Cricket: Forget India and bring on NZ says Hughes

SYDNEY - The last Australian cricket captain to cry in public says the world champions are bored to tears with their easy test victories.

Kim Hughes famously resigned in tears in 1984, but how the cricketing world has turned since.

Now Australia are the undisputed kings of the test and one-day game, so much so that Hughes believes only New Zealand are capable of giving them a game.

Dismissing India's chances in Australia this summer, Hughes said New Zealand were the one team who wanted "to compete with Australia".

"South Africa are in disarray, the West Indies are a complete shambles. England ... I think New Zealand have got a good captain [Stephen Fleming] ,with good young players and a good game-plan.

"The rest of the world have gone backwards," Hughes wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. "The Australians want some decent competition, they're getting a bit bored.

"I think our blokes are really looking forward to standing up, and I can't see it happening apart from New Zealand."

New Zealand drew their three-test series 0-0 in Australia two summers ago and helped eliminate their transtasman rivals from the tri-series one-day competition.

- NZPA