Test Cricket Tours - Australia to New Zealand 1976-77
Tour
of New Zealand 1976-77Captain: Greg Chappell
38th Australian
Test tour
Third Test-playing tour
ofNew
Zealand by Australia
(January -
March 1977)
Ashley
Mallett, disappointed at the way he heard from the radio that he was dropped
from the Test twelve against Pakistan, announced his retirement (in fact he
did tour again in 1980).
All the
Test-playing countries were involved in busy, sometimes hectic, playing
schedules in 1976-77. Following this tour Australia
met England, who had just
arrived from a long tour of India,
for the Centenary Test. Perhaps the strain of this sort of pressure added to
the financial encouragement to sign for Kerry Packer's 'circus'.
Mr
Wotton, the Tasmanian manager, was kept in the dark about Kerry Packer’s World
Series Cricket venture that members of the team were discussing during this
tour.
Opening batsmen:Ian Davis, Rick McCosker, Alan Turner
Middle-order batsmen:Greg Chappell, Gary Cosier, Kim Hughes, Doug Walters.
Wicket-keepers:Rodney
Marsh
Spin bowlers:Ray Bright, Kerry
O’Keefe,
Fast bowlers: Gary Gilmour, Alan Hurst,
Dennis Lillee, Max Walker.
R J
Bright
V
22
SLA
G S Chappell
Q
28
RHB RM captain
G J
Cosier
S
23
RHB
I C
Davis
N
23
RHBopener
G J
Gilmour
N
25
LHBLFM
K J
Hughes
W
23
RHB
A G Hurst
V
26
RF
D K
Lillee
W
27
RF
R B
McCosker
N
30
RHBopener
R W
Marsh
W
29
WK LHBvice-captain
K J
O'Keefe
N
27
LBG
A
Turner
N
26
LHBopener
M H N Walker
V
28
RFM
KD
Walters
N
31
RHBRM
State representation
Sheffield Shield teams
NNew South Wales (6)
QQueensland
(1)
SSouth Australia (1)
TTasmania
(0)
VVictoria(3)
WWestern Australia (3)
Average
age ofteam at time of first Test
match
(18 February 1977) :
26 yrs9
months
Test
Appearances made before the tour
Walters 60, Marsh 44, G S Chappell 43, Lillee 29, Walker 26, O'Keefe 18, McCosker 14, Gilmour 12, Turner 12, Davis 9, Cosier 6, Hurst 1, Bright 0, Hughes 0.
Tour
Officials
R C A
Wootton
Tour
manager
Syd
McRae
Physiotherapist
Roger
Wotton had played up-country matches against touring teams in 1947-48 and
1950-51 and was a former New South
Wales team maanger.He was Country Party member for Burrendong,
New South Wales, and was
released from parliament for six weeks. He hoped to manage the 1977 tour of England, too,
but would have had to quit his seat to do so and this was his sole tour.
Selectors
Neil Harvey (NSW), Sam Loxton (Victoria),
Phil Ridings (South Australia, chairman - the first time a chairman had been appointed),
Selection
Unavailable: Ashley Mallett, Terry Jenner, Jeff Thomson (shoulder injury)
Tour Party Announced :19 January
1977.
Not selected :
Time between selection and departure from Australia
9 days
(19 January - 28 January)
Travel
SydneyQChristchurch
From Sydney
the team flew to Christchurch
on Friday 28 January 1977.