Many regard the ODI series that starts on Wednesday as a tune-up for the trans-Tasman Test series that follows.
Others have suggested it’s a chance for Australia to regain some limited-overs confidence with an eye on the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup in India.
Steve Smith doesn’t fall into either camp, having asked his teammates to treat the three-match ODI bout as an important series in its own right.
“Absolutely, I want to win every series that we play,” Smith said on the eve of the Wednesday’s series opener in Auckland.
“We want to win a lot more away from home and we’ve got an opportunity to do that in this one-day series here.
“We’ll try and play our best team as much as we can to win each series. There’s no doubt it is a big challenge, New Zealand are a very good one-day side.”
Australia collapsed to 9-106 at Eden Park during their pool clash with New Zealand at the 2015 World Cup.
Smith, one of four players in Australia’s current ODI squad to have played in that loss, acknowledged the Blackcaps would be tough to beat on their own patch.
“They have played particularly well here at home,” the skipper said.
“We’ve got quite a different side to the one who faced them in the World Cup final, so it is a big challenge for us but were really looking forward to it.”
New Zealand have faced Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home since they were beaten 2-0 by Australia in a recent three-match Test series.
But Brendon McCullum made no secret of the fact Australia’s visit was the highlight of their 2015-16 schedule.
“From every fan in New Zealand’s point of view and all the guys in the changing room, this is certainly one that we’ve been waiting for,” McCullum said.
“It’s a good opportunity to test our skills against the best team in the world in our conditions.
“There’s obviously going to be a few nerves tomorrow.
“There will always be a few anxieties heading into a big series but it’s just about settling yourself as quickly as possible and we’ll certainly be stressing that.”
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