Tour of Australia 1980-81                 Captain : Geoff Howarth

Fifteenth official Test tour.

Second Test-playing  tour 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’.

All New Zealand tours

Previous tour

England 1978

Next tour

England 1983

Next tour of Australia 

1985-86

Members of the Test tour party (16)

Opening batsmen  John Wright, Bruce Edgar, Paul McEwan

Middle-order batsmen  Mark Burgess, Jeremy Coney, Geoff Howarth, John Parker

Wicket-keepers  Warren Lees, Ian Smith

Spin bowlers  Stephen Boock, John Bracewell

Fast bowlers  Lance Cairns, Ewen Chatfield, Richard Hadlee, Martin Snedden, Gary Troup

Representation of teams

A - Auckland (3)

C - Canterbury (2)

CD - Central Districts (1)

ND - Northern Districts (3)

O - Otago (4)

W - Wellington (3)  

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(28 November 1980) :  27 yrs  11 months.

ODI played in Benson & Hedges one-day series

Test Appearances made before the tour

Burgess 47,  Parker 33,  R J Hadlee 29,  Howarth 20,  Cairns 17,  Lees 15,  Boock 12,  Wright 11,  Coney 10,  Edgar 9,  Troup 6,  B P Bracewell 4,  Chatfield 4,  McEwan 1,  J G Bracewell 0,  Smith 0,  Snedden 0.

Team Officials

Selectors

F J Cameron (convenor),  G T Dowling,  D O Neely  and  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.

Time spent in Australia

   106 days

(22 October - 5 February)

On-tour selection panel

Geoff Howarth (captain),  Mark Burgess (vice-captain),  Richard Hadlee.

4

Reinforcements

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.

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

† 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.

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Tour Summary

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 Zealand    106 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)