Test Cricket Tours - Australia to New Zealand 1985-86
Tour of New Zealand 1985-86Captain: Allan Border
Fiftieth
Test tour
Fifth Test-playing tour of New
Zealandby 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.
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 wereT 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
SydneyQAuckland
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 ZEALANDFirst Test
DRAWN
d
CHRISTCHURCH
NEW ZEALANDSecond Test
DRAWN
e
ϯ Nelson
Nelson (one day - 50 overs)
Won 82 r
f
New Plymouth
Central Districts
Drawn
g
AUCKLAND
NEW ZEALANDThird 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
•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
AucklandQMelbourne
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.