Australia vs New Zealand 2nd Test Preview: Australia start as favorites against Injury-ridden New Zealand

Australia vs New Zealand 2nd Test Preview: Australia start as favorites against Injury-ridden New Zealand: After a one-sided Test match at the Gabba wherein the home team utterly dominated the neighbours, Australia face off against New Zealand at the WACA, Perth. Known to have a tagline of “Graveyard for visitors”, both the teams go into the second Test match in different mindset.

Australia were back in their comfort zone after a modest Ashes series in England. Steven Smith, who took the reins of captaincy after Michael Clarke’s retirement, was impressive in his debut Test as a full fledged captain of the baggy greens. His teammates have complemented his decisions well, playing their role with perfection. But the same is not the case with Brendon McCullum. The team looked out of sorts at the crucial moments, with the exception of the brilliant Kane Williamson.

Going into the second Test, here is a look into the teams as they face-off at the WACA.

New Zealand

The New Zealand team we saw at the Gabba were the pale shadow of the team which has been performing outstandingly well over the past couple of years. Inability to adapt to the pitch, and more importantly, injury to key players eventually led them to a crushing defeat.

The batting was above average, albeit below the mark. Kane Williamson was hands down their best batsman in the first, and would look eager to negotiate the Aussie pacers at a pitch which assists the pacers with pace and bounce. The rest of the batsmen were good in patches, and that’s where the Australians won the match. While all the Australian batsmen converted their starts to big scores, none of them bar Williamson and McCullum(in the second innings) went on to score big. This is one aspect the New Zealand would look to rectify going into the 2^nd Test.

The another factor has been the bowling attack. With Southee missing most of the first Test due to injury, the visitors were a bowler short, and had trouble to get past the Australian batting. Boult erred more often than not, Bracewell was average at best. And Craig, their frontline offspinner, was no where near the international standards. Granted, spinners did not get much assistance at the Gabba. But there was a sky-earth difference between Nathan Lyon and Michael Craig as far as the line-length and consistency is concerned.

The final and the most important issue McCullum needs to address is the team composition. Will he go in with an all pace attack and trust Williamson’s part-timers as a spin option? And more importantly, will Southee make it to the team as his recovery fights a battle against time? Who will replace Jimmy Nesham? The answers to these questions will decide the match’s fate, and in-turn, the fate of the series.

Australia

The Australia’s frame of mind could not have been better going into the 2^nd Test.

After a stunning performance from the batsmen in the 1^st Test, the batting order goes to Perth high on confidence. David Warner is in ominous form, and would look to make the most of it. Even the baggy green newbies, Adam Voges and Joe Burns, got into the act at the Gabba.

The bowlers played their role to perfection in a semi-flat pitch. While Mitchell Starc and Hazelwood were as impressive as ever, Mitchell Johnson would be salivating at the opportunity to play at the WACA. Nathan Lyon did what he does best – pitching up with some impressive deliveries and pick up a couple of crucial wickets. With cracks coming into picture, Lyon would be eager to bowl at a Day 5 WACA pitch.

Smith’s captaincy was positive throughout the first Test, and everyone could see shades of Michael Clarke in his captaincy style. He would have been disappointed to have missed out on a flat track, but would go to Perth in a positive frame of mind.

Form

Australia: W W L L W

New Zealand : L L W W W

Stats

100 : Number of runs David Warner needs to get to 1000 runs in the calendar year. He will be the 4^th batsman this year to reach the milestone, if he achieves it.

96.42 : Kane Williamson’s average in Tests this year. He has scored 675 runs in 8 innings he has played, with a high score of 242*.

35.6 : Mitchell Johnson’s strike rate at the WACA, the best for a pacer who has taken more than 25 wickets at the venue.

78.8 : David Warner’s average at the WACA. He has scored 394 runs in the 5 innings he has played at the venue, including 2 centuries and a fifty.

1 : Number of wickets Mitchell Johnson needs to become the 4^th highest wicket taker for Australia in Tests.

521/9 : Highest total scored in an Australia- New Zealand game at the WACA.

94 : No of runs Tom Latham needs to get to 1000 runs in Test cricket.

1 : No of dismissals BJ Watling needs to get to 100 dismissals in Test Cricket.

Pitch

The curator has promised a pacy, bouncy pitch for the 2^nd Test, and it is expected to be a typical WACA pitch. A lot of pace and bounce would be offered to the bowlers, it is upto the batsmen to adapt to the conditions. The cracks will widen up in Day 4 and 5, which will assist the spinners.

Teams:

New Zealand : Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum(c), BJ Watling(w), Mark Craig, Doug Bracewell, Trent Boult, Mitchell McClenaghan, Neil Wagner, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Luke Ronchi, Hamish Rutherford

Australia : Joe Burns, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith(c), Adam Voges, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill(w), Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle