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Australia have only won one test series away from home in the last decade, but Pat Cummins’ men have the chance to double that tally in Christchurch this week.
The second Test between New Zealand and Australia begins at Hagley Oval on Friday, with the tourists already retaining the Trans-Tasman Trophy following last week’s 172-run victory in Wellington. It marked the 13th consecutive Test series in which New Zealand failed to regain the trophy.
Meanwhile, the Black Caps have not beaten Australia at home since 1993, a drought they would be eager to break in the coming days.
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‘Toughen Up!’: The Moment Starc Made | 02:13
SEVEN IN A ROW: NO WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT FOR AUSSIE QUICKS
In December, ahead of the Benaud-Qadir Trophy against Pakistan, Australian captain Pat Cummins was asked if the bowling banner would need to manage its workloads ahead of a busy summer of home Tests.
Before the reporter could even finish his question, the nearby Mitchell Starc began shaking his head profusely.
“No,” he interjected.
Starc is tired of hearing the phrase “bowler rotation”. Despite being one of Australia’s most prolific wicket-takers over the last decade, he has always been at risk of facing the ax due to workload management, most notably the 2012 Boxing Day Test.
Even during the recent World Cup campaign in India, he was sidelined from the final group match against Bangladesh, a decision he publicly denounced.
However, thanks to bowler-friendly wickets and shorter matches, Starc and the experienced Australian bowling lineup will play their seventh consecutive Test of the summer in Christchurch this week.
Each of Australia’s previous six Tests concluded in less than four days, giving Starc, Cummins and Josh Hazlewood extra time to recover between matches. Since the start of 2018, Starc has played in 30 of Australia’s 31 home Tests and missed last year’s New Year’s match against South Africa at the SCG with a finger injury.
Meanwhile, Starc heads into the series finale against New Zealand on the verge of eclipsing the legendary Dennis Lillee in the wicket-taker tally. Currently on 354 Test scalps, he needs two more wickets to overtake Lillee, at which point only one Australian fast bowler will be ahead of him: Glenn McGrath.
“I’ll reflect on all those things when I’m done,” Starc told Fox Cricket earlier this summer.
“I’m not one to put numbers, goals and so on. I’m still just as happy taking a baggy green every week, whether it’s my 83rd trial or whatever.
“There are different moments that stand out for me. Whether it’s singing the song after an Ashes win or sitting back at the final Test of the summer and reflecting on how the team has fared. For me, that’s why I play.
“The rest, there are a lot of things I’m proud of, and I’ll probably reflect on them more when I no longer have to put on my bowling boots.
“Hearing those things is still great and there are things to aspire to, but I’ve never been so focused on the numbers and the rest.”
The question is: what number will Starc end up at? Could he eclipse McGrath?
The New South Welshman recently claimed that Test cricket would be the last format he would retire from, so the 2027 Ashes series in England is not completely ruled out.
Starc has potentially extended his Test career by prioritizing international duties and rarely pursuing opportunities in lucrative T20 leagues. It is estimated that he has sacrificed almost $10 million in additional salary over the past decade by skipping Indian Premier League tournaments.
Last year, Starc decided not to participate in the 2023 IPL to manage his workload ahead of the Ashes, a decision that paid off when he finished the Test series as the leading wicket-taker with 23 scalps at 27.08.
Starc has always put Australia first, which is why he is on the verge of becoming Australia’s fourth most prolific wicket-taker in this format. However, he would never begrudge someone chasing the lucrative T20 circuits on a loose green.
“That’s just my personal approach,” Starc continued.
“There is no right or wrong approach to any of that. People want to achieve different things.
“For me, Tests will always be the pinnacle. That has been my decision and it is not my place to say what is right and what is wrong for another person.
“I would like to think that there is still a generation of boys and girls who still aspire to wear baggy green.
“For me, it’s definitely the format that took them the longest to feel like I belonged there, so I want to play it as much as I can.”
NINE UNCOMFORTABLE MONTHS APPEAR FOR CAREY
An uncomfortable nine-month wait looms for Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey if he does not chip in with some runs in Christchurch this week.
Since last year’s Lord’s Ashes Test in England, the South Australian has averaged 21.12 with the bat, registering two fifties in ten matches. During that period, he was dropped from the national one-day team by Western Australian gloveman Josh Inglis.
During last week’s series opener against New Zealand, Carey bowled a wide delivery to cover short in both innings, getting out cheaply for 10 and 3.
Meanwhile, Inglis reached an unbeaten 136 during last week’s Sheffield Shield clash against Queenslander in the WACA, rescuing Western Australia after an early collapse.
Christchurch’s contest against New Zealand is Australia’s last Test until the end of November, meaning there will be speculation about Carey’s place in the team for nine months unless he recovers from his poor form at Hagley Oval this week.
“We’re not going to hang him on one innings or two wins over a period of time,” Australian coach Andrew McDonald told reporters earlier this week.
“We’ll see how that plays out.”
Apart from a costly missed opportunity during last year’s fifth Ashes Test at The Oval, Carey’s glove work over the past 12 months has been near perfect.
Meanwhile, while Inglis is expected to play white-ball matches against England and Pakistan towards the end of the year, the 32-year-old will have several Sheffield Shield matches to boost his case ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
CAN THE BEST HITTER IN THE WORLD TAME THE GOAT?
Ahead of last week’s series opener in Wellington, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson registered six hundreds in his previous six Tests at home.
The New Zealand superstar, the fastest cricketer in history with 32 Test centuries, has dominated at home throughout his career but barely made an impact during the first Test against Australia.
After running out in the first innings at Basin Reserve for a duck, Williamson pushed a delivery from Australian spinner Nathan Lyon towards leg slip, where Steve Smith swallowed a low catch.
The world’s number one batsman fell just three deliveries after Lyon switched to around the wicket, with the veteran spinner hinting that Williamson’s dismissal was part of a preconceived plan.
“It’s nice when plans come together right away,” Lyon told reporters in Wellington last week.
“I’ve noticed something in Kane’s batting against my bowling, so I tried to exploit that.”
When asked for more details, Lyon replied: “There’s a test coming up, buddy.”
Williamson averages 55.25 in Tests, but that figure drops to 37.26 when facing the Australians. For the 33-year-old to improve on those numbers, he will need to tame the GOAT in Christchurch.
“(Lyon is) an incredible bowler and the Wellington surface was certainly a competitive surface. He brought the spinners into play more than we thought,” Williamson said this week.
“And the quality he has, he certainly made the most of it and it was quite difficult. “As a player, you always try to improve, improve and adapt quickly.”
The Christchurch competition will be Williamson’s 100th Test, becoming the fifth New Zealand to achieve the feat.
DOUBTS PERSIST AFTER SMITH SINKS TO 10-YEAR LOW
Steve Smith has fallen to his lowest score in the ICC World Test rankings in almost a decade, falling to third place.
The Australian vice-captain, who recorded scores of 31 and 0 during last week’s Wellington Test, has fallen below 800 points for the first time since 2014, when Michael Clarke was the national captain.
Former England captain Joe Root, who scored a magnificent century against India in Ranchi last week, has moved up to second place with 799, but still sits comfortably behind New Zealand’s Kane Williamson in first place with 870.
The lowest point of Smith’s career comes after he reinvented himself as a Test opener, a move that has had mixed results to date. After his unbeaten 91 against the West Indies in Brisbane, the 34-year-old lazily clipped his stumps for a duck during the series opener against New Zealand.
The new South Welshman currently averages 37.75 as a Test opener, beating the likes of Cameron Bancroft (26.23), Marcus Harris (25.29) and Matthew Renshaw (33.61), while fellow opener Usman Khawaja averaged 40.00 during that same period.
However, speculation about Smith’s elevation to the top of the order will remain until he reaches triple figures as a starter; Otherwise, there will always be skeptics who argue that he should never have given up his No. 4 spot.
ICC Men’s Test Batting Rankings
1. Kane Williamson (New Zealand) – 870
2. Joe Root (ENG) – 799
3. Steve Smith (AUS) – 789
4. Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand) – 771
5. Babar Azam (PAK) – 760
6. Usman Khawaja (AUS) – 755
7. Dimuth KARUNARATNE (SL) – 750
8. Virat Kohli (AUS) – 744
9. Harry Brook (ENG) – 743
10. Yashasvi JAISWAL (IND) – 727
Green secured as permanent number 4 | 02:07
WHY AUSSIES CAN’T AFFORD TO REPEAT GABBA
Dead rubber or not, there is still a lot at stake for Australia in Christchurch this week.
World Test Championship points are a precious commodity in the modern cricket landscape, and the defending champions will be keen to retain the mace in 2025.
However, Australia find themselves in an awkward position after losing January’s second Test against the West Indies in Brisbane. Thanks to the unexpected defeat and excessive penalties of the Ashes campaign in England, Pat Cummins’ men are currently third in the WTC standings with a percentage of 59.09, behind India and New Zealand.
Defeating the Black Caps at Hagley Oval this week would not only take Australia to second place, but would also significantly increase the team’s percentage.
Australia’s remaining matches in the WTC cycle are a five-match Test campaign against India at home and a two-Test tour of Sri Lanka, neither of which are a walk in the park.
To boost their chances of qualifying for the 2025 final at Lord’s, victory against the Black Caps this week could prove decisive.