Familiar venue, vastly different context

Match facts

December 9, 2016 Start time 1420 local (0320 GMT)

Big picture

Little more than 18 months after Australia belted New Zealand in the World Cup final at a heaving MCG, the two sides return to the scene of that decider with much less on the line. Strong Australian victories in Sydney and Canberra have sealed the Chappell-Hadlee series and also given the hosts a spring in their step after the humiliation of a Test series loss to South Africa. Where more than 90,000 people turned up to the aforementioned final, the expected crowd for Friday is closer to 25,000. For players on both sides, and the administrators who run their respective cricket boards, this will be a stark reminder of how much difference context can make to what is ostensibly the same match: same teams, same venue, similar time of year.

Having started the series with the sideshow of Glenn Maxwell’s punishment for speaking out of turn, Steven Smith’s Australians have produced a pair of well-rounded displays. In addition to hundreds by the team’s leaders Smith and David Warner, the likes of Travis Head, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins have all contributed neatly. Such a broad spread of fruitful performances is the sort of thing Kane Williamson was hoping for when his side crossed the Tasman, but they arrive in Melbourne without having yet done so. In particular the New Zealand bowlers have failed to make a sustained impression, something they will undoubtedly be eager to address in Melbourne.

Form guide

Australia: WWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)New Zealand: LLLWL

In the spotlight

Having showcased his outlandish batting …

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