Merv Hughes ringing the bell at Lord's in 2023. Photo / Getty Images
Merv Hughes ringing the bell at Lord's in 2023. Photo / Getty Images
Australian cult hero Merv Hughes weighs in on the Black Caps’ varying fortunes, the state of the world game and his memories of playing Sir Richard Hadlee’s formidable New Zealand teams.
Starting with your lot - what do you make of the two contrasting results in Australia’s series against India?
I don’t think anyone expected too much from India after what New Zealand did to them. But the reality is that before that first test in Perth, India’s last test match was two weeks earlier and Australia’s previous test match was nine months earlier. If you’re not playing test cricket, you’re not conditioned to it.
So how did New Zealand pull off that result - and what’s changed since?
I thought they planned very well for India. The Sri Lankan spinner they had involved [in the subcontinent tours], Rangana Herath, he’s fantastic in those conditions and he helped the New Zealand spin bowlers a lot over there. Then you come back to New Zealand, it’s different conditions and it’s a different team make-up. But I thought New Zealand would fare better against England in New Zealand, there’s no doubt about that.
How are England pulling off such comprehensive wins?
They post big scores in quick times and they attack the bowlers. It’s a different brand of game and it’s certainly been interesting. After Pakistan beat England and New Zealand beat India, I think everyone expected closer results than this.
The Black Caps got pretty close in their last test against Australia … should these sides be playing more?
New Zealand save their best cricket for Australia. These recent two-tests have got bones in them - it’s got to be at least a three-test series to make them worthwhile. It’s supposed to be you play everyone home and away on a five-year rotation, but with England it’s more a four-year rotation, and with India, we seem to be playing there more and more. But I reckon we’ve got to play more games against New Zealand - and probably more against South Africa and Pakistan.
Is the shift to T20 cricket to blame for this discounting of tests?
I reckon we’re in a little bit of trouble with only having two teams that actively promote test cricket in England and Australia. We need South Africa and the West Indies to be strong, and with the [economies] of those countries they’re going to struggle to be competitive again. We saw with South Africa against New Zealand last summer, they sent over virtually a third XI side. They want their players to play their Twenty20 competition at home, because of the Indian investors, and without that money the South African cricket board probably go under. It’s an interesting one - if you talk to a lot of the players, they talk up test cricket, but if they get the option to play in a Twenty20 league, they’re very much tempted.
Do you like watching T20s?
It’s a great spectacle and it’s high entertainment. But ultimately, I don’t remember a T20 series from a year ago, let alone 10 years ago. If you talk to people who love cricket, they’ll be talking about a test match when Australia played New Zealand 20 years ago. It has its place but I think we play far too many needless and meaningless T20 games - and one-day internationals for that matter.
Merv Hughes salutes the New Zealand crowd in 1993. Photo / Photosport
What do you remember about your test career against New Zealand?
I missed out on a Boxing Day test match [in 1987] through injury, when [10th-wicket stand] Craig McDermott and Mike Whitney blocked out against Richard Hadlee to hold on to a draw. But I suppose the things that burn in your memory are the losses. We had a tough game in Auckland in 1993 when Kenny Rutherford and Mark Greatbatch got the better of us. I just always remember that New Zealand were very competitive - if you looked at the sides and the way they performed against the other teams, you’d think they were there for the beating. But every time they came against Australia, they grew an extra leg. They seemed to save the very best for us.
Who in the modern game reminds you of yourself?
The bowlers going around now have a lot more talent than I ever had. But you’ve also got those guys who are just hard nuts and have a reputation for being very competitive. I love the guys that are not highly rated in their skill but are highly rated in their competitiveness. The couple of young blokes (Will O’Rourke and Ben Sears) who we saw last summer for New Zealand had exactly that — they just need a few more games under their belt. And I’m not saying that Tim Southee isn’t a talented cricketer, but he’s a very competitive soul. He loves the contest and I rate him highly.
This seems the right time for Southee to say goodbye…
New Zealand have had some players of great calibre with bat and ball who have been and gone, but Tim Southee has been fantastic. He’s been captain of the side; he’s done a fantastic job. But those young blokes who I saw last summer against Australia, I was pretty impressed with. You just never know how good they’re going to be if they don’t get an opportunity. As I got told as a young bloke, players come and go but the game remains. Tim’s had his time but it’s time to move on, and it just opens the door for younger players to come through.
