After suffering an upsetting 3-0 defeat in a three-match T20I series at home, Tim Southee’s New Zealand hosted the Australian cricket team in a two-match test series. However, despite a format change, the results of the matches stood the same as the Blackcaps lost the test series 2-0 with two marginal defeats.
Before facing the Aussies, the Kiwis recorded a historic 2-0 test series triumph over South Africa, last month. Nevertheless, with three wins in six matches, New Zealand are currently third in the ICC World Test Championship table. However, without further delay, let’s take a look at the report card of the New Zealand players for the two-match series:
Batters
Tom Latham (4/10): Tom Latham, who scored a confident boundary to kickstart New Zealand’s innings against Australia, was fearlessly bowled out by Mitchell Starc in the first innings. However, he played a couple of good innings in the second test but lack of support from other batters became the major reason behind New Zealand’s demise. Latham was the Blackcaps’ second-highest scorer in the two-match series as he scored 124 runs.
Will Young (1/10): Will Young had a forgettable campaign as he only scored 39 runs in two matches. Young had a tough time against Australia as he failed to stay compact against the likes of spin as well as pace bowling. Interestingly, Mitchell Starc dismissed Young in both the innings of the second match.
Kane Williamson (2/10): In February, former Blackcaps skipper Kane Williamson was in stellar form as scored three centuries in four innings against South Africa in the longest format. However, against Australia, the World Test Championship-winning batter had only one 50+ score in four innings. In the first test, Williamson was sent back on a duck as he scored only 9 runs in the second innings. Nevertheless, he scored 68 runs in the second test.
Daryl Mitchell scored only one half-century during the two-match series against Australia
Daryl Mitchell (4/10): Daryl Mitchell was New Zealand’s third-highest scorer with 111 runs. Throughout the series, he struggled to make ends meet and faced numerous difficulties in staying at the pitch. However, he did score a half-century in the second innings of the second match but his performance was not up to the expectations that were tied to his name ahead of the series.
Tom Blundell (2/10): After Devon Conway suffered a thumb injury, Tom Blundell was named the Blackcaps’ wicketkeeper against Australia. In four innings, he only scored 64 runs, which was less than Australian bowler Nathon Lyon, who scored 66. Blundell’s highest score was 33, which he scored in the second match. Behind the wickets, Blundell had eight dismissals as a wicketkeeper.
All-rounders
Rachin Ravindra (7/10): Rachin Ravindra was New Zealand’s highest run-scorer in the two-match test series with 145 runs. After getting out on a duck in the first innings, he scored a laudable half-century in the second innings. Ravindra also scored the highest individual score for the Blackcaps scoring 82 runs in the second test. He also bowled eight overs in the series, taking one wicket.
Glenn Phillips (7/10): Glenn Phillips is an ideal all-rounder, who can be trusted with every task on the cricket ground. In the first test, Phillips played a magnificent 71-run knock while the Blackcaps’ whole batting order collapsed. In addition to that, he also took 5 wickets in the second innings of the same innings, restricting the Aussies to 164 runs.
However, Phillips failed to work his magic in the second test. In the second match, the Blackcaps all-rounder scored 18 runs and took one wicket only. Nevertheless, Phillips still managed to take an iconic one-handed catch on the second day of the second test where he denied Marnus Labuschagne from scoring his 12th Test century.
Scott Kuggeleijn (3/10): In the first innings of both test matches, Scott Kuggeleijn was sent back to the pavilion for a duck. However, he still managed to score a total of 70 runs in the remaining two innings. On the bowling front, the 32-year-old took two wickets. He took both the wickets in the first match, where he dismissed Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey.
Bowlers
Tim Southee (2/10): The Blackcaps skipper didn’t enjoy a favorable time in the two-match test series as he only picked up four wickets. Tim Southee bowled 70 overs against the visitors in a total of four innings but it seemed like he was a fitting target for the Aussies.
The veteran fast bowler was expected to lead the pack of Kiwis in the pace front, however, Southee himself struggled to take wickets.
Matt Henry (10/10): Matt Henry was New Zealand’s star of the two-match series against Australia. The right-arm bowler left behind the likes of Mitchell Starc and Nathon Lyon to become the highest wicket-taker of the series with 17 wickets. Henry completed a five-wicket haul in the first innings of the inaugural match, conceding 70 runs in 30 overs.
Matt Henry was named the Player of the Series was his stellar bowling performance
He also took three wickets in the second innings. However, the main highlight was the series came in the second test, where Henry took 7 wickets with an economy rate of 2.91 in 23 overs. He took two more wickets in the last innings. Henry bowled 82 overs, which was the highest by any individual in the series. Interestingly, he also scored 101 runs for the Kiwis, more than Kane Williamson.
Will O’Rourke (5/10): Will O’Rourke, who made his test debut for the Blackcaps last month against South Africa, was named in the playing XI of the first test. He bowled 27 overs in the first innings, where he picked up two wickets with an economy rate of 3.22. In the second innings, O’Rourke conceded only 11 runs in 7.5 overs but failed to take any wickets. He was rested in the second test due to fitness concerns.
Ben Sears (7/10): Ben Sears made his professional test debut against Australia in the second match of the series. He got the opportunity to represent the Blackcaps after Will O’Rourke got sidelined due to tightness in his hamstring. In the first innings, Sears dismissed Steve Smith in the 8th over. However, in the second innings, the right-arm fast bowler gave a fine performance by taking four wickets in 17 overs, although his economy rate was more than 5.