Hesson won’t underestimate Oz

Ahead of the Chappell-Hadlee series against Australia, New Zealand coach Mike Hesson is wary of their ODI side despite recently suffering a 5-0 whitewash against South Africa.

Adding to their woes, the Baggie Greens also experienced a 2-1 Test series loss against the Proteas, garnering criticism from fans and media.

Hesson, however, refused to underestimate Australia as he explained their limited-overs side is on a different level to their test side, excluding their recent tour in South Africa.

The Black Caps coach said: “I think their one-day side is a heck of a lot more settled than their Test side,”

“The one-day side has been incredibly consistent, bar the recent South Africa series.

“They’ve been very good for a number of years and are ranked number one in the world, so I don’t think the unsettled nature of the Test side will lead into the one-day side.”

If New Zealand manage to win the Chappell-Hadlee series 3-0, the Kiwis will occupy the top spot on the ICC rankings. But Hesson believes that retaining the trophy would be enough.

He concluded: “We won the Chappell-Hadlee the last couple of times, it’s really important for us.”

“Australia are our big brothers and winning a bilateral series against them is important.

“If the by-product of that is an increase in the ranking, then great.”