An expected nation sits on the edge of its seat as the Black Caps attempt to turn a commanding position into a winning one—what most pundits would describe as the impossible—with day four going underway this morning in Christchurch.
Australia needs to chase down a tough 279 to make a clean sweep of the series, but the focus is on whether the Blackcaps can finally remove the yoke around their neck and knock off the old rival—something they have not done at home since 1993 or away since the Doug Bracewell-led heroics in Hobart in 2011.
The Aussies went into stumps four wickets down after Matt Henry and debutant Ben Sears made significant inroads overnight after extracting gold from a relatively benign pitch.
For New Zealand to even get to a position of authority, they needed things to click with their batting to set a total worthy of making Australia work hard to get the result that is usually a fait accompli.
On Sunday, Tom Latham with 73 and Kane Williamson with 51 battled to erase the first-innings lead and poured the slab for Rachin Ravindra to build a solidly-constructed 82 that pushed New Zealand’s noses ahead. Daryl Mitchell who had been scratchy in the first game looked to be rediscovering his touch with a hard-earned 58 before being undone by Josh Hazlewood to leave them 286/5.
With things looking rosy, the Kiwis’ flight of fancy struck some minor turbulence when Tom Blundell followed by Glenn Phillps departed cheaply.
Matt Henry made 16 before playing an irresponsible shot attempting to clear the fence off Lyon. Captain Tim Southee’s wretched run of form with bat and ball continued when he made a duck after failing to keep down a short one directed into the body from his counterpart Pat Cummins.
Enter Scott Kuggeleijn, who up until this point had not contributed much to the series, surprised all with a cameo of Hitchcock proportions swatting 44 off 49 before holing out of Lyon. The dig could prove crucial in giving the Black Caps just enough rough to tie up the series.
New Zealand would have liked a bit more insurance than the target 279 afforded, but, as the annuals of cricket will attest, any fourth-innings score over 250 is a tough assignment, even for a hardened outfit like Australia.
Under the weight of an expectant cricketing public watching from the west island, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja would have been under no illusions that a swift and decisive victory was the only acceptable result.
However, things went south early when Smith, whose tenure at the top of the innings has been a disaster, missed a length ball from Henry that nipped enough to trap the fidgety right-hander in front for 9.
Howls of delight reverberated around Hagley Oval’s impressive crowd as Smith’s attempt to overturn the adjacent-looking LBW was knocked back after a DRS review.
Marnus Labuschagne, who ended an indifferent run of form with 90 in the first innings, didn’t push on after being dropped in the slips, closing the face on a Ben Sears delivery sending a leading edge back to the jubilant new-comer.
It was 30-3 when Khawaja got caught on the crease and nicked one off Henry to Southee at second slip who held a screamer low-down, giving the Canterbury paceman his ninth wicket for the test.
The Jolly Green Giant of the first test, otherwise known as Cameron Green, looked understandably cautious, nudging his way to 5 off 21 before a half-hearted leave took the edge of his vertical bat face off Sears, cannoning into his stumps.
At 34-4, it seemed a miracle of Lourdes-like proportions was unfolding in Christchurch as Travis Head was joined by Mitchell Marsh. Rather than prod and graft his way through the new ball, the West Australian allrounder decided to fight fire with fire and clubbed four boundaries in quick succession to put the fear of God back into the Kiwis.
Cricket lovers were like kids on Christmas Eve, such was the anticipation for what lies ahead in the morning.
Although a work day in Christchurch, bosses around the Canterbury region should expect a glut of text messages from their workers detailing various illnesses that will keep them away from the office as New Zealand chases a long overdue victory over the trans-Tasman foe.
