The New Zealanders in Australia, 1997-98

Stephen Fleming's young New Zealand side toured in the shadow of the worsening dispute between the Australian first-class players and the Australian Cricket Board. The public squabble paid scant respect to the touring team; it would be difficult to imagine the house being so divided if the opposition had been one of the front-line Test sides.

A truce was called for the First Test in Brisbane, in which New Zealand caught Australia by surprise and sustained a possible winning position from the first morning until the fifth. After Australia stole the game, though, the players' dispute erupted on the first morning of the Second Test in Perth, and the Australians' convincing win was almost incidental to off-field machinations concerning a possible strike.

This uncalculated insult was a disservice to the New Zealanders, who were the reverse of Kiwi teams of the recent past. New Zealand sides have generally comprised canny journeymen who exploited the limits of their modest talents; the 1997-98 squad, by contrast, included a number of gifted cricketers in their twenties (even younger, in Daniel Vettori's case), a group epitomised by Fleming himself, who tried to play expressive, risk-taking cricket. They were far less nondescript than many of their predecessors and were to leave Australia having gained stature, popularity and a good measure of anticipation for their next visit.

Under their coach, former Australian wicket-keeper Steve Rixon, they played a bold, Australian-style game. From the first session of the Brisbane Test, when they took four quick wickets, New Zealand surprised their opponents by refusing, in Fleming's words, to be the weak little underage side from New Zealand. He insisted: "We have got the ability to match it, whether verbally or aggressively, with them."

Chris Cairns, a target for Australian sledging in 1993-94, was now a harder man and a better cricketer. Adam Parore, settled at last after a long Test apprenticeship, taunted the out-of-form Mark Waugh in Brisbane and mocked Shane Warne's TV balls - the leg-spinners that spun too far to do any harm. Craig McMillan made his debut in Brisbane and compiled two fine fifties. He also managed to hit Warne for six in each Test match. Fleming's captaincy was transparently adventurous; his declaration in Hobart, 149 behind on first innings, was emblematic of this team, who preferred a tilt at victory to the dubious honour of a grim draw.

Still, New Zealand failed to breach the class difference; they were unable to win a single first-class match or to reach the finals of the one-day series. Australia had too many good players, every individual making some contribution through the three Test matches. Playing without strike bowler Jason Gillespie for all Tests, and without Glenn McGrath for the Second and Third, Australia proved their strength in depth for an eighth successive series win since 1994. Mark Taylor, who had led them through this extraordinary run, was named Man of the Series, partly for his crucial 112 in the First Test and partly for his team's ensemble performances throughout. Warne, Greg Blewett, Paul Reiffel and Ian Healy were consistent high achievers without controlling more than a session individually.

But, though the game young New Zealanders lost 2-0, as they had on their previous tour, the series ended with them on an upswing.

NEW ZEALAND TOURING PARTY

S. P. Fleming (Canterbury) (captain), G. I. Allott (Canterbury), N. J. Astle (Canterbury), C. L. Cairns (Canterbury), H. T. Davis (Wellington), S. B. Doull (Northern Districts), C. Z. Harris (Canterbury), M. J. Horne (Otago), C. D. McMillan (Canterbury), S. B. O'Connor (Otago), A. C. Parore (Auckland), B. A. Pocock (Auckland), D. L. Vettori (Northern Districts), B. A. Young (Northern Districts).

G. R. Larsen (Wellington), D. J. Nash (Northern Districts), C. M. Spearman (Central Districts) and R. G. Twose (Wellington) joined the party for the one-day Carlton & United Series.

Manager: D. J. Graham. Coach: S. J. Rixon.

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NEW ZEALAND TOUR RESULTS

Test matches - Played 3: Lost 2, Drawn 1.

First-class matches - Played 6: Lost 5, Drawn 1.

Losses - Australia (2), Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria.

Draw - Australia.

One-day internationals - Played 8: Won 2, Lost 6. Wins - South Africa, Australia. Losses - Australia (3), South Africa (3).

Other non-first-class matches - Played 7: Won 3, Lost 2, Tied 1, No result 1. Wins - Australian Country XI, Sutherland, Australia A. Losses - Queensland, South Australia. Tied - Queensland. No result - New South Wales XI.

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Match reports for

Queensland v New Zealanders at Cairns, Oct 22-25, 1997
Scorecard

Queensland v New Zealanders at Cairns, Oct 26, 1997
Scorecard

New South Wales v New Zealanders at Coffs Harbour, Oct 29, 1997
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New South Wales v New Zealanders at Newcastle, Oct 31-Nov 3, 1997
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1st Test: Australia v New Zealand at Brisbane, Nov 7-11, 1997
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Victoria v New Zealanders at Melbourne, Nov 14-17, 1997
Scorecard

2nd Test: Australia v New Zealand at Perth, Nov 20-23, 1997
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3rd Test: Australia v New Zealand at Hobart, Nov 27-Dec 1, 1997
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2nd Match: New Zealand v South Africa at Adelaide, Dec 6, 1997
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3rd Match: Australia v New Zealand at Adelaide, Dec 7, 1997
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5th Match: New Zealand v South Africa at Hobart, Dec 11, 1997
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Queensland v New Zealanders at Brisbane, Dec 13, 1997
Scorecard

6th Match: Australia v New Zealand at Melbourne, Dec 17, 1997
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South Australia v New Zealanders at Adelaide, Jan 4, 1998
Scorecard

Australian Country XI v New Zealanders at Mount Gambier, Jan 6, 1998
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Sutherland v New Zealanders at Sydney, Jan 7, 1998
Scorecard

7th Match: New Zealand v South Africa at Brisbane, Jan 9, 1998
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Australia A v New Zealanders at Melbourne, Jan 12, 1998
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9th Match: Australia v New Zealand at Sydney, Jan 14, 1998
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10th Match: New Zealand v South Africa at Perth, Jan 16, 1998
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12th Match: Australia v New Zealand at Melbourne, Jan 21, 1998
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Match reports for

1st Test: Zimbabwe v New Zealand at Harare, Sep 18-22, 1997
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2nd Test: Zimbabwe v New Zealand at Bulawayo, Sep 25-29, 1997
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1st ODI: Zimbabwe v New Zealand at Bulawayo, Oct 1, 1997
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2nd ODI: Zimbabwe v New Zealand at Harare, Oct 4, 1997
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3rd ODI: Zimbabwe v New Zealand at Harare, Oct 5, 1997
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