Is Australia the Hardest Place for a Touring Side to Win a Test Series?

It is never easy to win a test series in your home country. 

It is even harder to go halfway across the world to a foreign environment, away from those you love, with the crowd and the conditions against you and win a test series.

Each nation’s pitches throw up different challenges: swing and seam in England and New Zealand, spin in the Subcontinent, pace and bounce in Australia and South Africa and a bit of everything in the West Indies.

Then there are other factors to take into consideration: the behaviour of supporters, the attitude of the media, the different cultures, I could go on.

It is a challenge to win a test series away almost anywhere, but perhaps nowhere more so than down under.

From 2000-2020, Australia lost just 12.2% of test matches on their home patch, the lowest loss rate in that era of any side. In that same period, they won 72.2% of matches at home, a win percentage second to none in those 20 years.

Australian sides are almost always packed with quality batsman who are comfortable batting on the hard pitches found there and know to stay on the back foot due to the extra pace and bounce that the wickets offer, whereas overseas batsman often look to get on the front foot and are taken aback by the extra zip off the pitch.

It isn’t just the opposition batsman that struggle in Australia, it’s the bowlers as well. With the pitches offering very little swing and the less bowler-friendly Kookaburra ball being used in Australia, there is very little assistance for pace bowlers who aren’t suited to the conditions. Spinners from the subcontinent also have a poor record down under – Muttiah Muralitharan, the leading test wicket taker of all time, averaged an abysmal 75.4 with the ball in Australia and spinners from overseas often fail to utilize the bounce offered by Aussie pitches which Nathan Lyon and Shane Warne have used to their advantage so effectively.

As if it wasn’t already hard enough to win a test series in Australia, there are other challenges that make it even harder to play there.

Australian pitches are larger than their counterparts in other countries, meaning batsmen must be prepared to push hard for 2’s and 3’s, which is physically draining and even more so in the searing Australian heat. Temperatures of above 40 degrees centigrade are not uncommon in Australia and are incredibly draining for players, especially batsman and keepers who have to wear thick padding and also for fast bowlers who are expected to repeatedly charge in and bowl as quickly as possible.

There is also a darker side to Australian cricket.

The crowds and players have a reputation for hostility towards the opposition, with rude chanting and targeted, personal sledging not being uncommon at cricket matches in Australia. The ‘win at all costs’ mentality often associated with the men in baggy green has led to a number of unlawful incidents out on the pitch and has created a negative buzz around the team. Too often certain Australian cricketers have crossed the line with their conduct, creating an unnecessarily hostile atmosphere towards the touring side.

The Australian cricket team and the fans aren’t the only ones making it tough for the opposition, the media play their role as well. Often likened to vultures, ready to swoop on to anything bad they can find about the opposition or even their own team, the cricketing media down under are notoriously harsh, meaning that players must be mentally strong to combat any external noise from the press.

So although those playing a test series in Australia may not encounter the same amount of swing as in England, the cracked pitches and die hard fans of India or the ideal bowling conditions of South Africa, perhaps it is the toughest place for a touring side to win a test series.