Test Cricket Tours - Australia to New Zealand 1973-74

Test Cricket Tours - Australia to New Zealand 1973-74

Tour of New Zealand 1973-74 Captain: Ian Chappell

36th Australian Test tour

Second Test-playing tour of New Zealand by Australia

(February - March 1974)

After not having played each other since the single Test match in 1946, six Test matches were arranged between Australia and New Zealand during the 1973-74 season, three in each country.

All manner of batting records fell in the first Test match of the series in New Zealand on the tamest of pitches at Wellington. The Chappell brothers, who had prolific tours, each scored a century in each innings. The next two matches were relatively low-scoring affairs, in which New Zealand beat Australia in a Test match for the first time and were then themselves beaten in three days.

Unfortunately, the re-establishment of Test competition between the two countries was not always conducted in a happy atmosphere on the field. Glenn Turner was accused of using bad language, though Ian Chappell said he thought the incident was blown out of proportion. There was also some nuisance behaviour by drunken elements in the crowd, as there had been in Australia earlier in the summer when spectators kept swarming onto the field.

This tour replaced that planned to Pakistan which was cancelled on 6 March 1973 because of inadequate players' allowances.

Other Australian Tours

Previous tour

West Indies 1972-73

Next tour

England 1975

Next tour of New Zealand

1976-77

Members of the Test tour party (14)

Opening batsmen: Ian Davis, Ian Redpath, Ashley Woodcock.

Middle-order batsmen: Greg Chappell, Ian Chappell, Doug Walters, Keith Stackpole.

Wicket-keepers: Rodney Marsh

Spin bowlers: Ashley Mallett, Ray Bright, Kerry O’Keefe

Fast bowlers: Gary Gilmour, Geoff Dymock, Max Walker.

R J Bright	V	19	SLA	ODI

G S Chappell	Q	25	RHB RM	ODI

I M Chappell	S	30	RHB captain	ODI

I C Davis	N	20	RHB opener	ODI

G Dymock	Q	27	LFM	ODI

G J Gilmour	N	22	LHB LFM	ODI

A A Mallett	S	28	OB	ODI

R W Marsh	W	26	LHB WK	ODI

K J O'Keefe	N	24	LBG

I R Redpath	V	32	RHB opener	ODI

K R Stackpole	V	33	RHB opener vice-captain	ODI

M H N Walker	V	25	RFM	ODI

K D Walters	N	28	RHB RM	ODI

A J Woodcock	S	27	RHB opener	ODI

State representation

N New South Wales (4)

Q Queensland (2)

S South Australia (3)

T Tasmania (0)

V Victoria (4)

W Western Australia (1)

Average age of team at time of first Test match

(1 March 1974) :

26 yrs 7 months

Test Appearances made before the tour

I M Chappell 53, Redpath 51, Walters 44, Stackpole 40, Marsh 22, G S Chappell 21, Mallett 17, O'Keefe 12, Walker 8, Davis 3, Gilmour 2, Dymock 1, Woodcock 1, Bright 0.

Tour Officials

Frank Bryant	Tour manager
	Physiotherapist

Mr Frank Bryant of Western Australia, 64, was an Australian Board member and its Honorary Auditor. He was making his third tour as manager of the Australians in New Zealand, having taken teams there in 1966-67 and 1969-70.

Selectors

Neil Harvey (New South Wales), Sam Loxton (Victoria), Phil Ridings (South Australia)

Selection

Ian Chappell was confirmed as captain on 1 February 1974, and Keith Stackpole as his deputy the next day.

Unavailable: Alan Dell (work reasons), Dennis Lillee (unfit), Paul Sheahan (teaching career).

Tour Party Announced : 31 January 1974.

An unusual combination for a tour party of only fourteen players: three spinners, four opening batsmen and only three fest-medium bowlers.

Max Walker was chosen subject to a fitness test (groin muscle) and he passed it on 5 February. Gary Gilmour was also required to take a fitness test. Teenager Ray Bright was in only his second season in first-class cricket.

Not selected : - Terry Jenner, Alan Hurst, Robert Rose (Victoria).

Time between selection and departure from Australia 14 days

(31 January - 13 February

Travel

Sydney Q Wellington

The team flew from Sydney to Wellington on 13 February 1974.

Time spent in New Zealand

47 days

(13 February - 1 April)

On-tour selection

Ian Chappell (captain), Keith Stackpole (vice-captain), Doug Walters.

Reinforcements

None.

Fixtures/Results

a	Wellington	Wellington	Abandoned
b	† Wellington	Wellington	Won 32 r
c	Christchurch	Canterbury	Drawn
d	Auckland	Auckland	Drawn
e	Hamilton	Northern Districts	Won inns 236 r
f	WELLINGTON	NEW ZEALAND First Test	DRAWN
g	CHRISTCHURCH	NEW ZEALAND Second Test	LOST 5w
h	Dunedin	Otago	Drawn
i	Napier	Central Districts	Abandoned
j	AUCKLAND	NEW ZEALAND Third Test	WON 297 r
k	† New Plymouth	Central Districts	Won 2 w
l	§ Dunedin	New Zealand (1st ODI)	Won 7 w
m	§ Christchurch	New Zealand (2nd ODI	Won 31 r

† not first-class

§ one-day international

Time spent in New Zealand before First Test:

16 days

(13 February - 1 March)

Test appearances on tour

3 - I M Chappell, G S Chappell, Davis, Mallett, Marsh, O'Keefe, Redpath, Stackpole, Walker, Walters.

2 - Gilmour.

1 - Dymock.

0 - Bright, Woodcock.

Highlights

• The Chappell brothers scored centuries (Ian 145 and 121; Greg 247 and 133) in each innings at Wellington.

• Greg Chappell's match aggregate of 380 was the highest by an individual Test batsman until Gooch in 1990

Tour Summary

	P	W	L	D	Aban
Test Matches	3	1	1	1	-
Other first-class matches	6	1	0	3	2
ϯ Minor matches	2	2	0	0	-
§ One-day internationals	2	2	0	0	-
All Matches	11	6	1	4	2

Return to Australia

Christchurch Q Sydney

The team returned by plane from Christchurch to Kingsford-Smith Airport, Sydney, late on the night of 1 April (link to SMH page 14), and then caught connecting flights to Adelaide and Melbourne.

Time away from Australia

47 days

(13 February to 1 April)

Finances

…..

Written accounts of the tour

……..

Postscript

Keith Stackpole, on his last Test tour, had a poor time of it, while Ian Redpath brought himself back into reckoning for the forthcoming Ashes series later in the year.