The Black Caps captain Ross Taylor is predicting a fierce contest from an under fire Australia when the two teams square off in the first cricket test starting in Brisbane on Thursday.
The Australian media has all but written off the current side with five topline players unavailable and four bowlers set to make their debut at the Gabba.
However the Black Caps haven't won a test on Australian soil since 1985 and are still firmly near the foot of the ICC test rankings with lowly Bangladesh the only side propping them up.
Although full of confidence after Taylor and Jesse Ryder scored swashbuckling centuries on the final day of the drawn four-day match against Australia A, the Black Caps skipper says the first test will be a tense affair.
