No.1 NZ won’t be wizards of Oz

AUSTRALIAN cricket fans are beyond being shocked this summer but this one still jolted …

New Zealand poised to become the world’s No.1 Test cricket side.

Hang on … that’s the same New Zealand which has won one of its last 31 Tests against Australia over the last 27 years.

New Zealand will officially take the coveted mantle if, as expected, they seal a series win against Pakistan with victory in the second Test they are dominating in Christchurch.

Australia will move back to the top of the list if it can win the Border-Gavaskar Trophy by a margin of one or more Tests. India could get it if it wins the last two Tests against Australia.

In order to explain how the Kiwis – fine team that they are — stand on the cusp of their greatest achievement it is necessary to explain there are, essentially, two of them.

There’s New Zealand when they play Australia ... and New Zealand when they play the rest of the world.

New Zealand versus Australia in cricket, as proven last summer when Australia won a home series 3-0, is the upside down version of New Zealand versus Australia in rugby union.

One side has simply “got’’ the other where it matters most — in the head.

Australia has not seen the Bledisloe Cup in rugby for almost two decades and while every year contains familiar tough talk about revolutions and form reversals the bottom line is that deep, deep down you know the Australian players just don’t expect to win. In cricket the reverse is true. Much like Australian rugby union teams who have fancied their chances against the All Blacks, the worst thing that happened to Kane Williamson’s team when they visited Australia last season was that they were given a genuine chance of beating Australia.

The more they were talked up the worse they played.

Much like Australia in rugby union, you sense when New Zealand do eventually beat Australia in cricket it might come in a series when they are given categorically no chance and sneak through Australia’s dropped guard.

New Zealand’s Test team have lost just one of their last 11 series. Eight of them have been at home. They are a plucky team admired the world over.

But no matter what the rankings say the next truly great cricketing achievement will be provided by the next team that beats India in India.

India has lost just one of its last 27 home series.

Beat them at home and you are the best in the world ... and if the computer disagrees it might be time to blow it up.