Taking on Australia in their own backyard is like tackling Mount Everest, New Zealand cricket coach John Bracewell believes. Bracewell said his players realised they faced a huge challenge against an Australian side fresh from its first series win against India on the subcontinent since 1969.
The Kiwi coach said he regarded his team's Test and one-day clean sweep against cricketing minnows Bangladesh as "practice time in the middle" ahead of the Australia series.
"It's a little like climbing a big hill and your next mission is to climb Everest, that's the gap," he told reporters. "But at least we've spent some time climbing."
Bracewell bristled as suggestions an inexperienced Kiwi attack missing paceman Shane Bond and seamer Daryl Tuffey would struggle to bowl out the Australians.
"We've come here to play cricket, you've got to turn out with the team you've got," he said.
Bracewell defended the controversial selection of batsman Hamish Marshall over Craig McMillan, despite what the coach admitted was a poor first class record.
"We threw him into the position of three in one day cricket and he mastered that, he batted with good rhythm," Bracewell said. "We really just want to see if he can make that step up."
The Kiwis won the one-dayers and drew the Test series on their last Australian trip three years ago and Bracewell said there was always an edge to the trans-Tasman rivalry.
"It's a bit of big brother-little brother thing" he said.
New Zealand open the tour against New South Wales this week before Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide later this month, followed by three one-day matches in early December.