Australian captain Steve Waugh has already seen enough storm clouds in his team's current Test series against New Zealand to last him a lifetime, so remains happy to ignore the impending approach of any more grim news.

The reality is, though, that an unlucky Australia potentially has a lot to lose when the third and final match in the rain-ravaged series commences in Perth tomorrow.

Poor weather in both Brisbane and Hobart has contrived to nullify the effect of mammoth first innings scores by Australia in each of the opening two battles of the series. Which now means that the home country is not only in danger of losing the Trans-Tasman Trophy, but also that it might be beaten on its own soil for the first time since West Indies toppled it as many as nine years ago.

Even a drawn series would represent the first deadlocked scoreline since 1993-94, and anything less than a victory for the hosts in this match would also see New Zealand become the first touring team since India in 1985-86 to go through a series in Australia without losing a Test.

And, to top it all off, the home team will surrender its mantle as the premier Test outfit in the world - according to the official ICC Test Championship rankings system at least - with a loss in this one-off dice for the series.

"We'll still be aggressive and back ourselves. I think our best cricket is still to come," a nonetheless confident Waugh told reporters following the loss of close to 15 hours of play in the Second Test in Hobart.

"There are three or four guys who haven't done much in this series so far - of whom I'm one - but I think the others are playing excellent cricket so there's no reason why we shouldn't win in Perth.

"There's no real pressure as such because we've played excellent cricket. Without the weather intervening, we would have been in commanding positions in both Test matches. If we play in the same vein, New Zealand are going to be (the ones) under pressure."

For the tourists themselves, it hasn't all been smooth sailing either, of course, with ongoing injury and form problems ensuring that changes to the eleven continue to be the order of the day. Opener Matthew Bell's tortured series is at an end and pace bowler Daryl Tuffey has joined the lengthy casualty list with an ill-timed hamstring injury.

By necessity, that means the Black Caps will include Chris Martin in a constantly-changing bowling attack as well as gambling on using middle order batsman Lou Vincent in a makeshift pairing with Mark Richardson at the top of the batting line-up.

In the end, it might be the comparative form of Vincent and Justin Langer which determines the fate of the match. Langer, whose incredible Test comeback in a similarly unfamiliar role as an opener has him on the verge of joining Neil Harvey as the last Australian to hit centuries in four successive Tests, has been a consistent stumbling block for the tourists.

Though they have been able to minimise the influence of Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn in the middle order, the Black Caps' inability to halt the damage inflicted on them by Langer and Matthew Hayden at the outset of Australia's innings has possibly even represented the defining factor of the series to date.

By contrast, Bell's lack of form has consistently condemned it to trouble at the start of its own innings on tour.

If it can find a way of tilting those scales - and offsetting the impact of pace bowling trio of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee on a pitch that will offer consistent pace and bounce - then New Zealand has a genuine chance of troubling Australia.

However the cards fall, though, most predictions are odious. Especially if Perth's weather manages to hold out against the Kiwi jinx that has remained one of the few constants in international cricket over recent weeks.

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd