Overnight optimism that New Zealand’s Black Caps could quickly wrap up the innings and push on to overhaul Australia’s overnight total of 279/9 was quickly eroded as the world champions’ tail wagged significantly on the back of yesterday’s centurion, Cameron Green’s, outstanding 174 not-out.
Rested and ready to go, a fine morning greeted New Zealand’s seam attack who probably envisioned tying off Australia’s innings with haste. However, it was far from a fait accompli as Green continued in fine fettle depositing the Black Caps’ pop-gun attack to the farthest reaches of the Basin Reserve.
Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, doing a commentary stint for the host broadcaster, summed it up best in saying Captain Tim Southee “was out of ideas” as Green controlled the tempo of the game after being given plenty of rope to do so by vast and uninspired field placements.
Green was ably assisted by number 11, Josh Hazlewood who, much to the chagrin of Captain Southee and his charges, overstayed his welcome and contributed to a world-record 10th-wicket partnership of 116.
After the umpires extended lunch by 30 minutes on the back of Australia being 9 down, the end finally came courtesy of Hazlewood tamely chipping Matt Henry to mid-off.
New Zealand’s Turn At the Crease
New-ball pairing Mitchell Starc and Hazlewood opened up on an early afternoon uncharacteristically bereft of wind, and soon found success as Latham made a fatal misjudgement chopping a length ball onto the timber to give the home team just the start they didn’t need.
Black Cap’s supporters shifted uneasily in their lazyboys as Mr. Dependable Kane Williamson was run out by Marnus Labuschagne, who threw down the stumps from mid-off after a comical mid-pitch collision with a ball-watching Young.
Hometown hero Rachin Ravindra, who came into the game on the back of an impressive double hundred against a cobbled-together South African team, didn’t trouble the scorers as he sliced a drive to Nathan Lyon to point.
The usually dependable Daryl Mitchell made 11 before Captain Courageous Pat Cummins induced an edge through to Alex Carey before a similar fate befell Will Young who had struggled to 9 off 50 deliveries.
The muscular Glenn Phillips then launched the innings rearguard with Tom Blundell putting on 83 for the sixth wicket before the introduction of Lyon accounted for Blundell via thin edge onto pad that Travis Head swallowed.
Capitulation threatened as Scott Kuggeleijn played ridiculous larrup at Lyon which Green pouched on the square-leg boundary to make it 7-113.
With all seemingly lost, enter Matt Henry who decided to throw caution out the window, and counterattacked smashing 42 off 34, including 4 massive bombs to give New Zealand some respectability.
After bringing up his half century, Phillips took the bait dangled in front of him in the form of a short ball from Hazlewood which was collected by Starc at deep square leg.
Southee came and went, and Henry’s flame was extinguished by the impressive Lyon, leaving New Zealand short of the follow-on.
Surprisingly, but perhaps as a result of the time left in the game, Australia chose to bat again and were shocked early when Steve Smith gave Southee’s match figures some respectability departing for a duck after edging an innocuous delivery onto his stumps.
The gods were smiling on Southee as an out-of-nick Labuschagne was strangled down the leg side to make it 2/4, at which time nightwatchman Lyon shuffled out to the middle amidst a growing fervour in the Friday afternoon post-work crowd.
Further inconvenience for Australia was narrowly avoided on the day’s last ball, when Southee standing at second slip shelled a very catchable chance off Lyon off Henry.
If ever a moment summed up the fortunes of a team, this was it, but tomorrow, as they say, is another day.
