All you need to know for the Tour of NZ

The schedule

First ODI (3 February): Eden Park, Auckland (2.00pm local time, 12pm AEDT)

Second ODI (6 February): Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington (2.00pm local time, 12pm AEDT)

Third ODI (8 February): Seddon Park, Hamilton (2.00pm local time, 12pm AEDT)

First Test (12-16 February): Basin Reserve, Wellington (10.30am local time, 8.30am AEDT)

Second Test (20-24 February): Hagley Oval, Christchurch (10.30am local time, 8.30am AEDT)

What’s at stake?

Sunday night’s KFC T20 INTL defeat against India concluded a busy summer for the Australian team and attention now turns to the Qantas Tour of New Zealand, where they'll face the Black Caps in three one-day internationals and two Test matches.

The two sides will be competing for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in the ODI series; New Zealand are the current holder of the trophy following its remarkable one-wicket World Cup pool game victory over Australia in Auckland last February. The trophy was not on the line in the World Cup final that followed in March, which Australia won.

In the Tests, Australia will jump to the No.1 spot on the ICC Test Rankings and win the Test championship mace as well as the US$1 million prize money if they manage to win the series. But if New Zealand win the series, or it is drawn, Australia will slip to third or fourth and the current No.1 ranked team India will pocket the money when it is awarded on April 1.

Quick Single: Australia chasing $1 million bonus

New Zealand have extra motivation in the Test matches, as they will be looking to send Brendon McCullum off in style after he announced that he will retire from international cricket following the second Test.

WATCH: Great moments in Trans-Tasman history

How are the teams preparing?

You could be forgiven for losing track of which Australian players are where at the moment as they and Cricket Australia deal with a jam-packed schedule. 

Steve Smith, David Warner, George Bailey, Kane Richardson and John Hastings were among those in an 'advance party' that flew to Auckland on the weekend, while the rest of the ODI squad flew out on Monday, the day after the third T20 against India and just two days before the first match against New Zealand on Wednesday.

The Test squad members not playing in the ODIs will prepare by playing in the in the upcoming round of Sheffield Shield matches. Nathan Lyon, Peter Nevill and Adam Voges will play in the first-ever Shield game held in New Zealand, as New South Wales and Western Australia face off in Lincoln.

The remaining players in the Test squad will play in Shield games at the MCG and the Adelaide Oval before flying out for the first Test in Wellington on February 12.

Team news

VIEW: Australia XI for first ODI

Fast-bowlers Chadd Sayers and Jackson Bird were the notable inclusions in Australia’s squad for the two Test matches, replacing Scott Boland and Steve O’Keefe from the Sydney Test against the West Indies. Peter Siddle also returns from the ankle injury that kept him out of that match.

Sayers, a swing bowler from South Australia, has been the standout Sheffield Shield bowler in the past few years, while Bird returns to the Test side following an absence of more than two years. As neither claim express pace as one of their attributes, both have been selected with the view that the pitches in New Zealand will be more receptive to swing and seam bowling.

WATCH: Smith leads advance party to NZ

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa will hope to make his international debut after he replaced Nathan Lyon in the ODI squad that defeated India last month. Josh Hazlewood also returns to 50-over squad after being rested for the bulk of the series against the Indians.

The Kiwis have named a strong squad for the Chappell-Hadlee ODI series, led by outgoing skipper Brendon McCullum, while their Test outfit will be named in due course.

Australian ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), George Bailey, Scott Boland, James Faulkner, John Hastings, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Jackson Bird, Joe Burns, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Peter Nevill, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Chadd Sayers, Adam Voges 

New Zealand ODI squad: Brendon McCullum (c), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Kane Williamson. Tom Latham (cover).

Who's missing?

The Australian bowling stocks have recovered somewhat following a combination of injuries and retirements to key men hit them hard in 2015. Left-armer Mitchell Starc is still recovering from ankle surgery, speedster Pat Cummins is on the mend following the discovery of back stress fractures after the limited-overs series in the UK last September, while Mitchell Johnson retired during the New Zealand Test series in Australia in November.

Peter Siddle (ankle) and James Pattinson (shin soreness) have been carefully managed following the West Indies Test series and will both look to prove their fitness in the Bushrangers' Sheffield Shield clash against Tasmania at the MCG this week.

Quick Single: Test stars return to Shield action

For New Zealand, key pair Tim Southee and Ross Taylor have been left out of the ODI squads as they look to prove their fitness for the Test series. Brendon McCullum returns from a back injury for his last ODI series while seamer Mitchell McClenaghan has been ruled out of ODIs after suffering a sickening blow to his eye from a bouncer in a one-dayer against Pakistan.

Form

Both sides are coming off excellent form in the 50-over format; Australia defeated India 4-1 in the recent Victoria Bitter ODI Series while New Zealand convincingly beat Sri Lanka and Pakistan in recent series at home.

WATCH: NZ complete series win over Pakistan

In the Test arena, Australia currently has the bragging rights over their Trans-Tasman rivals having defeated New Zealand 2-0 in the three-Test series earlier this summer.

New Zealand has cause to be optimistic however, as it only narrowly lost the final match of that series, the historic day-night Test match in Adelaide.

New Zealand has also never lost a home series under the captaincy of Brendon McCullum, but Australia hasn’t lost a Test series in New Zealand since 1990.

How to watch?

Fox Sports will be televising all of the ODIs and Test matches live in Australia.

You can also follow live online coverage of the series on cricket.com.au, where you can get live scores, the latest news and in-depth stories, video highlights and plenty more