New Zealand v Australia: first Test, day one – live

Hello and welcome to the day one OBO of New Zealand v Australia at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. ‘The War of the Ditch!’ as absolutely no one is calling it. This series is proper appointment viewing - Australia return to New Zealand to play cricket after an eight year gap. Eight years! Neither captain Pat Cummins or searing southpaw Mitchell Starc has hauled on the cream flannels for a match on the green green grass of New Zealand.

The two Test series (Boo!) is hotly anticipated, with ticket sales strong in both Wellington and Christchurch. This is perhaps a reflection on the fact that the Trans Tasman rivals don’t face up that often in the longest format (and aren’t scheduled to meet again until 2026/7) but also because they are two fine Test sides with stardust sprinkled across each XI.

…The New Zealand public, who have just watched the Black Caps beat an understrength South Africa side 2-0, are ready for the challenge of their noisy neighbours, despite the odds. Somehow, from a population of just over five million, most of whom are obsessed with rugby union, the New Zealand cricket side not only won the World Test Championship in 2021 but head the current table (with England languishing down in eighth).

But for all the outstanding, unexpected, success of the New Zealand Test team, the Australians are their brain fart, their soft underbelly, their recurring naked nightmare. The Black Caps have beaten Australia only once in a Test since 1993 – at Hobart in 2011. And they have have lost nine of their 10 home Tests against Australia in the 21st century. They followed on in the 10th, and saved it thanks to bad light and persistent rain rather than any memorable rearguard action.”

Jim here with you for the first few sessions, there’s so much to dig into over the coming hours and days and I for one am positively fizzing to get into it all. In the meantime, here’s one Tanya Aldred prepared earlier - well worth a read of this scene setter as we approach the toss and final team news* in Wellington.

Play gets underway at the Basin Reserve at 11am local/9am AEDT. Please do drop me a line on Email or tweet @Jimbo_Cricket with your musings, it’s always** a pleasure to hear from OBO followers around the globe. Righto, let’s do this shall we?

*Cummins has already named his XI a day early, the confident so and so.

**Almost always. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.