Tour of Australia 1997-98               Captain : Stephen Fleming

36th official Test tour.

Seventh Test-playing  tour of Australia by New Zealand

 (October 1997 -

      January 1998)

F U R T H E R   D E T A I L S   I N   P R E P A R A T I O N

All New Zealand tours

Previous tour

Zimbabwe 1997-98

Next tour

Sri Lanka 1998

Next tour of Australia 

2001-02

Members of the Test tour party (14 + 1)

Opening batsmen  Bryan Young, Blair Pocock.

Middle-order batsmen  Nathan Astle,  Stephen Fleming, Craig McMillan, Matt Horne [+ Roger Twose (reinforcement)]

Wicket-keepers  Adam Parore

All-rounder:  Chris Cairns

Medium-paced bowler:  Chris Harris

Spin bowler:  Daniel Vettori

Fast bowlers  Geoff Allott, Simon Doull, Shayne O'Connor, Heath Davis.

Provincial representation

A - Auckland (2)

C - Canterbury (6)

CD - Central Districts (0)

ND - Northern Districts (3)

O - Otago (2)

W - Wellington (1)

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(7 November 1997) :

 25 yrs  8 months.

ODI :  in squad for Carlton & United Series triangular

Test Appearances made before the tour

Parore 36,  Fleming 29,  Cairns 25,  Young 25,  Doull 18,  Astle 13,  Pocock 13,  Harris 11,  Twose 7,  Vettori 6,  Davis 5,  Horne 5,  Allott 4,  O’Connor 2,  McMillan 0.

Team Officials

Selectors

Ross Dykes (convenor),   Mike Shrimpton  and  Rick Pickard.

Selection

Unavailable  : None. 

Roger Twose made himself available for international cricket again after dropping out for one season.

Test tour Party Announced  : 13 October 1997.

Not selected:  Craig Spearman,  Paul Wiseman.

The squad for the Carlton & United one-day triangular series was chosen near the end of the Test series.

Time between selection and departure from New Zealand

  30 days

(13 October to 12 October)

Travel   

?  Q Cairns (October)

?  Q Melbourne (January)

The 14-man touring party arrived at Cairns Airport, Queensland, on Sunday 12 October  or 13 October.Check Press says 19 October!  The players were “anonymous figures at Cairns Airport with barely an autograph signed during their 30-minute stay” Courier-Mail

After New Year, the 13-man squad landed in Adelaide from Melbourne at 11 o clock on Sunday morning 3 January.

Time spent in Australia

   87 days

(12 or 13 October - 18 December

(3 January - 23 January

On-tour selection panel

Stephen Fleming (captain),  Steve Rixon (coach),  Chris Cairns.

Reinforcements

ADDED ▷     Twose, Drum

◁ OUT   Pocock, Doull, Allott

Roger Twose was flown across the Tasman Sea after Blair Pocock broke the big toe on his left foot. Twose arrived in Hobart on 24 November.

For the one-day matches after New Year Chris Drum  was chosen as a replacement for Simon Doull (who had a torn groin tendon) and Geoff Allott (who was also injured with a back strain).

Fixtures/Results

† not first-class

§ one-day international

Time spent in Australia before First Test: 

25 days

(12 or 13 October - 7 November)

Test appearances on tour

3  -   Astle,  Cairns,  Doull,  Fleming,  McMillan,  Parore,  Vettori,  Young.

2  -   Allott,  O’Connor,  Pocock.

1  -   Harris,  Horne,  Twose.

0  -   Davis.

Highlights

•  to be completed

• 

• 

•   Matt Horne was brought in to open the innings in Hobart and scored his maiden Test century (133)

Tour Summary

Return to New Zealand

SydneyQ ?

Melbourne  Q ?

Last match 17 Dec - return to NZ

On 4 Jan the team returned to play the remainder of their Carlton & United one-day matches.  As the New Zealanders did not reach the finals they returned home from Melbourne on 23 January.

Time away from New Zealand    67 + 20 days  

(12 October to 18? December)

(3 January to 23 January)

Finances

The Australian Cricket Board allocated a prize pool of $60,000 for the Australia v New Zealand Test series.

Postscript