Test Cricket Tours - New Zealand to Australia 1980-81
Tour of Australia
1980-81Captain : Geoff
Howarth
Fifteenth official
Test tour.
Second Test-playingtour of Australia
by New Zealand
(October
1980 -
February 1981)
Having bettered West Indies
earlier in 1980 New Zealand
set out optimistically to take on Australia, in a three Test
series.But Australia beat them comfortably
in the first two Test matches, so winning the series.
Richard Hadlee was Man of the
Series for his bowling. Far from admiring him the crowds so abused him that
he overreacted and threw a 14 year-old spectator, who came on to the playing
area to field a ball before it could reach the boundary, back into the crowd.
The season would be remembered
mainly for an incident in one of the limited overs matches, which ended with the
underarm delivery bowled by Trevor Chappell at the instigation of his older
brother and skipper, Greg Chappell. New Zealand
needed six runs off the last ball of the one-day international at Melbourne
Cricket Ground, which denied them any chance of winning.
The Australians considered suing
New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon who called the grass-cutter “an act
of cowardice” and said it was appropriate the Australian team were dressed in
yellow. However, a year later in New Zealand Chappell was completely forgiven
and was elected the ‘Sportsman of the Series’.
F J Cameron (convenor),G T Dowling,D O Neelyand M G Burgess.
Selection
Unavailable : Glenn Turner (who said he intended to play
no cricket in this season) withdrew and was replaced by John Parker.Jeff Crowe (playing for South Australia) said he would not be able
to play if called upon in an emergency.
Tour Party Announced : 6 March 1980
Not selected:
Time
between selection and departure from New Zealand
230 days
(6
March to 22 October)
Travel
The team assembled at Christchurch
on 22 October 1980 and flew to Melbourne.
Brendon Bracewell was playing grade cricket with Melville club in
Perth, and
being coached by Dennis Lillee, when he was called up to appear in the first
Test because other fast bowlers were unfit.
B J McKechnie
O
27
RFM
After the third Test Gary Troup
returned to New Zealand
with rib muscle strain, replaced by Brian McKechnie.
Geoff Howarth missed several
matches in December after damaging a finger requiring several stitches.
Fixtures/Results
ϯ Melbourne
St Kilda
ϯ Brighton Beach
Crusaders
Melbourne
Victoria
Won 8 w
ϯ Traralgon
Victoria Country
Won 97 r
ϯ Canberra
Australian Capital Territory
Drawn
ϯ Armidale
Northern New South Wales XII
Won 84 r
Brisbane
Queensland
Drawn
ϯ Newcastle
Newcastle District (3-day)
Won 10 w
§ Adelaide
Australia(1st ODI)
Won 3 w
§ Sydney
Australia(2nd ODI)
Lost 94 r
BRISBANE
AUSTRALIAFirst Test
LOST 10 w
ϯ Wagga Wagga
Southern New South Wales
Won 66 r
§ Melbourne
Australia(3rd ODI)
Lost 4 w
§
India(4th ODI)
Lost 5 r
PERTH
AUSTRALIASecond Test
LOST 8 w
ϯ Currumbin
Queensland Country
Won 111 r
§ Brisbane
India(5th ODI)
Won 3 w
§ Adelaide
India(6th ODI)
Lost 6 r
MELBOURNE
AUSTRALIAThird Test
DRAWN
Launceston
Tasmania
Drawn
ϯ Geelong
Geelong & District
Won 9 w
§ Melbourne
India(7th ODI)
Won 10 w
§ Sydney
Australia(8th ODI)
Won 1 r
ϯ Bundaberg
Queensland Country
Won 95 r
§ Brisbane
India(9th ODI)
Won 22 r
§ Sydney
Australia(10th ODI)
No result
Sydney
New South Wales
Drawn
§ Sydney
Australia(B & H
final)
Won 78 r
§ Melbourne
Australia(B & H
final)
Lost 7 w
§ Melbourne
Australia(B & H
final)
Lost 6 r
§ Sydney
Australia(B & H
final)
Lost 6 w
† not first-class
§ one-day internationals
(the Benson and Hedges World Series Cup)
Time spent in Australia
before First Test:
37 days
(22 October - 28 November)
Test
appearances on tour
3-J G Bracewell,Burgess,Cairns,Edgar,Hadlee,Parker,Wright.
2-Coney,Howarth,Lees,McEwan, Troup
1-B P Bracewell, Smith
0-Boock,Chatfield,Snedden.
Highlights
•Cairns took 5 for 87 in the first innings of the first
Test at Brisbane
•Hadlee also took 5-87 (at Perth)
and then 6-57 in Australia’s
second innings at Melbourne.
•
•
Tour
Summary
P
W
L
D
Aban
Test Matches
3
0
2
1
-
Other first-class matches
4
1
0
3
-
ϯ Minor matches
10
8
2
0
-
§ One-day internationals
14
6
7
1
-
All Matches
31
15
11
5
-
Return
to New Zealand
Boock and Troup returned home to New Zealand early. Boock left in
December “so I can get some cricket” because he was not included in the team
in many matches. He was then a great success in the Shell Series matches,
taking 41 wickets at an average of 18.46
The main team left Australia on 5 February. They
arrived home too late to participate in the Shell Series or Shell Cup but were
in time for the arrival of the Indian tourists, who came across from their
Australian tour.
Time
away from New Zealand106
days
(22
October to 5 February)
Finances
Written
accounts of the tour
in “Test Cricket: Australia vs New
Zealand and India”Richie Benaud (Sydney, 1981)
in“Unders and Overs: The Controversies of Cricket”by Greg Chappell (Sydney 1981)