Melbourne: New Zealand will travel to Brisbane early to acclimatise to local conditions ahead of the first Test against Australia after their preparations were disrupted due to a tour match being scrapped in farcical circumstances on Friday.
Originally intended to last four days, the match was scaled back to three before being abandoned by lunch on the second day due to the acute deterioration of the pitch at the Blacktown International Sportspark in western Sydney.
New Zealand’s bowlers could prise just one wicket from the opening four sessions and only after the Cricket Australia XI openers built a 503-run partnership, an Australian record in first class cricket.
New Zealand’s batsmen did not hit a ball in anger and the team heads to Brisbane frustrated by the lack of match practice.
“We had two days and haven’t gained a lot out of it from a preparation point of view, other than time on our feet,” coach Mike Hesson told New Zealand media.
Cricket Australia offered to find the Black Caps better facilities in Sydney, but New Zealand will instead train at Allan Border field in Brisbane ahead of the Test at the Gabba, which starts on Thursday.
While the abandonment was something of an embarrassment for hosts Cricket Australia, Hesson was reluctant to lay blame.
“It’s not anyone’s fault, you just can’t grow any grass on the surface, and that’s not the groundsman’s fault,” Hesson said.
“There’s no hard feelings, we understand they’re going to try to help us get some practice facilities ahead of the test match.” New Zealand are bidding to win their first test series in Australia in 30 years.
Meanwhile, New Zealand spinner Nathan McCullum will retire from international cricket at the end of the season, agencies add from Christchurch.
The 35-year-old, elder brother of New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, has played 84 One Day Internationals and 61 Twenty20 internationals for his country, having made his debut in 2007.
McCullum is yet to make a decision about his future at domestic level, reports cricket.com.au on Saturday.
McCullum said it is the right time to end his international career so he can spend more time with his family.
“I don’t want to make a big song and dance about it, but it’s time to start thinking about the next phase of my life. I’ve got the sense that the end of this season is the right time to call it quits in international cricket,” McCullum was quoted as saying by New Zealand Herald on Friday.
New Zealand play limited-overs matches against Australia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan during the next four months.
