Skipper Steve Smith says Australia are determined to ruin New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum’s final Test party as well as they eye world domination
NZ skipper Brendon McCullum bats in the nets at Christchurch yesterday
Christchurch: New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum pads up for his final Test on Saturday here, with Australia determined to ruin his farewell party as they eye world domination.
NZ skipper Brendon McCullum bats in the nets at Christchurch yesterday. Pic/Getty Images
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If Australia sweep the two-Test series, which they lead 1-0, they will hurdle India to be the top-ranked Test side in the world, which is part of their master plan to head all formats of the game.
They are already No 1 in one-day internationals and have a chance to lift their Twenty20 ranking from eighth at the World Twenty20 in India next month.
Steve Smith
“We are going to be doing our best to make sure we spoil his last game,” Australia captain Steve Smith warned ahead of the second Test which will be McCullum’s international swansong.
“But he has been a terrific player and a great servant of New Zealand cricket for a long time,” he added.
Despite the groundsman at Hagley Oval saying it was not his job to produce grassy, seaming wickets just because that’s what New Zealand wanted, the pitch had a considerable green hue when both sides looked at it yesterday.
It adds importance to winning the toss, as Australia found at the first Test in Wellington when they rolled New Zealand for 183 inside two sessions on the first day and went on to win by an innings and 52 runs.
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