New Zealand second innings of 286 were yet another great hand (this time of 79) from the younger of the Crowe brothers, and the medium pace bowling of Dodemaide (6/58). The youthful Victorian bowled with a level-headedness that belied his grave inexperience as he continued a fairytale opening Test in front of an adoring home crowd. That all left Australia with the seemingly realistic target of 247 runs off a minimum ninety-two overs to win - an exercise that seemed little more than a formality as Boon (54) laid a platform which enabled them to reach a score of 5/209 with more than fifteen overs still available. But such a view discounted the return of the indefatigable Hadlee (5/67), whose late afternoon spell not only precipitated the demise of four batsmen in quick succession but suddenly rendered a New Zealand win the most realistic outcome. At the very end of a match of fluctuating fortunes, a crowd of 23,859 was then made to hold its collective breath as McDermott and Whitney heroically played out a nerve-jangling twenty-nine deliveries to stave off defeat and secure the series for their country in the most gripping of climaxes. Captains: AR Border (Aus) and JJ Crowe (NZ) Australia 1 New Zealand 0.
The match had been hastily arranged by the Australian authorities to cover for Pakistan's late decision to make itself unavailable for a full Test tour. It was also scheduled extremely early in the season. This was in order for it to precede both the Pakistanis' arrival and Auckland's hosting of the Commonwealth Games, an event to which the Nine Network (the holder of the television broadcast rights for international cricket in Australia) was committed ahead of all other programming. Inevitably, the New Zealanders arrived badly unprepared, and the match initially followed a predictable script in the circumstances. With a first Test double century for Boon (200) serving as the launching pad, the Australians built to a massive score of 9/521 in stifling heat. Dean Jones (99), Tom Moody (61) and Border (50) joined in to punish an attack which fared poorly in the absence of the injured Hadlee and in the wake of the early departure from the field, as the result of a back complaint, of debutant Chris Cairns. Left hander Mark Greatbatch (76) and that man Martin Crowe (62) gamely steered New Zealand to 2/173 at one point in the response, but paceman Merv Hughes (4/51) initiated a dismal collapse which soon had the tourists following on after registering a mere 231. In the twinkling of an eye, the second innings score plunged to 2/11, and an Australian victory shaped as a near certainty. Despite some stubborn defence from the middle order, more fine bowling from Hughes (3/92) ensured that only four wickets stood between the Kiwis and defeat by early on the final morning, and there appeared no way out of the abyss. But around all of this, Greatbatch (146*) was assiduously mounting one of the most brilliant acts of individual defiance in Test history. Through 655 jaw-juttingly steadfast minutes, he played with such stern resistance that he not only registered the then slowest ever first class century on Australian soil but also inspired his teammates to follow his lead. With Jeff Crowe (49 in 155 minutes), Cairns (28 in 93 minutes) and Martin Snedden (33* in 202 minutes) acting as his allies, he thwarted an increasingly irritated attack with an innings which simply had to be witnessed to be believed. It was little short of a miraculous exhibition, and it was an extraordinary tribute to his powers of resolve and concentration. He never really rekindled the effort again in his international career, but it was a display which etched for him an indelible place in the annals of Test folklore. Captains: AR Border (Aus) and JG Wright (NZ) Australia 0 New Zealand 0.
On a green-tinged pitch which ensured that prodigious movement and variable bounce were the hallmarks of the early play, Hadlee (5/39) and Morrison (3/22) made a mockery of Border's decision to bat first. The Australians courted humiliation as they stumbled to 6/44 at one point and it was a measure of how miserably they fared that the total of 110 to which they were eventually steered by tailender Peter Taylor (29) was a substantially better one than it appeared they might reach for long periods of the innings. When New Zealand responded with its 202, opportunities to play shots off the middle of the bat were similarly at a premium. Terry Alderman (4/46) and Taylor (3/44) were rewarded with fine figures against a consistent if not especially productive batting list. Expectations of an improved second innings performance were raised by the Australians as they reached a score of 3/194 at one point on a by now significantly less capricious pitch. But they would surely not have been expecting that it would again be Taylor (87), this time as a stubborn night watchman, who would be their chief scorer. Furthermore, they would not have anticipated that only Dean Jones (78*) would have been able to provide him with meaningful support as they began to stumble - against the spin of the redoubtable Bracewell (6/85) - toward a total of 269. From there, the victory target of 178 still looked challenging enough for New Zealand, but Wright (117*) and Jones (33*) put a lie to the perception with a vigilant unbroken stand of 128 runs to see their team home by nine wickets. Captains: JG Wright (NZ) and AR Border (Aus) New Zealand 1 Australia 0.
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