Chappell-Hadlee series: the only one that matters

OPINION: The 2007 Chappell-Hadlee series was the best I can remember. Shane Bond on fire in a ten wicket win in Wellington; chasing down 336 at Eden Park; and Craig McMillan's century - the fastest by a kiwi - helping the Blackcaps seal a stunning whitewash in Hamilton.

The scenes at Seddon Park when Brendon McCullum hit the winning runs are unforgettable, and kiwis celebrated beating the old enemy like there was no tomorrow.

Blackcaps
The Blackcaps celebrate winning the Chappell-Hadlee series in Hamilton in 2007 (Getty image)

All this against a team without Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke and Brett Lee. 

Bear that in mind over the coming week. Usman Khawaja's preparing for tests against India. David Warner - the top-ranked one-day batsmen in the world - needs a rest.

And skipper Steve Smith's nursing a sore ankle. The Blackcaps will face a watered-down Australian side for the Chappell-Hadlee trophy, but it doesn't matter. Australia is Australia and, in any case, the Chappell-Hadlee series is all about us.  

The Aussies don't care. Their fans are apathetic. The crowds for the series across the ditch earlier this season were awful. So what?!

That's Cricket Australia's problem, not ours. 

What is our problem is ensuring the Blackcaps remain competitive with the big brother, and with that in mind it's important they bounce back from the three-nil defeat across the ditch last year and win this series. 

If New Zealand Cricket - the players, the fans and the administrators - want the Chappell-Hadlee Series to have a future, then it's vital the Blackcaps perform on home soil against our fiercest rival.

The reason this series is on the calendar is because it guarantees three big gates for NZC, but it'll only continue to be a regular fixture if New Zealand can keep things competitive on the field.

Kiwis love their one-day cricket as much as they hate the Aussies, and in an age where bilateral cricket series often struggle for context and meaning, this is perhaps the only series that really matters to the fans.

But if New Zealand can't remain competitive against Australia, then the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy that fans and players covet will be left to gather dust in a cupboard in Melbourne as other nations and more lucrative series take priority for Cricket Australia. 

There's a point to prove for New Zealand in this series. There's a point to prove for the players who failed in Australia, for Ross Taylor whose runs were sorely missed across the Tasman, and for Kane Williamson who has a chance to outwit a rookie skipper in Matthew Wade and claim the big scalp his captaincy reign needs. 

Aussie allrounder Glenn Maxwell said earlier this week that New Zealand were a different side without Brendon McCullum, and that the team lack "explosive, scary, unbelievable power at the top".

It's clear that Australia no longer see the team as the threat they once were. A simple task that can be easily completed without their best players. 

Sounds a bit like 2007 all over again.