Australia v New Zealand - Tour Match

Australian XI v New Zealanders
Hobart
4 Day Game
Umpires: PJ McConnell & MW Johnson
Toss: Australian XI

Austalian XI: MJ Slater, GR Marsh, DC Boon, ME Waugh, *KJ Hughes, DW Hookes, +WB Phillips, DW Fleming, MG Hughes, RM Hogg, BA Reid.
New Zealanders: GM Turner, MH Richardson, BE Congdon, MD Crowe, MP Donnelly, *JR Reid, RJ Hadlee, +KJ Wadsworth, BR Taylor, J Cowie, SL Boock.

Morale will be high in the New Zealand camp ahead of the Test series after a relatively comfortable victory over an Australian XI in Hobart, but enough questions and uncertainties still linger to ensure that the tourists will remain as firm underdogs once battle begins in earnest.

Kim Hughes' Australians failed to make the most of batting first on a placid pitch at the Bellerive Oval, with the captain himself alone in passing 50 after a succession of his comrades made starts only to get out. Hadlee's 4-75 led the way for the tourists, and Cowie and Taylor bowled with accuracy and aggression respectively as New Zealand turned in a professional performance in the field, limiting their hosts to a decidedly under par 296.

The Kiwis had little trouble in passing the Australian XI's total, with Congdon, Crowe and Reid all posting fifties, but the last four wickets fell for just eight runs to limit the tourists to 344 and an advantage of just 48. Reid was dropped three times on his way to matching Kim Hughes' 94, and as entertaining as his innings was, one wonders whether such generosity will be on offer come the Tests. Nonetheless, the New Zealanders were firmly on top at the halfway stage, and another four wicket haul from Richard Hadlee helped rout the Australians for just 149 in their second innings as the Kiwis pressed home their advantage. Michael Slater bagged a pair as the Australians stumbled to 19-3, and John Reid will have been very pleased with the way in which his bowlers finished off proceedings.

New Zealand made a bit of a meal in knocking off the 102 runs they required for victory, losing as they did four wickets along the way, but an assured looking Martin Crowe made the winning hit shortly before tea on the final day, and he will make up one part of a middle order that looks in good form ahead of the Test matches. Neither of the openers, Turner and Richardson, made a score here though, which is a worry, and Australian Test skipper Richie Benaud will have surely made a note of the fact that a number of the Kiwi batsmen looked less than comfortable against the short pitched delivery here; what price a 'Perth flyer' in the third Test? All in all though, New Zealand will have been happy with their performance in Hobart, and they will arrive in Brisbane in good heart ahead of the first Test.

Scores
AUS XI 1st Inns 296 (KJ Hughes 94, Fleming 40*; Hadlee 4-75)
NZL 1st Inns 344 (Reid 94, Congdon 62, Crowe 60; Hogg 4-75)
AUS XI 2nd Inns 149 (Hadlee 4-36)
NZL 2nd Inns 102-4 (Crowe 48*)

NEW ZEALANDERS WON BY 6 WICKETS