Mark Richardson drops New Zealand truth bomb amid three-decade drought
The former Black Caps opening batsman says the New Zealand cricket team has put the Australian side on a pedestal.
Australian sports fans know all too well the feeling of being in New Zealand's shadow. The Wallabies last held the Bledisloe Cup in 2002 and, given the current state of rugby in this country, don’t look like winning it back anytime this century.
The All Blacks have had such a dominance over Australia for such a long time their supporters don’t even bother mocking us anymore. The bagging we can handle. But when it turns to sympathy, that hurts even greater.
HISTORY: Glenn Phillips stars with the ball in historic 16-year first
TOUGH: Nathan Lyon's heroics fail to free him from unwanted history
It is some small comfort, then, that our cricketers continue to do an All Blacks on the Black Caps. Good blokes that they are – and fine cricketers against just about everyone else - New Zealand just can’t get the job done when it comes to beating the Aussies.
Yes, they showed some tremendous fight during the first Test in Wellington and dominated large slabs of the match. Australia's batting – apart from Cameron Green and a Nathan Lyon cameo - was ordinary and the tourists were there for the taking.
Yet it still ended up an emphatic 172-run win to the visitors. New Zealand wasn’t good enough - again. Not even close. The Black Caps haven't beaten Australia in a Test since 2011/12 and their last series win was in 1989/90. The head-to-head scorecard reads 35-8 the Aussies' way.
Mark Richardson says Australia intimidates the Black Caps
Former opening bat Mark Richardson gave a fascinating insight into the mental hold Australian teams have on the Kiwis. He suggested they think the same away our Wallabies think when they look across at the men in black.
"There's probably a little brother/big brother scenario," Richardson said. "We respect Australian cricket – we know how good it is – and there's that rivalry and we want to do well. There is an element of pedestalling and there's an element of intimidation. If people want to be really honest with themselves, (there's) just a little bit of lack of belief.
"You look at really good English sides who’ve come to New Zealand, really good Indian sides who have probably recently had really good records against Australia and beaten Australia. We will look them in the eye and compete and do some great stuff.
"And then Australia will come here and we just always seem to take a backward step." Maybe we should cut a deal that sees Australia play the Black Caps more and the All Blacks less.
Sign up to our newsletter and score the biggest sport stories of the week.
