Not India: Merv Hughes names Australia's toughest opponents who 'punch above their weight'
Not India: Merv Hughes names Australia’s toughest opponents who ‘punch above their weight’ originally appeared on Cricket News.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Merv Hughes says New Zealand outperform expectations and push Australia harder than anyone.
- Australia set to host New Zealand in a historic four-Test series starting December 9 in Perth.
- The expanded series celebrates the 150th Test match between the two neighbouring nations.
Merv Hughes: New Zealand are Australia’s toughest Test cricket rival
Former Australian fast bowler Merv Hughes has made a sensational claim that New Zealand, not India, are the most persistent and uncomfortable challenge facing the Australian men’s Test side; and he has the summer schedule to back up his conviction.
Australia’s 2026-27 home program is one of the most demanding in recent memory, and at the centre of it sits a four-Test battle against the Black Caps that Hughes believes will deliver some of the season’s most compelling cricket.
The baggy greens are set to play as many as 21 Test matches across eleven months beginning in August, and their home summer alone packs in five T20Is against England, followed by four Tests against New Zealand, all crammed into a tight window that gives players barely enough time to recover between matches.
“They’re the toughest opponents.”
Merv Hughes is pumped for the Australia v New Zealand Test series, and now you can get involved with all tickets to the 2026-27 summer of cricket on sale now: https://t.co/kTpCIo4TQjpic.twitter.com/TvtQSFnQgt
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) June 15, 2026
The visiting New Zealand squad will have come straight from hosting India before landing in Australia, while the Australians themselves are scheduled to depart for the subcontinent almost immediately after the final day’s play in Sydney.
Hughes argued that the Black Caps produce a particular brand of intensity and stubbornness when facing Australia that they simply do not replicate against other sides.
“They’re tough and uncompromising when they play against Australia,” he said. “You have a look at them against other countries and they don’t seem to have that tenacity. But against Australia… So four Test series this summer, it’s going to be massive and we’re going to see some bloody good cricket.”
For a nation with a far smaller population than most of their rivals, New Zealand consistently punch well above their weight in this fixture, and Hughes believes this summer will be no different.
“They come across the ditch, and they play against Australia as though we’re the big brother,” he added.
“So it’s almost as though we play most countries and you think, ‘Oh, New Zealand coming up,’ like you start rubbing your hands and they’re the toughest opponents. They come out and they punch above their weight, the population that they have.”
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What is New Zealand’s record against Australia in Test matches?
Australia hold a dominant head-to-head advantage across the full history of this rivalry, but New Zealand have made them work for it more than the raw numbers might suggest.
| Result | Matches |
|---|---|
| Total Tests Played | 62 |
| Australia Wins | 36 |
| New Zealand Wins | 8 |
| Draws | 18 |
New Zealand tour of Australia 2026: The full schedule
The original planning for New Zealand’s tour only accounted for three Tests. However, a fourth fixture to mark the 150th Test match between the two countries has been added.
The result is four matches wedged into a period that would normally accommodate three, with two four-day gaps and one three-day turnaround between fixtures.
To manage the congestion, the opening Test in Perth begins on a Wednesday rather than the traditional Thursday, while the New Year Test in Sydney runs from Monday to Friday.
| Match | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Men’s T20I Series vs England | ||
| 1st T20I | MCG, Melbourne | Saturday, November 21 |
| 2nd T20I | Gold Coast Stadium | Tuesday, November 24 |
| 3rd T20I | The Gabba, Brisbane | Friday, November 27 |
| 4th T20I | SCG, Sydney | Sunday, November 29 |
| 5th T20I | Manuka Oval, Canberra | Wednesday, December 2 |
| Men’s Test Series vs New Zealand | ||
| 1st Test | Perth Stadium, Perth | December 9–13 |
| 2nd Test | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide | December 17–21 |
| 3rd Test | MCG, Melbourne (Boxing Day) | December 26–30 |
| 4th Test | SCG, Sydney (New Year) | January 4–8 |
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