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New Zealand will battle Australia in the second Test of their World Test Championship (WTC) series at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch, starting tomorrow morning (March 8). The match will begin at 3:30 am IST.
Australia gained a 1-0 lead in the two-match series after a thumping 172-run victory in Wellington last week. The defending champions of the World Test Championship will aim to continue the winning momentum in Christchurch, whereas New Zealand will try to draw the series.
Before the final Test of the New Zealand vs Australia gets underway, here's a look at the pitch history of the Hagley Oval.
Hagley Oval, Christchurch Test records
Hagley Oval has hosted 12 Tests so far, with New Zealand winning nine of them. The visiting teams have only won two Tests in Christchurch, while one Test culminated in a stalemate.
Here are some important stats that fans should know from the previous 12 Tests played at this venue:
Test matches played: 12
Matches won by teams batting first: 9
Matches won by teams batting second: 2
Matches tied: 0
Matches drawn: 1
Highest team total: 659/6 dec - New Zealand vs. Pakistan, 2021
Lowest team total: 95 - South Africa vs. New Zealand, 2022
Highest successful run-chase: 285/8 - New Zealand vs. Sri Lanka, 2023
Average run rate: 3.32
Highest individual score: 252 - Tom Latham (NZ) vs. Bangladesh, 2022
Best bowling figures (innings): 7/23 - Matt Henry (NZ) vs. South Africa, 2022
Best bowling figures (match): 11/117 - Kyle Jamieson (NZ) vs. Pakistan, 2021
Hagley Oval, Christchurch pitch report
It is tough to predict how the pitch in Christchurch will behave because in the last three years, the records for the highest team total, highest successful run-chase as well as lowest team total have been broken at this venue.
Fast bowlers and batters should receive some help from the conditions. Both New Zealand and Australia have the firepower in their pace and batting units, which is why it should be a close game.
Hagley Oval, Christchurch last Test
New Zealand beat Sri Lanka by two wickets in the previous Test hosted by Christchurch. The match was held in March 2023, where the Kiwis pulled off the highest successful run-chase in Hagley Oval's history.
Sri Lanka scored 355 & 302 in their two innings. New Zealand responded with 373 in the first innings and then reached 285/8 in the second innings to win the game. Pace bowlers accounted for 32 out of the 38 wickets in that Test, while the batters hit three centuries.
Here's a short summary of the scorecard:
Brief Scores: Sri Lanka 355 (Kusal Mendis 87, Tim Southee 5/64) & 302 (Angelo Mathews 115, Blair Tickner 4/100) lost to New Zealand 373 (Daryl Mitchell 102, Asitha Fernando 4/85) & 285/8 (Kane Williamson 121*, Asitha Fernando 3/63) by 2 wickets.
