As the only Māori member of the Black Caps, Trent Boult will be a key figure in leading the mana of the group as they go up against Australia for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. Photo / File
As the only Māori member of the Black Caps, Trent Boult will be a key figure in leading the mana of the group as they go up against Australia for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. Photo / File
Returning from Australia after an historic Boxing Day test at the MCG, the Black Caps had their tails firmly between their legs.
The realisation of Australia's dominance on home turf was sounded by an almighty thud as the visitors, fresh off a successful two-test series against England, lost the threematches in the series by margins of 296, 247 and 279 runs.
The losses were made more painful through the fact that our usual silver linings were nowhere to be found. The usually-assured Kane 'Steady the Ship' Williamson looked lost at sea and his bowlers proved toothless as the Aussies marched towards three totals of 400-plus.
It was a hard watch for the New Zealand cricketing public who, like myself, had conjured up grand images in their minds of Boxing Day victory in a year which had delivered enough World Cup heartbreak.
The Kiwi boys will have to find a way to stop Aussie run machine Steve Smith. Photo / Photosport
With success across the Tasman scarce, we should have been more realistic in the face of one of the best bowling outfits the cricket world has ever seen.
Now, the Black Caps must enter the fray once again as they look to claim the revered Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in a three-game ODI series across the ditch starting on Friday, before returning to home shores for three T20s to conclude the 2019/20 season.
For me, it's a hard sell to believe the results will be any different to what we saw pre and post Christmas. Despite experiencing some hiccups in recent tours against India and South Africa, the old enemy will be just as potent.
The key thing which sits firmly in New Zealand's favour is momentum. Forgetting a disastrous T20 series against India where our Super Over nightmares were relived in high definition, dominant performances in the one-day and test formats can only buoy the Black Caps' spirits.
Seeing the rise of Canterbury paceman Kyle Jamieson will also act as an advantage, even if the gentle giant doesn't take the park.
The emergence of paceman Kyle Jamieson has given the Kiwi's a much-needed boost ahead of the transtasman clash. Photo / Photosport
In the 50-over game, New Zealand are finally seeing a bit of growth in depth, especially in the bowling and all-rounder departments, which will only lift the standard of play.
The only thing remaining for the Black Caps to gain is a bit of mana, some mongrel.
We all know the aura with which Australian cricketers carry themselves and while I'm not encouraging our boys to do the same, we need to portray the confidence a side with our skill should be showing.
If we can go five games unbeaten against India across multiple formats, the Black Caps have every chance and every right to do the same against Aussie.
