The New Zealand national cricket team toured Australia in the 1980–81 season and played 3 Test matches. Australia won the series 2–0 with one match drawn. This was followed by a one-day series, which included the match that featured the underarm incident.

28–30 November 1980 (5-day match) Scorecard

New Zealand	v	Australia
225 (70.1 overs) GP Howarth 65 (119) JD Higgs 4/59 (16.1 overs)		305 (115.5 overs) GM Wood 111 (229) BL Cairns 5/87 (38.5 overs)
142 (41.1 overs) BA Edgar 51 (88) RJ Hadlee 51* (57) DK Lillee 6/53 (15 overs)		63/0 (21.3 overs) GM Wood 32* (65)

Australia won by 10 wickets Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane Umpires: RC Bailhache and MW Johnson Player of the match: GM Wood (AUS)

• Australia won the toss and elected to field.
• The match was scheduled for five days but completed in three.
• GF Lawson (AUS), and JG Bracewell and IDS Smith (both NZ) made their Test debuts.

12–14 December 1980 (5-day match) Scorecard

New Zealand	v	Australia
196 (73.5 overs) JV Coney 71 (165) DK Lillee 5/63 (23.5 overs)		265 (81.1 overs) RW Marsh 91 (161) RJ Hadlee 5/87 (27 overs)
121 (48.1 overs) WK Lees 25* (55) JD Higgs 4/25 (8 overs)		55/2 (22.1 overs) J Dyson 25* (75) RJ Hadlee 2/20 (11.1 overs)

Australia won by 8 wickets Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth Umpires: AR Crafter and DG Weser Player of the match: RW Marsh (AUS)

• Australia won the toss and elected to field.
• The match was scheduled for five days but completed in three.

26–30 December 1980 (5-day match) Scorecard

Australia	v	New Zealand
321 (121.3 overs) KD Walters 107 (206) JV Coney 3/28 (12.3 overs)		317 (108.2 overs) GP Howarth 65 (124) RM Hogg 4/60 (26.2 overs)
188 (87.2 overs) GS Chappell 78 (221) RJ Hadlee 6/57 (27.2 overs)		128/6 (54 overs) JG Wright 44 (115) GS Chappell 2/7 (7 overs)

Match drawn Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Umpires: RC Bailhache and AR Crafter Player of the match: RJ Hadlee (NZ)

• New Zealand won the toss and elected to field.

• CricketArchive – tour summaries

• Playfair Cricket Annual 1981
• Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 1981

• Chris Harte, A History of Australian Cricket, Andre Deutsch, 1993

v t e Trans-Tasman Trophy
List of Test series (yellow – in Australia, grey – in New Zealand)
1985	1985–86 1987–88 1989–90 1993–94 1997–98 2001–02 1985–86 1989–90 1992–93 1999–2000
2002	2004–05 2008–09 2011–12 2015–16 2019–20 2004–05 2009–10 2015–16
Non Trans-Tasman Trophy – Australia v New Zealand Test series 1945–46 1973–74 1973–74 1976–77 1980–81 1981–82