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Key events
WICKET! Latham c Carey b Lyon 8 (New Zealand 15-1)
Lyon strikes! Second ball was a rank long hop but it hopped high and Latham’s eyes lit up. He leaned back and swiped but it caught the edge and Carey gloved it on the up. Big wicket for the Australians. What can Kane Williamson produce?
5th over: New Zealand 15-0 (Latham 8, Young 7) Starc is still struggling for his line here. He’s scowling up a storm. But he’s not leaking runs either and two maidens on the trot is a pretty sweet silver lining. Nathan Lyon is moving in for a spell me thinks.
4th over: New Zealand 15-0 (Latham 8, Young 7) Play and miss! That was a whisker from Young’s outside edge. But he finds the middle of the bat on the second ball gets two behind square, and then a single from the next. Latham does even better, working a straighter ball off his hip and down to the fine leg fence for four.
3rd over: New Zealand 8-0 (Latham 4, Young 4) Starc is spraying them in this over. Could be the Wellington wind which is at his back. Or could be faulty radar. Either way he’s way outside the ‘channel of challenge’. Starc is pawing at the popping crease with a scowl, displeased at his landing point. But somehow he’s delivered a maiden.
2nd over: New Zealand 8-0 (Latham 4, Young 4) Josh Hazlewood will steam into the wind for his opening spell, not that he’ll mind. There’s plenty of bounce left in this Basin Reserve pitch and the Bendemeer Bullet finds it immediately, luring Latham into a flourish outside off. He misses but not by much. The fifth is superb bowling – bang on line as per usual – and Latham follows it again and gets a little too close for comfort. He finally gets a bat on one, working a single from the final delivery.
1st over: New Zealand 7-0 (Latham 3, Young 4) The Black Caps are away! Mitchell Starc shaped a ball onto leg stump but Latham leaned into it and squirted it behind square for a rapidly-run three. Excellent intent from the Kiwis. Likewise from Starc who whistles the a bouncer past Will Young’s nose hairs. Welcome, Mr Young! But he gets an educated edge to the next one, opening the face and playing late. It skids past Cameron Green at gully and rockets into the third man fence. Seven runs from the first!
Glenn Phillips is delighted with his five-for and optimistic for the second innings:
“It’s a dream come true. Never thought it’d be in home conditions, thought it’d be in the subcontinent. It’s a surreal moment. Tim is an incredible captain, gives you lots of chances. I’ve had a serious set of coaching staff over the years.
“Partnership bowling helped today, we were great after lunch. Any celebration a six-year-old girl would do, that’s probably me. I’ve never thought of what to do after I get a five-for. Celebrating with the crowd was an unbelievable moment.
“I think we’re in the Test. We’ve got to combat the situation. There’s spin, how we play Lyon and the big fast bowlers will be a challenge. We’ve got a lot of time in hand and hope to get through.”
Australia all out for 164. New Zealand need 369 runs to win.
We’re only halfway through this Test match but already we’re entering the final innings. What a thriller it’s going to be. New Zealand need 369 for victory but will take enormous heart from bowling out this star-studded Australian lineup for 164, their sixth-lowest total ever in Tests against the Black Caps.
They’ve done it with the ball, can they do it with the bat? It’s a strong batting order but they badly fluffed their lines in the first dig, mixing horrible batting with terrible luck. Surely Kane Williamson – who had four consecutive centuries before he ran himself out second-ball yesterday – will lead the way. Or will the Australian fast bowling cartel click into gear and cause merry havoc as they did in the first innings?
Buckle ‘em up and batten ‘em down – we’re about to find out!
WICKET! Starc b Henry 12 (Australia 164-10)
Henry ends it! He tossed up a full ball on the pegs and Starc duly swung for the heavens and missed. The ball cannoned into leg stump and that’s the end of Australia’s second innings. Fantastic fightback from the New Zealand bowling attack led by Glenn Phillips’ 5 for 45. Here comes the run chase. The home side need 369 runs to win this Test.
51st over: Australia 164-9 (Starc 12, Hazlewood 1) Phillips ambles into the 16th over of this incredible five-wicket spell. Hazlewood can’t be tempted by the first couple but he leans back and has a lash at the third. Can’t split the field though. He slog sweeps to the billyo against the spin on the next but catches only the Basin Reserve breeze. He jams out a yorker from the last. That’s a fourth maiden for Mr Phillips.
50th over: Australia 164-9 (Starc 12, Hazlewood 1) Henry to Hazlewood and he takes an easy single from an inside edge the first. Starc swings lustily at the fourth delivery but gets only the toe of the bat on it. Henry dives to avoid the bullet and Starc banks four. Australia’s lead is now a hefty 368 but the psychological advantage of 400 would be immense.
49th over: Australia 159-9 (Starc 8, Hazlewood 0) Thanks Jim! First innings hero Josh Hazlewood is at the crease in the midst of a massive Australian batting collapse. Last time he had Cameron Green at the other end, mixing patience and power. This time his partner is Mitchell Starc, a man famous for the latter but not so much the former. Can this amazing Test take another 10th wicket twist? Glenn Phillips turns the screws with another maiden.
James Wallace
48th over: Australia 159-9 (Starc 8, Hazlewood 0) The players take a drink and that’s my cue to get out of here. Angus Fontaine is here to guide you tenderly through the rest of the day. Game on and Goodbye!
WICKET! Cummins c Latham b Henry 8 (Australia 159-9)
Third time lucky… Cummins edges to Matt Henry at second slip and the catch is taken. New Zealand need one more to polish off the Aussies. The current target is 362 runs.
47th over: Australia 158-8 (Starc 7, Cummins 8) Phillips to Cummins. Big Pat heaves into the leg side…DROPPED and four! My oh my. That was a shocker from the sub fielder Henry Nicholls. The ball crashed through his fingers and plooped over the rope. Should have been caught all day long. Cummins has had two lives and Phillips could easily have picked up seven or eight wickets.
46th over: Australia 148-8 (Starc 7, Cummins 2) Matt Henry replaces O’Rourke who is off the field, a tidy over sees Cummins take a single into the leg side. New Zealand can’t afford to take their foot off the gas here, Cummins and Starc can easily add a quick fifty or so and that diminishes any chance of the Kiwi win by plenty. It’s still a distinctly outside chance with the lead at 352 and Nathan Lyon licking his lips and clicking his fingers. (Doo wah diddy diddy dum diddy dum?)
45th over: Australia 147-8 (Starc 9, Cummins 1) Phillips to new batter Pat Cummins… Cummins heaves one high into the leg side… DROPPED! Kuggeleijn made good ground and got to the ball at wide long on but then shelled the chance. Should have been held. Should have been a sixth wicket for Glenn Phillips.
WICKET! Green c Young b Phillips 34 (Australia 146-8)
Glenn Phillips has five! That’s his first five wicket haul in first class and Test cricket. Green prods forward to a spinning delivery and proffers a catch off the inside edge that Young dives and snaffles at short leg.
44th over: Australia 146-7 (Green 34, Starc 7) O’Rourke back into the attack… Starc clobbers his first ball high and long over midwicket for four. Hello Gruesome. Big Mitch is a dangerous wielder of the long handle, that was a mighty and effortless blow. Oh no, O’Rourke looks to be in trouble here, he bails out of his run up and goes straight off the pitch, I think he was clutching his hamstring – fingers crossed it is just a twinge. Tim Southee finishes off the over by ripping one past the edge of Starc’s blade.
43rd over: Australia 142-7 (Green 34, Starc 3) Starc is the new man, two dots for him to have a sighter and then he works neatly into the gap in the leg side to pick up three runs. Australia lead by 346 runs with three wickets remaining.
WICKET! Carey c Southee b Phillips 3 (Australia 139-7)
Sharp catch by Tim Southee! Phillips gets his fourth wicket of the innings, tossing one up outside off that Carey drives in the air and straight to Southee at short cover, only about five metres away from the bat. The Kiwi skipper clings on to a reflex catch with both hands. New Zealand into the tail…
42nd over: Australia 138-6 (Green 33, Carey 3) The magnificently tousled Rachin Ravindra is coming on for his first bowl in the match. Starts with a full toss that Carey misses out on. A sweep brings Green on strike. Ravindra lollops in, left arm around the wicket, no discernible spin but a tidy action. Two off the over.
41st over: Australia 136-6 (Green 32, Carey 2) Phillips gives it some more air and nearly pockets Alex Carey who throws his hands at the ball and spoons it into the gap in the off side. Phillips throws his head back and allows himself a chuckle, he thought he had another there.
Epic pic from Collo:
40th over: Australia 134-6 (Green 32, Carey 1) Cameron Green is still in the middle, he flays Southee up and over a diving Phillips in the gully for four. A back foot punch brings two more. New Zealand are buoyed, these runs will take some chasing even if Australia were skittled without another run being added, but they’ve given themselves a hint of a whiff of a sniff here in Wellington.
39th over: Australia 127-6 (Green 26, Carey 0) A small matter of a double wicket maiden for Glenn Phillips. Australia lead by 331 runs.
Fielders round the bat… Here we go… Phillips throws it wide of off stump and Carey leaves well alone. No hat-trick but New Zealand back in the game at the Basin!
WICKET! Marsh c Young b Phillips 0 (Australia 127-6)
Glenn Phillips is on a Test hat-trick! Mitch Marsh pops a catch to Will Young at bat pad off his very first ball. Now then! Alex Carey will be on strike for the big moment…
WICKET! Head c Kuggeleijn b Phillips 29 (Australia 127-5)
Head goes for a big one but the bat skews in his hands and he plinks it to Kuggeleijn three quarters of the way back to the fence!
38th over: Australia 127-4 (Green 26, Head 29) Shot! Green unfurls a lovely straight drive off Southee, the ball skimming to the boundary at long on.
37th over: Australia 122-4 (Green 22, Head 28) Glenn Phillips is given the nod and starts with a lovely looping delivery that tempts Head into a big swish but spin sharply to leave him grasping outside off stump. The walrus moustachioed Head then rocks back and plays a cut for three runs, Tom Latham hunting the ball down in the deep.
36th over: Australia 119-4 (Green 22, Head 25) Tim Southee starts things off, Cameron Green greets a length ball with an open face and a glide for four. Lovely touch from the big man. DROP! Green then smacks one straight back to Southee who can’t cling on above his head, tough chance but New Zealand need to take them.
“Morning / Afternoon / Evening James.”
Just ticking up to 1am here in London Patrick O’Brien.
“Is it just me or does Will O’Rourke sound like a 90s indie rocker who played ‘angular’ guitar but always had an underlying passion for country music ie has the original vinyl of Sweetheart of the Rodeo? I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”
I’m all for it. I’d go watch Will O’Rourke’s acoustic noodlings at the Half Moon Cafe. Care to join?
Here come the players for the afternoon session, Green and Head stroll out to the middle under cloudy Wellington skies. Let’s play!
Time for some sustenance, join us for the afternoon session shortly and please do fling a missive into the OBO mailbag.
Lunch: Australia 113-4 (Lead by 317 runs)
Gah. Glenn Phillips has the final over of the session and he drops too short, allowing Head to flay him away through the leg side for a boundary. Same again, Phillips kicks the turf as he serves up a short one for Head to feast on before lunch can begin in earnest. Australia finish strongly and will be more than happy with their morning’s work: 100 runs added 27 overs for the loss of two wickets – Lyon and Khawaja.
35th over: Australia 113-4 (Green 17, Head 24)
34th over: Australia 105-4 (Green 17, Head 16) New Zealand in danger of letting their decent morning’s graft get away from them as Kuggeleijn replaces O’Rourke and is picked off for two boundaries in the over by Travis Head. A pull for four off the hip is followed by a cut shot for four more – Head backs to leg and generates just enough room to play the stroke. He’s so dangerous, New Zealand have to get him before he gets them.
33rd over: Australia 96-4 (Green 17, Head 7) Phillips sends down his first bad ball of the morning, a half tracker that Green pounces on and pummels into the grass bank for SIX!
32nd over: Australia 87-4 (Green 11, Head 4) O’Rourke has been a revelation this morning, he reels off his fourth maiden of the morning.
“Hi James,
I appreciated the Verve Lucky Man song reference. It got me thinking. Since Urban Hymns was released in 1997, NZ and Australia have played 28 tests, with NZ recording one win, in Hobart in 2011. The phrase “meagre returns” doesn’t even begin to describe NZ’s record in this format.
Not so much Lucky Man or men then. I’d suggest Weeping Willow or Space and Time from Urban Hymns as more accurate descriptors of this cricket rivalry, if we can call it that.
“There ain’t no space and time
To keep our love alive
We have existence and it’s all we share.”
Many thanks, David – NZ Cricket supporter in Tokyo
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