It was dispiriting for the crowd, many of whom would have no recollection of March 16, 1993, when Ken Rutherford and Danny Morrison combined in a five-wicket win at Eden Park.
After his side’s three-wicket defeat, Southee was left to wonder whether his last chance for a home triumph had raced away with Cummins’ match-winning punch-through point.
“You’d always like one,” he said. “It’s been a tough thing to achieve for 30 years and that wait goes on.
“They’re the No 1 side in the world and they’re tough to beat, not only in Australia but when they travel as well.
“When you play the best, you have to be at your best for a little bit longer. We had moments through both test matches where, if we could’ve been a little bit better, things could’ve been slightly different.”
The moment that immediately sprung to mind was Rachin Ravindra letting Marsh slip through his hands when the No 6 was on 28, having added one run to his overnight score.
Marsh would add a further 52 but Southee, who with his next delivery picked up Head, wouldn’t entertain that what-if.
Pat Cummins and Alex Carey celebrate as Tim Southee watches on. Photo / Photosport
“Whenever you finish a close game you always look back on a number of things,” the skipper said. “That one went down early in the day, but if we take that, we don’t get the wicket the next ball, and who’s to say that Head doesn’t go on and have an innings like Marsh?”
Head, a few months removed from smashing a brilliant hundred to chase down India and win the ODI World Cup, could well have played another decisive knock. But that early life almost set a tone.
Although New Zealand had other openings in the first session, when Australia escaped the pressure eased and scoring became easier.
“This morning was going to be a crucial period with the ball still relatively new and we saw it beat the bat a few times,” Southee said. “But they were able to weather that storm and put on a partnership we couldn’t quite break.
“We created a few chances but we knew as the day went on and the ball got older it was going to be tougher. The way they naturally play, they score pretty quickly which takes scoreboard pressure off them.”
Denied the services of Devon Conway, Kyle Jamieson and, in the second test, Will O’Rourke, ill health added to the degree of difficulty.
Yet these opportunities are rare — Southee has now played 15 tests against Australia in a 16-year career — and the frustration of a 2-0 series loss will linger longer given how close they came.
“It’s disappointing to finish a test block like this,” Southee said. “The belief and the fight from guys throughout the day was there.
“We saw that with Ben, a guy on debut coming and changing the game and giving us that glimmer of hope late in the day. One more wicket in that period would’ve been interesting.”
