Top 5 Test captains and their toughest touring country

2. Stephen Fleming in Australia – 8 Tests:

New Zealand has often been under the grasp of the Australians irrespective of the format the two sides have come up against. In the longer format, it has always been one-sided just like the recent 3-match Test series in the 2019-20 season.

Even a reliable captain like Stephen Fleming couldn’t turn the fate of Blackcaps against their neighbouring nation. Fleming led the Kiwis in as many as eight Tests across three series on the Australian soil but failed to lead them to win even once.

New Zealand lost in Brisbane and Perth during the 3-match series in the 1997 tour. The final Test in Hobart gave an opportunity for New Zealand who needed to chase 288 in around 61 overs. The game was affected by rain and teams declared little early to produce a result. New Zealand got to 72/0 in around 10 overs but finished with 223/9. The Blackcaps returned to Australia in 2001 to play a 3-match Test series which ended in a draw as all game finished in a draw only.

New Zealand had their moments in the series as they made 274/6 chasing 284 in the rain-affected Brisbane Test. In the final game of the series, Australia held on to a draw as they scored 381/7 chasing 440 to win.

The Aussies were pushed to fight for a draw once they lost their 7th wicket as they made 26 runs in the last 10.4 overs of the game without losing a wicket. Fleming’s last Test tour of Australia in 2004 was a forgettable one as the New Zealanders lost both games of the series by a big margin.