The Australian men’s cricket team have been playing non-stop for the past 12 months, and it’s set to continue with a rare tour of New Zealand.
Australia crosses the ditch for a two-match Test series, plus three T20’s in preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
It’s the first time in eight years that Australia have toured New Zealand for Test matches, and will be the first time in cricket history that two sides who have won World Test Championships will face off against each other.
The matchup between the two, historically, has been extremely one sided, with New Zealand winning just two of their past 32 Test matches against ‘big brother’.
However, things are much closer in the shortest form, as both have had deep runs in the two most recent T20 World Cups – with Australia going so far as to win the 2021 tournament. The Aussies have, however, lost four of their last seven international T20s against New Zealand.
Australia’s tour of New Zealand: Details
When’s it start?
February 21, 2024
Australia will start their tour of New Zealand on February 21 at Sky Stadium in Wellington, in what’s the first T20 international between the two outside of a World Cup clash since March 2021.
The much anticipated Test series, however, starts on February 29 at Basin Reserve in Wellington, where the two sides have faced off 10 times.
Since New Zealand is two hours ahead of Australia, the matches will start 9am AEDT each day, meaning we’ll be attempting to enjoy the non-weekend days of action right throughout working hours.
Australia vs New Zealand full schedule (every game, location & dates)
As explained before, Australia and New Zealand will face off in three T20 international before a short two-Test series.
The record below are in accordance with the format of cricket they are playing at that particular ground, not their overall record at the venue.
1st T20I: Sky Stadium, Wellington – February 21
- Record: AUS (3), NZ (1)
2nd T20I: Eden Park, Auckland – February 23
- Record: AUS (3), NZ (0)
3rd T20I: Eden Park, Auckland – February 25
- Record: AUS (3), NZ (0)
1st Test: Basin Reserve, Wellington – February 29-March 4
- Record: AUS (4), NZ (1), DRAW (5)
2nd Test: Hagley Oval, Christchurch – March 8-12
- Record: AUS (1), NZ (0), DRAW (0)
How to watch Australia’s tour of NZ
Foxtel and Kayo
There will only be one place to watch the three T20 internationals and the two Test matches, which is Foxtel or their streaming service Kayo.
Is the tour of New Zealand on Free-to-air?
No. Unlike when Australia is playing at home, when Channel Seven also has broadcasting rights, all of the nation’s men’s internationals on foreign soil will will only be shown on Foxtel which is a paid service.
What happened in the last Test series between the two in NZ?
Australia won 2-0 in 2016
Only a couple months after playing each other in a three-Test series in Australia where the Aussies won 2-nil, they travel across the ditch for short two-Test series.
The first Test in Wellington was not close at all with Australia winning by an innings and 52 runs off the back of Adam Voges’s blistering 239 and Usman Khawaja’s 140.
Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood led from the front with the ball in hand, taking seven and six wickets respectively.
The second Test was much more competitive, with New Zealand’s captain and now English head coach Brendan McCullum – known for cricket’s new buzz word ‘Bazball‘ – taking matters into his own hands in final Test match of his incredible career scoring 145 in the first innings.
Steve Smith and Joe Burns both tonned up scoring 138 and 170 respectively as the Aussies mounted 505.
It was then backed up by an even battle between bat and ball where New Zealand gave Australia a total of 200 to chase which they did just three down with half centuries to first innings heroes Smith and Burns.
When did New Zealand last beat Australia in Test cricket?
Hobart, 2011, by 7 runs
In what was an incredibly low scoring match, the Black Caps somehow found a way in the final innings with the ball, taking 7 wickets for 74 runs to end a 20-year drought against Australia.
Kiwi’s Doug Bracewell was the difference maker, personally claiming figures of 6-40 in the second innings to clean up the Aussies in dramatic fashion.
Interestingly, there are still three Aussies playing from that Test in Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Usman Khawaja, and two from New Zealand – Tim Southee and Kane Williamson.
