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Test Cricket Tours - Australia to New Zealand 1976-77

 

 

Tour of New Zealand 1976-77              Captain: Greg Chappell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

38th Australian Test tour

 

Third Test-playing tour of  New 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.

 

 

Other Australian Tours

 

Previous tour

England 1975

 

Next tour

England 1977

 

Next tour of New Zealand

1981-82   

 

 

 

 

Members of the Test tour party  (14)

 

 

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

RHB  opener

 

 

G J Gilmour

N

25

LHB       LFM

 

 

K J Hughes

W

23

RHB

 

 

A G Hurst

V

26

RF

 

 

D K Lillee

W

27

RF

 

 

R B McCosker

N

30

RHB  opener

 

 

R W Marsh

W

29

WK          LHB        vice-captain

 

 

K J O'Keefe

N

27

LBG

 

 

A Turner

N

26

LHB  opener

 

 

M H N Walker

V

28

RFM

 

 

KD Walters

N

31

RHB          RM

 

 

 

FLAG_Australia  

  

 

State representation

  Sheffield Shield teams

N   New South Wales (6)

Q  Queensland (1)

S   South Australia (1)

T   Tasmania (0)

V   Victoria (3)

W  Western Australia (3)

 

 

 

 

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

(18 February 1977) :

   26 yrs  9 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

Sydney   Q  Christchurch

 

 

From Sydney the team flew to Christchurch on Friday 28 January 1977.

 

Time spent in New Zealand

   33 days

(28 January - 2 March)

 

 

 

On-tour selection

 

 Greg Chappell (captain),   Rodney Marsh (vice-captain),  Doug Walters.

 

 

 

 

 

Reinforcements

 

 None

 

 

 

 

Fixtures/Results

 

a

† Christchurch

New Zealand Invitation XI

Lost 6 w

b

† Auckland

New Zealand Invitation XI

Lost 12 r

c

Hamilton

Northern Districts

Won 113 r

d

Wellington

Wellington

Won 50 r

e

Nelson

Central Districts

Won 65 r

f

Dunedin

Otago

Won 48 r

g

CHRISTCHURCH

NEW ZEALAND First Test

DRAWN

h

AUCKLAND

NEW ZEALAND Second Test

WON 10 w

 

 

 

 

not first-class

§  one-day international

 

 

Time spent in New Zealand before First Test: 

  21 days

(28 January - 18 February)

 

 

 

 

 

Test appearances on tour

 

2  -   Chappell,  Cosier,  Davis,  Gilmour,  Lillee,  McCosker,  Marsh,  O'Keefe,  Turner,  Walker,  Walters.

0  -   Bright, Hughes, Hurst. 

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights

 

   Doug Walters’ highest Test score (250) came in Australia’s massive 552 in their first innings at Christchurch

   Walters shared a partnership of 217 with Gary Gilmour (101), Australia’s highest for the seventh wicket

   Kerry O’Keefe took five wickets for 101 at Christchurch

   Dennis Lillee had match figures of 11 for 123 (5-51 and 6-72) at Auckland, as Australia won with 2 days to spare.

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Summary

 

 

 P

 W

L

D

Aban

Test Matches

2

1

0

1

-

Other first-class matches

4

4

0

0

-

ϯ Minor matches

2

0

2

0

-

§ One-day internationals

0

-

-

-

-

All Matches

8

5

2

1

-

 

 

 

 

 

Return to Australia

Auckland   Q  Sydney

 

On 2 March 1977 the team flew from Auckland to Sydney.

 

Time away from Australia

   33 days  

(28 January to 2 March)

 

 

 

Finances

 

In September 1977 the Australian Cricket Board revealed that Australian players received $2,430 for the 35-day tour of New Zealand

 

 

 

 

 

Written accounts of the tour

 

……..

 

 

 

 

 

Postscript

 

 

 

 



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