3 minute read

Tim Southee has sparked speculation on his future after declining to confirm he will captain New Zealand on tours of Sri Lanka and India later this year.

It seems it's just not in New Zealand's DNA to beat Australia at cricket.

A new entry into their catalogue of defeats was written in Christchurch this week, as the Black Caps threw away their best chance for a home Test victory over their trans-Tasman rivals in decades.

The last one came at Eden Park back in 1993, when a Martin Crowe-led side triumphed over Allan Border's tourists by five wickets.

Australia's dominance now extends to wins in nine of the last 10 Tests, with a sole Kiwi triumph - in Hobart in 2011 - in the past 33 outings.

The Australian Test cricket team have become to the Black Caps what the All Blacks are to the Wallabies with their decades-long stranglehold on rugby's Bledisloe Cup.

"That wait goes on," Blacks Caps captain Tim Southee lamented after the Hagley Oval result.

"You'd always like (to win) one. It's obviously been a tough thing to achieve for 30 years."

Australia have also won the last six ODI meetings and the last three T20s.

On NZ radio SENZ after the loss, Daryl Mitchell said there was more to cricket than the wins and losses.

"We've always said as Black Caps, we're not defined by the outcomes," he said.

"We're defined by how we play cricket and hopefully how we inspire our country to play the game ... we are really proud of the efforts throughout the Test."

That provoked a furious response from Jeremy Coney, who captained New Zealand to a Test series win over Australia in 1985/86, and Ian Smith, his wicketkeeper in that series.

"Give me a break ... winning is actually the key to it all," Coney raged.

"We kind of get what he's meaning, but actually young kids will follow the New Zealand side when they win."

Smith said he needed to "take two or three deep breaths" before responding.

"Unless I've been so far removed from the game. I don't understand that," he said.

Like Australia, New Zealand will enjoy a break from Test cricket for the next six months, but a shake-up seems certain on their return.

The positive: Will O'Rourke and Ben Sears showed promise after being blooded at Test level this summer.

Devon Conway and Kyle Jamieson will also make the side better after returning from injuries.

There's plenty of negative too.

Nine dropped catches in the field over two Tests speaks to a lack of focus or preparation.

The baffling decision to drop Neil Wagner on series eve - prompting his retirement - backfired, with Scott Kuggeleijn completely ineffective across two Tests.

Kuggeleijn is a deeply unpopular figure in New Zealand after a 2016 rape charge, of which he was acquitted after a second trial.

Southee agreed his bowling was "disappointing" but pointed to his second-innings 44.

Will Young, playing for Conway, had little impact, while there are also question marks over Southee himself, as he has lost pace.

With the Black Caps set for Tests in Sri Lanka and India later this year, Southee said he wasn't sure if he'd be captain for those series.

"We'll see. Obviously you go to Asia the makeup of the side changes slightly with spin becoming the main threat," he said.

While the Trans-Tasman Trophy will remain in Australian hands for a 13th-straight series, at least there are no hard feelings.

Southee confirmed that - unlike last year's Ashes series - the sides would enjoy a beer together on Monday night.

"It's the end of our International summer ... I imagine the doors will be open later on," he said.