Transtasman sports clashes tend to bring the emotions to the boil, and cricket is no different.
Ahead of this Saturday's Black Caps v Australia fixture at Eden Park, we look back on three of the more infamous moments from previous clashes between the sides.
1. Underarm
Nothing tops this for woeful
sportsmanship in cricket, and it's unlikely anything will in the future. For those of you too young to remember, the date was February 1, 1981. It was the third match in the Benson & Hedges final series at the MCG. Australia batted first, scoring 235 off their 50 overs. Bruce Edgar scored a century in New Zealand's chase, which came down to the last ball. The Kiwis needed six runs for a tie, an improbable ask given the MCG's vast boundaries, but for whatever reason Aussie captain Greg Chappell instructed his brother Trevor to bowl the last delivery underarm. The grainy image of Brian McKechnie dead batting the rolling ball then tossing his bat away in disgust has become an indelible moment in New Zealand sporting folklore.
READ MORE
• Boo me? Bring it on, says David Warner
• Lack of familiarity between NZ and Australia
• Three powerful reasons to be at Eden Park
2. Scott Styris v Mitchell Johnson
While the underarm incident was ungentlemanly, the Styris-Johnson clash at Napier's McLean Park almost descended into common violence. Australia batted first, scoring 275. New Zealand's chase went down to the wire, and as things got close the tempers flared. In the 46th over of the match, Styris hit Johnson for two fours. Johnson was fuming. The players bumped shoulders mid-pitch, which set off verbal sprays in either direction. As the two approached each other, Johnson appeared to headbutt Styris, which was not a good idea considering the Kiwi batsman had a helmet on. Styris managed to keep his nerve, though, his unbeaten 49 steering New Zealand to a famous victory.
