All you need to know: NZ v Australia, second Test

Match facts

Who: New Zealand v Australia

What: Second Test for the Trans-Trasman Trophy

When: 8-12 March, 2024. First ball at 11am local time (9am AEDT)

Where: Hagley Oval, Christchurch

Officials: Marais Erasmus and Nitin Menon (standing), Michael Gough (third), Ranjan Madugalle (match referee)

Live scores: Match Centre

Highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au, the CA Live app, the Unplayable Podcast. Listen and subscribe to the podcast below.  

How can I watch?

The compacted nature of the series means every ball will be an event, and if you're in Australia, then Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports have exclusive broadcast rights to the tour.

If you're not already onboard with Kayo, get around it here.

Replays and Highlights?

Kayo's excellent 'Mini' packages and full replays are worth every cent of the subscription fee at times like this.

In addition, the cricket.com.au Match Centre for each Test will have replays of every wicket available as they fall, courtesy of Fox Cricket and Kayo.

The Squads

New Zealand: Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc

More injury issues for New Zealand have prompted some squad changes, with Will O'Rourke ruled out with a hamstring complaint, paving the way for Ben Sears to come into the playing XI for what will be his Test debut.

Devon Conway has also been ruled out of a return for this Test after injuring his thumb in the T20 matches that kept him sidelined in Wellington, and will require surgery that will keep him out of the early stages of the IPL too.

No worries for the Aussies, who saw Josh Hazlewood start the first Test with Covid, while Cameron Green has recovered from the cramping he experienced during his incredible first-innings century, a side-effect of his kidney disease revealed in December.

Venue Stats

The forecast

Not much to worry about here. There'll be a bit of cloud about, it’ll be pretty breezy from the south and chilly in the mornings, but crucially no rain is expected. Pretty standard stuff for the South Island

Probable starting XIs

Australia: Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Aussie skipper Pat Cummins confirmed an unchanged XI on match eve, making it a seventh consecutive Test that Australia have rolled out the same front-line bowling attack. The quartet of Cummins, Mitch Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon have played the past six successive Tests, setting a new streak for themselves.

Steve Smith will continue as opener where he's still finding his feet, and Marnus Labuschagne is due, having endured a bit of a rough patch at No.3. While the returns haven't been to either of their lofty standards, there's no appetite for change.

It means the main interest around the Australia team is if selectors might release any of their unused squad members, particularly Scott Boland with Victoria facing a crucial Marsh Sheffield Shield final-round clash against WA starting Monday. A call on that will be made after the Test starts on Friday.

New Zealand: Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Mitch Santner, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ben Sears

Skipper Tim Southee confirmed Ben Sears will come in for his Test debut in place of the injured Will O'Rourke in Christchurch. O'Rourke pulled up with a hamstring niggle in Wellington and has been ruled out, paving the way for the 26-year-old right-armer to come in.

Sears has played 13 times for the Black Caps' T20 side and the Aussies saw him twice in Auckland to get a good look at his mid-140kph variations. He's played just 19 first-class games, with 58 wickets at 27.03.

The Black Caps are pondering a recall for spinner Mitch Santner, which could come at the expense of allrounder Scott Kuggeleijn, who was persistent but often ineffective in the first Test. The Kiwis have twice been burned now by snubbing Santner.

Ahead of the first Test, NZ coach Gary Stead conceded it was a mistake to leave Santner out of the side in their previous match against South Africa in Hamilton, then went and did the same thing in Wellington where Nathan Lyon took 10 wickets for the match and part-timer Glenn Phillips ran through the Aussies in the second innings with his first five-wicket haul.

World Test Championship update

Australia's win in the first Test unseated New Zealand from top spot, which is now held by India with a points percentage figure of 64.58.

If Australia win again in Christchurch, it will leave them with a percentage of 62.50, while it would drop NZ to an even 50 percent.

India and England start the fifth Test of their series on Thursday afternoon, which will also have a bearing on the table, which is ranked according to the percentage of points won with the top two teams to face off at Lord's in mid-2025.

Head-to-head

Overall: New Zealand (8 wins), Australia (35 wins), drawn (18)

Past 15 years: New Zealand (1 win), Australia (11 wins), drawn (1)

In New Zealand: New Zealand (5 wins), Australia (15 wins), drawn (7)

Most runs: Allan Border (1500), John Wright (1277), Martin Crowe (1255), Justin Langer (1196), David Boon (1187)

Most wickets: Richard Hadlee (130), Shane Warne (103), Daniel Vettori (65), Nathan Lyon (60), Glenn McGrath (57)

Rapid Stats

• Australia have won their past seven Tests against New Zealand since a high-scoring draw in Perth in November 2015. That's their longest-ever winning run against the Black Caps in Test cricket
• New Zealand have won eight of their past 10 men's Tests (D1 L1) at Hagley Oval; the Black Caps’ only defeat at the venue in that span was a 198-run loss against South Africa (February 2022)
• New Zealand have not lost back-to-back men's Tests since June 2022 (against England)
• Australia (8) and New Zealand (6) are the top two teams when it comes to effecting run outs when fielding since the beginning of 2023. They are also top two in stumpings in the format in that time (Australia 11 and New Zealand 8)
• Tim Southee and Kane Williamson will both reach 100 appearances in men’s Tests for New Zealand in Christchurch, joining Ross Taylor (112), Daniel Vettori (112), Stephen Fleming (111) and Brendon McCullum (101)
• Mitchell Starc (354) is one away from equalling Dennis Lillee (355) for the second most wickets of any pace bowler for Australia in men’s Tests
• New Zealand duo Mitchell Santner (2.4) and Rachin Ravindra (2.4) have the best bowling economy rates of any players in men’s Tests since the beginning of 2023 (min. 30 overs bowled)

What's next?

A moment's silence for the end of the Test summer. This match marks the end of the 2023-24 international season, but the cricket juggernaut rolls on. There's a massive last round of Marsh Sheffield Shield cricket and the final to still be played at home.

Then it's eyes abroad for the IPL and the T20 World Cup.

Australia's next home men's internationals will be white-ball fixtures against Pakistan in November, before the first ever five-Test Border-Gavaskar series against India. That will be massive!

Qantas Tour of New Zealand

Watch all the action from the NZvAUS Tour live and exclusive on Foxtel and Kayo Sports. Click Here to subscribe

February 29 – March 4: Australia won the first Test by 172 runs

March 8-12: Second Test, Christchurch, 9am AEDT

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc

New Zealand Test squad: Tim Southee (c), Tom Blundell (wk), Matt Henry, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young.