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Old rivals clash again with renewed vigour
- Updated: December 3, 2016
Match facts
December 4, 2016 Start time 1420 local (0320 GMT)
Big Picture
In 2004, the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy was struck. In 2010, it was struck off. Not officially, of course, but the idea of an annual one-day series between Australia and New Zealand was quietly forgotten. It was as if these neighbours, until then welcoming each other with open arms, had fallen out over some petty matter like a tree hanging over the back fence. When they crossed paths at someone else’s place, they would nod politely – as when the trophy was put up for grabs in their match at the 2011 World Cup in India – but neither would invite the other into their home. But at the World Cup last year, they kissed and made up, decided that actually that tree had plenty of tasty fruit, and why couldn’t they just share it, after all.
As a result, having gone nearly six years without a standalone Chappell-Hadlee series, we now have three in the space of 12 months. In February, New Zealand won at home. The teams now meet in Australia, and next February, they again play in New Zealand. It is curious scheduling for both sides. New Zealand rushed to Australia the day after winning a home Test series against Pakistan, but at least they can stay in white-ball mode for a while: their next commitments are home ODIs and T20s against Bangladesh. Australia have switched almost as quickly from Test mode, but unlike New Zealand, they must hastily change back into a Test mindset as soon as these three games are over, as they host Pakistan for three Tests.
In the meantime, we can sit back and enjoy what should be a fine one-day series. If the World Cup final last year was a bit of an anticlimax, the pool game in Auckland showed how thrilling contests between these two teams can be. It was a low-scoring affair, dominated by the pace and swing of Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult – both of whom will be playing in this series – and it went down to the last wicket. Both teams have had significant personnel changes since that World Cup, though: from that match alone, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Grant Elliott, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, …
