AUS vs NZ | Australia have set benchmark for us to aspire to, admits Gary Stead
New Zealand coach and former Kiwi batsman Gary Stead says the Australian cricket team has set a benchmark for the New Zealand cricket squad to aspire to. New Zealand were thrashed three-nil in the Tests in Australia in December and were on the wrong side of a T20I whitewash against India that.
New Zealand were trounced Australia three-nil in the Tests in Australia in December but subsequently whitewashed India in ODIs and Tests at home, although they themselves were on the wrong side of a T20I whitewash that preceded those. On the back of those results, Stead believes New Zealand have come to Australia as a confident side. Kiwi coach Gary Stead has called Australia a benchmark that they try and aspire to and has welcomed more white-ball fixtures against them in the coming years.
"I look at what's coming ahead in the next few years, and I do see that we are playing Australia in white-ball cricket reasonably regularly. They are a great team, we respect them a lot for the way they play their cricket. That's ultimately, sometimes, they set a benchmark for us to aspire to," said Gary Stead, reported ESPN Cricinfo.
Australia, on the other hand, are coming off a three-nil hammering in the ODIs in South Africa, before which they were beaten two-one in India, despite having taken a lead in the series opener. But Stead expects Australia to be a different beast at home, and certainly never vulnerable against any opposition.
"I think Australia are never vulnerable at home. It's one of the toughest places to come and play in world cricket I guess as well. Their reputation, and the record that they have I guess, you see the record and that's why they do have that reputation. And so, I mean, they have come off being beaten in South Africa, but all a lot of teams struggle away from home, and I guess no different for us, that's going to be our biggest challenge," expressed Stead.
Stead also felt that though the formats are different and the conditions may not be the same as the current ODIs, come to the T20 World Cup, any information that they can gather playing on Australian grounds could be beneficial.
"It is a different format, but I guess the more information you can get, and the more intel you can get on all the grounds, the good thing is. I'm not sure if the pitch conditions will look the same in the T20 time. So you take all those factors in. you can look at the Big Bash, and scores and things that go on there and who is successful at different grounds before you come to making your final decisions. But I guess ultimately we select the 15 that we think can do the job here, and we'll do that for the World Cup as well," he concluded.