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With the Ashes safely at home (well almost), and Pakistan vanquished, we turn our attention to our antipodean neighbours.

New Zealand should be a very good opponent with some redoubtable batsman and confronting bowlers when at their best.

AUSTRALIA V NEW ZEALAND

First Test

12 - 16 December 2019 @ Optus Stadium Perth

Sadly the Summer of Cricket has started like Chautauqua at the end of his career – slow out and getting slower.

Pakistan didn't hit too many headlines as has been their historic want when touring down under.

But now we should get a decent contest assuming everyone is available with the Kiwis heading across the ditch.

New Zealand has kept improving as a cricketing competitor – so much so that they are considered Number 2 in the ICC Rankings.

Whether you take much heed of those or not, it does give a generic indication of the level of consistency that the Kiwis have attained.

What has driven their ascent is a strong gathering of pace bowlers (do we call that collective noun a 'Hadlee' – at least it's quicker than calling it a Chatfield).

Of those bowlers participating in the two test series a few weeks back against England, Southee, Boult and Wagner appear in the top seven of all-time New Zealand Wicket-takers.

Even allowing for the fact they don't play as much Test cricket as Australia, England or India, that is still a good representation of their ability and longevity.

Add to them a very stubborn batting line up, a good team spirit and one genuinely elite batsman and a level of success is likely. No wonder they missed a World Cup win by a stupid law.

In that series, the first test score of over 600 was built around the defiance of the keeper BJ Watling, the spinner Santner and all-rounder de Grandhomme.

In the second it was more the opener Latham, evergreen Taylor and a debutant Mitchell.

Two things are striking about those facts. Firstly you can see there is a lack of reliance on one player. But perhaps more importantly, it has meant their best batsman since Martin Crowe (Kane Williamson) has not had a massive burden placed on his shoulders – especially with the captaincy an addendum.

Albeit played on disgracefully turgid decks, New Zealand held England at bay with some degree of ease. Even faced with a particularly tricky last third of the game in Hamilton, those experienced heads of Taylor and Williamson steered them to safer ground.

While helped by some average fielding which included one of the all-time great dropped catches by Joe Denly, the strength of character shone through.

Is this the easiest dropped catch of all time? #NZvENG pic.twitter.com/y6V7XrzYy9

— TAB (@tabcomau) December 2, 2019

How much those ponderous, laborious and uninspiring surfaces will act as a good preparation for Australian conditions will only be seen in the fullness of time.

That said, pitches in Australia are well on the way to joining those pathetic offerings (unless it's the madness of the MCG and what happened last weekend).

Oh how lovers of exciting, compelling and fast-moving test cricket crave for those of 25 years ago.

Wouldn't the game be in a much better shape if all the states had iconic and diverse characteristics. Wouldn't we love to see Perth having the ball whizz past every batsman's earhole, Adelaide for the batsman and Brisbane bouncing and seaming.

By the time you got to Boxing Day, the theatre of an MCG test of skill would be the precursor to a raging turner in Sydney.

Variation in styles provide not just a great examination of the skills every player currently has but also will end up producing an all-round game to find the best of competitors – with both bat and ball. Techniques then excel.

As a viewer, watching someone combat an Ambrose or Donald at 145kph at the WACA and then a few games later having to see off a Qadir or Warne, ripping it square at the SCG made missing any ball dangerous as any one of them could be game changing.

Now if we could also get a Duke ball in use as the final piece of the puzzle, the movement through the air could well outdo the lack of the movement from the turf.

And much of this explains Australia's predicament with the selection of the Test Team – both the current one and those going forward.

David Warner's incredible 489 runs in two knocks basically reinforces a notion rather than dispel one. He accounted for a total of 95 in ten times to the crease in the Old Dart.

But once he finds truer decks that barely seam, a bowling attack devoid of much pressure building and a Kookaburra ball which loses potency inside 25 overs, he is off to the races.

Must say the calls for him to wander off either at 334 or below were almost laughable. Winning the match must be what every decision is about. Unless he was ridiculously close to 401 then give it a rest … please.

Marnus Labuschagne's precision coming forward or back, in defence or attack did at least hold firm both during the Winter tour and now back at home.

His vast array of stroke making – be it cutting and driving or hooking and pulling, does not bode well for opponents. Tack on the ability to flick it through mid-wicket from on or outside off stump and game plans will go astray.

He's learned that from the best around and the fact Steve Smith only had to make 40 in two digs is probably a very good thing for Australia.

Psychologically it is important as others will know the ultra-reliance on an Ashes-style SPD Smith may not need be that apparent on home soil. It can breed confidence within.

However there has to come a time when selectors will start to make changes and thrashing weaker teams by an innings will not occur that regularly. The first sign of a little instability and they will strike.

In the old days when heading to Perth, no matter what form you were bringing, teams would need to make instant adjustment – batting and bowling.

Knowledge of when to leave and when to play and how full or short to bowl were critical. The new Optus Stadium has only had one test and it was a decent pitch with the scores progressively getting smaller.

326 became 140 by the last day but it was hardly chin-music style bowling. While Australia took in the same attack last December as it will likely to this one, their batting against India differed greatly.

Firstly Smith and Warner were still on their hiatus but a top five that was Harris, Finch, Khawaja, Marsh and Handscomb now looks highly questionable at the elite level.

The 2019 match is even more unique in that it will be the first Day/Night match played out West. Kiwi fans watching at home will be staying up to 1am if they make it to stumps.

While New Zealand last toured across the Tasman in 2015, the most recent time that their series included a Boxing Day Test was 1987. That is mostly due to having simultaneous domestic summers.

That was the series that went down to the very last ball as Mike Whitney and Craig McDermott batted for near a half hour to see off a rampant Sir Richard Hadlee.

We hope to get a similarly exciting climax to the series and so to kick off you'd love to see Optus Stadium have the old personality of the WACA. We want to see fast scoring, fast bowling and a test of skills.

Hardly a Robinson Crusoe selection here but tipping Steve Smith to get his teeth into a more formidable examination.

The main reason for this is his record in Perth. As mentioned, he didn't play the game 12 months back (for reasons best left unsaid). But his record from the WACA is superb.

He has three centuries @ 67 including one against this same opponent. He loves the carry, loves the pace and the ability to hit through the line of the ball.

Kane Williamson made two centuries on the last Australian Tour. It's easy to like him too.