Test Cricket Tours - Australia to New Zealand 1981-82
Tour of New Zealand 1981-82Captain: Greg Chappell
45th
Test tour
Fourth
Test-playing tour of New Zealandby Australia
(February - March 1982)
This was the first Australian tour party to
date not to include a South Australian.It was also the smallest tour party since 1946.
The selectors announced that
for this tour they would not experiment with new players who could gain more
benefit from taking part in the final stages of the Sheffield Shield. Rather
than bring a 14th or 15th player with them, they would fly one across if need
arose.
Greg Chappell had to fend off
awkward questions at the initial press conference about instructing his
brother to bowl an underarm on the final ball of the Melbourne one-dayer the month before. By
the end of the tour he had mended his fences so well that he won the ‘Sportsman
of the Series’ award.
Alderman, Border, Hughes and
Marsh played in all eleven matches.
Surprisingly large crowds
attended the one-day limited-over matches but rain spoiled attendance figures
for the Test series.
Phil Ridings (South Australia), Alan Davidson (New
South Wales),Ray
Lindwall (Queensland), Len Maddocks (Victoria),Greg Chappell (captain).
For the first time the name of the
captain was announced (on 30 January) before the team.Chappell then assisted the four selectors
to pick the team.
Selection
Unavailable: Doug Walters had retired.
Tour Party Announced :4 February 1982
Greg Chappell (broken bone in left hand), Kim Hughes
(bruised foot), Dennis Lillee (strained groin muscle) and Terry Alderman
(stress fracture of left foot) were all to have a fitness test before their
places were confirmed.
Not selected/Near Miss :David Boon,Trevor Hohns,Geoff Lawson,Greg Ritchie.
Time between selection and departure from Australia
6 days
(4 February - 10 February)
Travel
SydneyQAuckland
The seven Western
Australians in the team (including Dennis Lillee, after passing a medical
examination on his strained groin muscles) arrived in Melbourne to link up with the Victorians in
the squad on 9 February.The team flew to
Auckland from Sydney
- a four hour journey -on 10 February
1982 and trained at Eden
Park next day.
The team flew from Christchurch to Sydney
on 23 March 1982.
Time away from Australia
41 days
(10 February to 23 March)
Finances
The New Zealand Cricket Council needed half a million dollars to
show a profit on the tour. The Council met all the Australians' costs,
including players' fees of $6 500 each; and guaranteed the Australian Board
an undisclosed profit.
Written
accounts of the tour
“Test
Series ‘82”by Dick Brittenden & Don
Cameron(A H & A W Reed, 1982).