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Test Cricket Tours - Australia to New Zealand 1985-86

 

 

Tour of New Zealand 1985-86             Captain: Allan Border

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiftieth Test tour

 

Fifth Test-playing tour of New Zealand  by Australia

      

 

 

 (February - March 1986)

 

 

The Australian Cricket Board made offers to Richie Benaud, Ian Chappell and Greg Chappell to become the permanent cricket manager.  All three declined and for the New Zealand tour the post was taken on a temporary basis by New South Wales coach Bob Simpson.

Border's team not only failed to win a Test match, the first time this had happened to an Australian team in New Zealand; they also lost the third match at Auckland, collapsing against the off-spinner John Bracewell and then failing to exploit a spinning pitch to lose by eight wickets.

"I was just appalled," Simpson said. "I couldn't believe the lack of enthusiasm in a lot of the players. The level of satisfaction was too low, and they didn't seem to have pride in their position in the team." He wrote a "fairly strong" report to the A C B, then accepted an offer to coach the national team.

On the other hand their sportsmanship, in recalling Ken Rutherford after he was given out caught behind, helped overcome bitterness about the underarm incident five years before.

 

 

Other Australian Tours

 

 

Previous tour

England 1985

 

Next tour

India 1986-87

 

 

Next tour of New Zealand

1989-90

 

 

 

Members of the Test tour party (13)

 

 

Opening batsmen:  David Boon, Geoff Marsh

Middle-order batsmen: Allan Border, Greg Ritchie. Wayne Phillips, Steve Waugh.

Wicket-keeper:  Tim Zoehrer

Spin bowlers: Ray Bright, Greg Matthews

Fast bowlers:  Dave Gilbert, Craig McDermott, Simon Davis, Bruce Reid.

 

 

D C Boon

T

25

RHB  opener

ODI

 

A R Border

Q

30

LHB       SLA      captain

ODI

 

R J Bright

V

31

SLA          vice-captain

ODI

 

S P Davis

V

26

RFM

ODI

 

D R Gilbert

N

25

RFM

ODI

 

C J McDermott

Q

20

RF

ODI

 

G R Marsh

W

27

LHB  opener

ODI

 

G R J Matthews

N

26

OB

ODI

 

W B Phillips

S

27

RHB  opener       reserve WK

ODI

 

B A Reid

W

22

LFM

ODI

 

G M Ritchie

Q

26

RHB

ODI

 

S R Waugh

N

20

RHB   RM

ODI

 

T J Zoehrer

W

24

WK

 

 

 

FLAG_Australia 

 

 

State representation

  Sheffield Shield teams

 

N   New South Wales (3)

Q  Queensland (3)

S   South Australia (1)

T   Tasmania (1)

V   Victoria (2)

W  Western Australia (3)

 

  

Average age of  team at time of first Test match

  (21 February 1986) :

       25 yrs  4 months.

 

 

 

 

ODI played in the Rothman’s Cup one-day series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Test Appearances made before the tour

 

Border 78,  W Phillips 24,  Bright 20,  Ritchie 20,  Boon 13,  McDermott 12,  Matthews 11,  Gilbert 6,  Marsh 3,  Reid 3,  Waugh 2,  Davis 0,  Zoehrer 0.

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Officials

 

Robert Merriman

Tour manager

Bob Simpson

Assistant manager

Errol Alcott

Physiotherapist

 

Bob Merriman was on the last tour of his two-year stint as the Australian Cricket Board’s first full-time manager.

Bob Simson, having been an adviser for the team in the second and third Tests against India 1985-86, was appointed as assistant manager on Friday 17 January, solely for the New Zealand tour. The position was not made permanent until April.

 

 

 

 

 

Selectors

 

Lawrie Sawle (Western Australia - chairman),  Greg Chappell (Queensland) , Jim Higgs (Victoria) and Richard Guy (New South Wales).

 

 

 

 

 

Selection

 

Unavailable: Geoff Lawson (back injury)

Members of the unofficial tour party to South Africa were banned from Test cricket until September 1988.

The 'rebel team to South Africa who did not come under consideration were  T M Alderman, J Dyson, P I Faulkner, M D Haysman, T G Hogan, R M Hogg, T V Hohns,  K j Hughes, R J McCurdy, J N Maguire, C G Rackemann, S J Rixon, G Shipperd, S B Smith, M D (Matthew) Taylor and G N Yallop.

 

Tour Party Announced :  30 January 1986.

Ray Bright was chosen for his fourth? tour of New Zealand without having played a Test match. Only Border and Bright had toured New Zealand before.

Not selected/Near Miss :   Robbie Kerr (Q),  Dean Jones (V),  Ray Phillips (Q).

 

 

Time between selection and departure from Australia   

 14 days

(30 January - 13 February)

 

 

 

Travel

Sydney   Q  Auckland

 

 

 

The players were entertained by prime minister Bob Hawke at his Sydney residence Kirribilli House on the eve of the tour.

The team flew from Sydney Airport to Auckland on Thursday 13 February 1986, and trained at Eden Park next day.

 

Time spent in New Zealand

   45 days

(13 February - 30 March)

 

 

 

On-tour selection panel

 

Allan Border (captain),  Ray Bright (vice-captain),  Geoff Marsh.

 

 

 

 

Reinforcements

 

None.

When Tim Zoehrer returned home at the end of the Test series with an eye infection, leaving for Perth on 26 March, Wayne Phillips took over his wicket-keeping duties.

 

 

 

 

 

Fixtures/Results

 

a

ϯ Auckland

Auckland(50 overs)

Won 6 w

b

Hamilton

Northern Districts

Won 4 w

c

WELLINGTON

NEW ZEALAND  First Test

DRAWN

d

CHRISTCHURCH

NEW ZEALAND  Second Test

DRAWN

e

ϯ Nelson

Nelson (one day - 50 overs)

Won 82 r

f

New Plymouth

Central Districts

Drawn

g

AUCKLAND

NEW ZEALAND  Third Test

LOST 8 w

h

§ Dunedin

New Zealand  (1st ODI)

Lost 30 r

i

§ Christchurch

New Zealand  (2nd ODI)

Lost 53 r

j

§ Wellington

New Zealand  (3rd ODI)

Won 3 w

k

§ Auckland

New Zealand  (4th ODI)

Won  44 r

 

 

 

 

§ ODI matches (Rothman’s Cup)

 

† not first-class

 

 

 

Time spent in New Zealand before First Test:   8 days

(13 February- 21 February)

 

 

 

Test appearances on tour

 

3  -  Boon,  Border,  Marsh,  Matthews,  Phillips,  Reid,  Ritchie,  Waugh,  Zoehrer.

2  -  Bright,  McDermott.

1  -  Davis,  Gilbert.

 

 

 

 

 

Highlights

 

    Greg Ritchie (92) and Greg Matthews (130)  added a record 213 runs for the fifth wicket at Wellington.

    Allan Border scored a century in each innings (140 and 114*) at Christchurch, the second time he had achieved this.

    Geoff Marsh scored 118 in the Auckland Test, adding 168 for the second wicket with Wayne Phillips (62)

    David Boon carried his bat for 58* through the innings as Australia collapsed for103 at Auckland.

    Greg Matthew was man of the match in the fourth ODI, scoring 54 and taking 3-33.

 

 

 

 

 

Tour Summary

 

 

 P

W

L

D

Aban

Test Matches

  3

 0

1

2

-

Other first-class matches

  2

 1

0

1

-

ϯ Minor matches

  2

 2

0

0

-

§ One-day internationals

  4

 2

2

0

-

All Matches

11

 5

3

3

-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Return to Australia

Auckland   Q Melbourne

 

 

Members of the team flew home from Auckland arriving at Melbourne on the afternoon of 30 March 1986.

Border blamed Inexperience and a lack of commitment in tight situations as the main causes of Australia's poor performance in New Zealand.

 

 

Time away from Australia       

    45 days  

(13 February to 30 March)

 

 

 

 

Finances

 

 

 

 

 

Written accounts of the tour

 

 

 

 

 

 

Postscript

 

 

Allan Border, finding the amount of international cricket overwhelming, threatened to resign the captaincy if there was not an immediate improvement in attitude and performance by the players. Though persuaded to carry on, he was, however, allowed to miss the forthcoming visit to Sharjah for a one-day tournament.

Bob Merriman's 18-month stint as manager of the Australian national side came to an end after this tour when his post was downgraded and the Board reverted to individual managers for each series.

By contrast Bob Simpson began a ten-year run as the coach. He was given a permanent contract at the Australian Cricket Board's meeting in Canberra in April 1986. 

 

 

 



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