A despondent New Zealand face a period of introspection on home soil after a stinging white-ball series loss against Australia rocked the Black Caps’ confidence ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Australia’s 25-run victory in the third ODI in Cairns on Sunday completed a 3-0 series sweep after New Zealand squandered winning positions in the first two matches.
New Zealand’s last win over Australia in any format was back in 2011, when they grabbed a seven-run win in a Hobart Test. With Australia set to host the T20 World Cup in October, Kane Williamson’s team have yet to find a way to beat the defending champions in their own backyard.
It was “a pretty frustrated dressing room last night”, New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “The guys are disappointed and we’re frustrated to think of having opportunities in all three matches and not getting over the line.” The Black Caps, beaten by Australia in last year’s T20 World Cup final in the United Arab Emirates, notched their first T20 and one-day series wins away to the West Indies last month after bullying Scotland, Ireland and Netherlands on white-ball tours.