New Australia brace for settled New Zealand

Match facts

November 5, 2015
Start time 1000 local (0000 GMT)

Play 02:05

Big Picture

In the four years since Australia last deigned to meet New Zealand in a Test match, they have played England in 15 Tests and India in 12. That discrepancy has helped make Cricket Australia enormous profits, but has also stored up a desire in New Zealand's cricketers to prove themselves worthy of matches against the cross-Tasman rival. Trent Boult has even spoken of this encounter being a "reward" for New Zealand's excellent results over the past two years, which would have earned them a higher ICC Test match ranking than No. 5 if they had been permitted to play in the longer series so commonly enjoyed by Australia. Even so, Brendon McCullum's team is now the more experienced and settled of the two, and looked better equipped to defeat England during the northern summer had they been granted the privilege of a deciding Test match.

Under a new leader in Steven Smith, the Australians will be eager to put a fresh stamp on the national side. They do not lack for talent but experience and knowledge are thinner on the ground, particularly among the top seven. Should Boult and Tim Southee bowl well there will likely be a heavy reliance upon Smith and his deputy David Warner to score the majority of their team's runs, unless the likes of Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh can show themselves to have grown appreciably as batsmen. Smith has the advantage of a piercing bowling attack of his own, though in omitting the reliable Peter Siddle the selectors have indicated they expect Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc to balance speed with economy.

Wickets can fall quickly at the Gabba. Most of New Zealand's top order experienced the horrible sensation of a swift batting collapse in 2011 when a young James Pattinson got the ball swerving at pace to sway the match in the space of a couple of overs. The likes of Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and McCullum will remember that episode, but they will also be aware of the disasters that befell Australia in England against the type of bowling well within the grasp of Boult and Southee to produce. Both batting line-ups will be eager to create any sort of foundation, for it is upon that sort of base that a pair of highly skilled bowling attacks can capitalise.

Form guide

Australia: WLLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)

 New Zealand: WLWWW

In the spotlight

Last time these two sides met, Usman Khawaja batted at No. 3 and was not a success. He made one decent start at the Gabba before being run out in a mix-up with Ricky Ponting and then twice falling cheaply on a dicey pitch at Bellerive. Dropped for Shaun Marsh, he was briefly recalled in 2013 before again finding himself on the outer. It is almost five years since Khawaj's debut at the SCG in January 2011 and in that time his first-class record has declined appreciably despite a successful move to Queensland. A succession of retirements have opened up an opportunity for him again, and few doubt his talent. But against skillful New Zealand swing bowling on a lively Brisbane pitch, the world will quickly find out whether Khawaja has what it takes to become Australia's first long-term No. 3 since Ricky Ponting.

Another man who struggled in the 2011 series was Kane Williamson, who at the time had just turned 21 and was still finding his way. Four years on and he has scored prolifically enough to have Sir Richard Hadlee declare Williamson will be New Zealand's finest ever batsman by the time he is finished. To do that, Williamson's technique and temperament will need to hold up under Australian pressure in this series, as it did when he sealed a memorable victory for McCullum's men in the World Cup group match at Eden Park earlier this year. Still, a red ball and white clothing is a different matter, and the Australians have already stated that if they can get through Williamson and McCullum they expect the visitors to crumble.

Teams news

Peter Siddle has been named 12th man despite his outstanding display in the final Test of the Ashes series at the Oval, meaning Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson will form the pace attack. Khawaja is set to bat at No. 3 with the captain Smith dropping back to No. 4, where he enjoyed enormous success last summer.

Australia: 1 Joe Burns, 2 David Warner, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Adam Voges, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9, Mitchell Starc 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon

Doug Bracewell beat Matt Henry to the third seamer's spot, with the former's success in Australia in 2011 weighed up against the latter's more recent incumbency. Jimmy Neesham will slot into the allrounder's role in the absence of Corey Anderson.

New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt), 6 Jimmy Neesham, 7 BJ Watling (wk), 8 Mark Craig, 9 Doug Bracewell, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

The Gabba curator Kevin Mitchell Jnr has tipped a surface of typical Gabba dimensions, offering lateral movement on day one before quickening up over the next two days and then possibly playing a few tricks towards the end. The Brisbane forecast is for tropical temperatures with the ever-present threat of late afternoon showers.

Stats and trivia

• New Zealand have not won a series down under since 1985, but did win the most recent Test match meeting between the two nations, in Hobart in 2011
• Australia's XI boasts a combined tally of 253 Test matches played. The recent retirees Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, Chris Rogers and Shane Watson played 292 between them
• Australia's captain, Steven Smith, has never played a Test against New Zealand. He was well out of contention for a Test spot the last time the two sides played in 2011

Quotes

"I had my captain's blazer presented to me at the Gabba last year by Mark Taylor when Michael Clarke was out injured, and while that was a massive honour it was only ever going to be a temporary move. Now it's different. This is my team."
Steven Smith on a new era.

"The guys are relaxed. They're in a good frame of mind. We're under no illusions as to how difficult the task in front of us is. But they're in a good space."
Brendon McCullum