The New Zealand cricket team flew to Australia on Tuesday confident in its preparation for a three test-series which will encompass the world's first day-night test.
New Zealand has won a test series in Australia only once, in 1985, but enters the coming tour on more even terms than it has for most of the intervening 30 years. While New Zealand has a settled side, with recent form in both test and one-day matches, Australia's lineup is in flux after injuries and recent retirements.
New Zealand coach Mike Hesson says the Australian series might be the toughest challenge of his career, but he also believes New Zealand has prepared soundly and will compete. It would take heart from the fact it beat Australia when the teams last met in a test on Australian soil, at Hobart in 2011.
"We are playing some good cricket and are going to be challenged in this series and that is what we want to see," Hesson said. "We've gained respect from Australia because of the way we've played over the last couple of years and also winning in 2011. They can't forget that either."
Hesson said several of the players who took part in New Zealand's seven-run win at Bellerive Oval are returning with the current side, including Trent Boult and leading batsman Kane Williamson who were just beginning their careers four years ago.
"Any win in Australia is hard to come by and the guys that played in that test match in 2011, well, that was a really fine achievement and the guys still talk about it really fondly now," he said. "We know we can win over there but we know we have to play well and, like I said, to win a series we will obviously have to play well for longer."
New Zealand most-recently played one-day series in Zimbabwe and South Africa in August and has had time since to work on its preparation for the Australian test matches, especially the day-night test in Adelaide.
The New Zealand players have been able to practice and play with the pink ball which will be used in that series. Some minor reservations remain about the ball's visibility and durability but, with a one-day and a two-day match to prepare before the first test at Brisbane and another pink ball warmup before Adelaide, New Zealand should be ready for the ground-breaking test.
"We've got six days of red ball practice and the guys have just played a first-class game so there will be no excuses for being under-prepared," Hesson said.
New Zealand plays its opening tour match — a one-dayer against a Prime Minister's XI containing several test prospects — at Canberra on Friday.