Chris Rosie
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New Zealand v Australia at Wellington Chris Rosie |
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Australia 2nd innings:
New Zealand 2nd innings: Australia 1st innings: Pre-game: New Zealand 1st innings: |
However, Mark Waugh started to show signs in keeping with the class batsman he is, breaking the shackles applied by Astle, albeit with a rather ungainly crouching cut to a wide one from the medium pacer. That prompted the replacement of one medium pacer with another, McMillan coming on at the grandstand end.
Mark Waugh immediately confirmed his better touch, stroking 10 off the over. McMillan’s contribution was short, Doull immediately replacing him as the Australians contemplated 41 runs for victory.
Brother Steve started to look in touch, a straight drive off O’Connor all timing. However, it was an illusion. In the same over, Waugh on 15 pushed at one going across him from the left-armer and Fleming took the catch low down to his left at first slip. Australia 144 for 4; 30 left to get.
Mark Waugh and Damien Martyn brought up the 150 in the 50th over as the shadows from the grandstand spread across the field. From there they went clinically on to complete the victory, the bowling tight without being menacing.
Waugh hit the winning runs in the 56th over with a boundary off his pads to finish on 41. Martyn was 17 not out and Australia finished at 177 for 4.
Cairns bowled with fire for his wicket; Vettori with courage for his. O’Connor picked up two wickets but this was a day in which Australia dominated in a manner that reflected the six-wicket win.
For New Zealand, the absence of Vettori from the field after tea signalled the last card had been played. Astle replaced him at the bowling crease, making scoring difficult. However, Langer in particular was getting enough off a lively Cairns at the other end to maintain the increased momentum.
Cairns, though, was rewarded for his continued effort. In the 33rd over with the score on 88, Blewett tried to cut one that was too close and dragged it onto his stumps. On struggling batsman out for 25 to be replaced by another not in the best of touch, Mark Waugh. In went a short leg under the helmet. Cairn bounced, Waugh offered an involuntary hook and the ball fell into no-man’s land in front of long leg.
Cairns continued to give Waugh a torrid time, one bouncer clipping the bat as the Australian evaded a bouncer and profited from the ball flying high over Parore to the boundary. Even Langer started to look vulnerable, particularly to the fuller ball.
However, Cairns could not go on forever and after a seven-over spell in the 39th of the innings he was replaced by O’Connor. His arrival coincided with the 100 and Langer’s 50, his 10th in test cricket, this one off 71 balls. The over cost 12 with drinks taken at 110 for two, 64 required.
Fleming tried McMillan before tea but the medium pacer found no apparent chinks in the batsmen’s armour and Australia went to the break on 58 for one, 116 required to win and nine wickets with which to do it.
Parore ended on 33, O’Connor not out 4 and the innings closed at 294. The wickets were shared around, three each for Warne and Lee, two for Miller and one for McGrath.. However, Warne and Lee’s figures reflected the punishment dealt out on occasions by Cairns and later Doull, the spinner’s 27 overs going for 92, the pace man’s 23 for 87. McGrath was as mean as ever, his 22 costing just 35 but his single wicket reflecting the number of balls the batsmen were able to leave.
Blewett and Michael Slater began Australia’s pursuit of 174 for victory, facing Cairns and O’Connor, who replaced Doull with the new ball. Also hovering in the background was the figure of Daniel Vettori, testing his bowling arm and his injured back.
The New Zealand opening pair offered a searching early examination, Blewett in particular not looking comfortable. Cairns still offered that odd short wide ball, which Slater cashed in on forward of point. And O’Connor lost his line in his fourth over, easy pickings for both batsmen and yielding nine runs.
That encouraged Fleming to turn to a discomforted Vettori. After one ball he felt a lot, lot better. The left-arm spinner went over the wicket, Slater came down the pitch, the ball turned past him and Parore did the rest. Slater gone for 12, the score 22.
Justin Langer joined Blewett and brought Vettori back to earth, sending him high over the mid-wicket boundary. But Blewett was finding the spinner a handful as Australia went to drinks at 33 for 1.
Simon Doull joined Parore with the score 222, a lead of 104 with just two wickets left. Parore maintained his reputation for endangering his partners and himself with his running between wickets and his extra step down the pitch, the third umpire needed to decide he had survived another Langer flick from short leg.
However, Doull was not about to let the situation unsettle him. In Cairns-like fashion he stood at the crease in stand-and-deliver mode, Lee in particular suffering as 13 came off the 27th over of the morning. The treatment saw the replacement of Lee with McGrath.
Having seen Lee off, Doull set about Warne, putting him over the mid-wicket boundary. An innings that was supposedly dead and buried rollicked on, the pair bringing up the 50 partnership in 38 minutes off 53 balls.
However, it was Warne who gained retribution on behalf of his pace colleagues. Doull hit hard straight at Steve Waugh at cover and the Australian captain went backwards in taking the catch.
Doull’s hitting had produced a quick 40 and taken the New Zealand total to 276 in a 54-run partnership.
Shayne O’Connor joined Parore and the last pair survived until lunch, taken with the score at 286, an advantage of 165.
Conditions were much improved on the previous two days, the wind dropping to a breeze and moving to the less-chilling north, as another early start, at 10.09, was made in the continuing attempt to make up lost time.
Glenn McGrath, from the southern end, and Colin Miller in spin mode took up the attack. Early interest in quick singles raised the heart rate before Cairns produced the first boundary of the morning, a superbly timed drive off McGrath wide of mid-off in the fifth over.
The pair had time to break the New Zealand sixth-wicket partnership against Australia of 109 before McGrath finally gained his first wicket of the test, drawing Cairns half forward and giving Umpire Raizuddin much to consider before he gave the leg-before decision against the batsman.
Cairns gone for 69, Parore joining Fleming with the score on 198 and New Zealand’s hopes virtually snuffed once again with the departure of Cairns early in the day --- a repeat of the first test.
Virtually became almost definite seven overs later. There was time enough for Parore’s instinctive extra step after playing a shot to get him into trouble, Langer at short leg just missing the stumps with Parore stranded well out of his ground.
Relief was temporary. In the 14th over of the morning, Fleming tried to pull a short ball from Miller and got it only as far as Greg Blewett at a wide mid wicket. The captain had contributed 60 to the score, at that stage, of 205.
An injured Daniel Vettori accompanied by a runner in the form of Mathew Sinclair. Vettori was defiant, cutting Miller behind gully for four, while Parore got off the mark after nine overs, cutting a wide ball from McGrath’s replacement, Brett Lee, airily through the gap between slip and gully.
Shane Warne was introduced in the 18th over, the last before drinks. And immediately had a big call for leg before turned down by Umpire Quested against Vettori. New Zealand went to the breaks at 215 for seven.
The New Zealand all rounder brought up his 18th test 50 off 54 balls with a straight drive off Lee and followed up with another as the speedster tried for the yorker that had been so effective before tea. The treatment was enough to encourage Waugh, in the 55th over, to replace Lee with McGrath, still wicketless in the match.
His arrival coincided with Fleming’s reaching his 24th test 50 off 95 balls. At the other end, Miller with his off-spin replaced Blewett into the wind. By that stage of the evening, 5.20, the umpires had their light meters out. Play continued, time for the pair to post the 100 partnership. There was also time for Cairns to survive an exuberant appeal for a bat pad before the umpires called a halt with nine overs still to complete.
New Zealand ended the day on 189 for 5, Cairns on 61 and Fleming 53. Lee, Warne and Miller shared the wickets. But the bowling return could be encapsulated in two overs, one by Lee the other by Warne, in which each bowler took their two wickets. Those two overs kept Australia in control after New Zealand had eaten away at their overnight advantage.
New Zealand will go into the fourth day with a 68-run advantage, five wickets in hand and much depending on Fleming and Cairns.
Astle gained some relief with a cover drive off Miller but it was temporary. In the next over, the 38th, Warne got his flipper working, Astle went back but was too late, completely beaten. If that wasn’t enough, next ball McMillan tried to sweep, sent it straight up, and Mark Waugh took the catch. Two wickets at 88 and the innings in tatters.
Cairns survived the hat-trick ball. He and Fleming set about the resurrection. Initially it was a tentative process. However, in the 44th over, Cairns took to Warne, first a straight drive four to bring up the 100, then successive sixes over long on and extra cover.
Waugh’s immediate response was to replace Miller with Lee at the other end. Cairns’ response was to hook the speedster for six over the waiting fieldsmen, in processing taking New Zealand into credit with five wickets in hand.
Fleming joined in, cover driving Warne for four, and Cairns kept at Lee, smashing him over extra cover for another six to bring up the 50 partnership in 59 balls.
He followed up with another off Warne, this time over mid on. But the hitting was nearly ruined by a casual piece of running that required many looks by the third umpire to decide whether he was in.
The drinks break was taken with the score 147 for 5.
At the other end, Warne was getting some interesting assistance from the wind as the ball wobbled before landing and biting. However, the batsmen were starting to look increasingly comfortable, a message getting through to Lee as he fielded off his own bowling and hurled the ball back in the vicinity of the stumps.
It needed something special to break the developing stand. Lee provided it. In the 23rd over with the score on 46, the speedster produced a swinging dipping full toss that crashed into the base of a bemused Horne’s middle stump. Two balls later, he gave Matthew Sinclair the same treatment, this one landing on the crease line, with the same result.
Horne gone for 14, Sinclair for a duck and the New Zealand captain entered with the good work undone in the space of a couple of balls.
The 50 came up in the 26th over and saw the introduction of Miller in his off-spin mode with the wind behind him. The spin pair kept the New Zealanders watchful, although one Warne over yielded 10 runs, Spearman cutting him and Fleming driving. However, it was not watchful enough. Right on tea, Miller brought Spearman forward and Langer took the bat-pad at short leg.
Spearman departed with 38 and tea was taken with the score 68 for 3, still 53 in arrears.
The strategy was sufficient to see off Lee after Horne cut a short wide ball to the point boundary. Colin Miller replaced him into the wind in the 10th over. Spearman enjoyed the change, pulling Miller’s medium pace through wide mid on and picking him up to mid-wicket.
Miller lasted just two overs, Waugh bringing on Warne in the 14th over. The New Zealanders negotiated his early appearance, going to the drinks break at 33, the best opening stand for either team for the series.
Waugh had a new partner in Brett Lee, who immediately found life difficult against O’Connor, so difficult in fact that, with the score still at 375, his defence was founding wanting and he was given leg before by Umpire Quested ---- although the slips cordon’s appeal had a measure of caught behind about it.
Yet another partner in the form of Colin Miller for Waugh, who showed signs of going on attack, twice driving McMillan, the second shot an exquisite straight drive for four. Miller also drove McMillan, this time through the covers, but once was all. In the same busy over, the 24th of the morning, McMillan gratefully accepted a lobbed return catch and Miller was on his way for 4 with the score at 386.
Waugh gained his last partner, Glenn McGrath. With few traumas, the pair brought up the 400 in the 117th over of the innings --- just in time to see light rain disrupt proceedings half an hour before lunch. The interruption was only about five minutes and the return coincided with the reintroduction of Cairns to the attack and the replacement of McMillan with Nathan Astle.
McGrath looked in no difficulty and Waugh picked up the tempo of his innings, taking two fours off Astle through the vacant third-man region, the second bringing up his 150 off 311 balls in 415 minutes.
However, Cairns had the last say. In the 33rd over of the morning 10 minutes before lunch, McGrath, on 14, was forced to defend, could only lob it up and the diving bowler took the catch. The last wicket had contributed 33. Waugh remained 151 not out having looked during the morning as though he intended to stay a long time. His partners did not oblige.
The innings ended at 419, 101 added in the morning for the loss of five wickets. Cairns ended up with three for 110 off 26.3 overs and Doull with one for 78 off 19. It was the support cast that kept New Zealand in the match, O’Connor, 2 for 78 off 26 and McMillan three for 57 off 23 doing the damage.
Waugh resumed on 109 and Damien Martyn 41 with the score at 318 for 5, 20 runs to the good of the New Zealand first innings. Overnight rain and early drizzle did not delay the start, brought forward to 10 am to make up for time lost on the second day. Under a brooding sky, the gusting southerly wind continued to provide the hint of winter.
New Zealand’s disadvantage on the scoreboard was heightened by the absence of the spinner Daniel Vettori, back problems keeping him from the field. Chris Cairns, with the southerly behind him, and Simon Doull resumed the attack with the new ball just eight overs old.
Waugh and Martyn took up where they left off the previous day. A loose Cairns offering cut past point, albeit airily enough to give Martyn pause, and an off-line Doull similarly punished, Martyn in the process bringing up his fourth test 50 in the fourth over of the morning. In between times, the pair milked the singles with apparent ease.
Failure of either strike bowler to make any impression saw the introduction into the wind of Craig McMillan’s enthusiastic medium pace in the sixth over of the morning as the sign fought to make an impression. For Waugh, Cairns changed the angles, coming round the wicket to the Australian captain.
The changes could not stop the Australian pair from bringing up their 100 partnership from 143 balls in 95 minutes, courtesy of consecutive Martyn fours off McMillan.
Shayne O’Connor made his second appearance of the morning at the bowling crease in the 11th over, having earlier completed the over interrupted by bad light the previous evening. The left-armer replaced Cairns at the southern end and Martyn immediately reminded him of the dangers of straying, chopping past the slips to the vacant third man boundary. The shot took Martyn past his previous highest test score of 74.
However, O’Connor and McMillan managed to tighten the line and slow the scoring rate, only five runs coming from four overs until the 14th of the morning. Then McMillan bowled short and wide outside off, Martyn wafted and Adam Parore completed the batsman’s disappointment.
With the score 364, Adam Gilchrist joined his captain, who had added just nine in the morning as Martyn went from 41 to 78.
The pair took the score through to 374 for 6 at the first drinks break of the day ---- hot ones recommended.
The new ball was not helping the New Zealand cause, both pace bowlers offering balls at cutable length with both batsmen obliging. It was no surprise to see O’Connor replace Doull and immediately gain sufficient swing to encourage a demand for leg before against Martyn. Umpire Riazuddin was unmoved.
Martyn took revenge, dealing with wide balls from the left-armer to the cover and third-man boundaries. The bowling looked tired and Martyn, in particular, looked ready to cash in.
So the New Zealand bowlers would have felt some relief when, at 5.45, with still 40 minutes to play, the Australian batsmen accepted the umpires’ offer of bad light and the players left the field.
Australia closed the day at 318 for 5, Waugh on 109, Martyn on 41.
For the New Zealand bowlers, the early promise remained unfulfilled, no better demonstrated by Cairns getting the early breakthrough but by the end of the day having gone for 83 off his 20 overs. McMillan picked up the other wicket of the day as the Australian batsmen took advantage of a genial pitch.
Australia will start the third day half an hour early to make up for time lost with an advantage of 20 and five wickets in hand.
Two short balls cut for fours saw the replacement of Cairns with O’Connor. But just when a holding pattern seemed have been assumed by both sides, it was McMillan who gained reward for his enthusiasm, which had seen him flat on his face more than once in his follow-through. He tempted Slater with another short one. This time the century-maker only got the edge of the bat to the ball and Parore took a good catch low down to his left.
Slater’s fine innings ended at 143 and the partnership at 199 with the fifth wicket falling at 250.
Damien Martyn joined his captain as the sun peaked through to offer an early-evening balance to the wind-chill factor.
Astle replaced McMillan at the bowling crease in the shadow of the new ball. His contribution was short as first Cairns and then Doull enjoyed the extra shine and an extra slip or two.
Waugh didn't mind, either, cutting short, wide balls from the respective bowlers to the point boundary.
Australia went to the last drinks break of the day at 283 for 5 with Waugh just one short of his century.
It couldn’t stop Waugh bringing up his 50 either, the Australian captain taking 94 balls to reach his 43rd half century in test cricket. Neither achievement could have been more timely.
Progress was steady if unspectacular. O’Connor was very interested in a leg before appeal, the occasional loose ball was punished and the partnership continued on its significant way.
Stephen Fleming rang the changes, partly forced on him by the departure once again of a discomforted Vettori. Doull replaced O’Connor with the wind behind him and in time to see the 200 up in the 57th over of the innings.
Ten minutes before tea, Fleming tried the idiosyncratic medium pace of Craig McMillan. A bouncer and Slater pulls; another short ball and Slater pulls again. His next over, Slater drives hard, McMillan puts down a low caught-and-bowled chance. Always action when McMillan is involved.
Astle was brought on for Doull in the last over before tea and conceded a four to Slater, Australia going to the break at 224 for four, Slater on 127 and Waugh on 73.
The third over after lunch, bowled by Cairns, was a busy one for the record-keepers with Slater bringing up his 50 off 97 balls, the pair brought up their 50 partnership and the team passed 100 in the 33rd over of the innings.
As happened at the corresponding time on the previous day, batting started to look an easier prospect with the bowlers tending to offer the occasional ball to light up the batsmen’s eyes. Slater in particular cut and pulled with relish.
Vettori was reintroduced in the 30th over, replacing Cairns with the wind behind him. Waugh was watchful, waiting for anything short or full, with which the spinner duly obliged and from which the Australian captain profited. At the other end, Astle took over from Doull, keeping it tight as he trundled into the wind but without any great menace.
Slater certainly thought so. In one over he took to the medium pacer, a four over mid-wicket and a six over mid-off helped to bring up the 100 partnership off 173 balls in the 37th over of the day.
O'Connor took the wind to allow Vettori to switch ends and immediately look more dangerous. However, the Australian pair continued safely to the drinks break with the score at 167 for 4.
Vettori suffered further misfortune, having to leave the field for treatment for a back twinge after that over, the 17th of the morning, to be replaced by the gentle medium pace of Nathan Astle into the wind. Astle kept it tight while at the other end O’Connor offered just one ball an over for the Australians to drive through mid-off, but was otherwise testing.
Vettori returned but there was not time enough for him to resume at the bowling crease before light rain forced the players from the field 20 minutes before lunch with the score at 91 for 4, Slater on 47 and Waugh 21.
Play did not resume before the scheduled lunch break at 12.30.
The visitors, in the forms of Michael Slater on 22 and Justin Langer, yet to face a ball, took up the attack against Simon Doull and Chris Cairns, whose two-slips-and-a-gully fields bore little resemblance to the Australian slip-gully lineup that supported Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath on the first day.
The Australian pair showed early what they would do with anything inviting, Langer cutting both bowlers, Slater cover driving Doull for boundaries. For their part, the bowlers each had leg-before demands turned down, a front-foot one by Doull against Slater looking particularly likely.
But it was Cairns who had the first definitive say of the morning. In his third over, he went round the wicket to Langer, boosted the cordon with a third slip, and had the left-hander pushing forward to a ball that caught the edge and just carried through to a diving Adam Parore behind the stumps. Langer gone for 12 with the score 47.
Mark Waugh joined Slater, but not for long. Cairns, in his next over, brought in Mathew Sinclair to short leg and Waugh obligingly popped the ball into his hands. Australia 51 for 4 and the captain at the crease as similarities with the New Zealand innings loomed.
In the first change of the morning, Daniel Vettori replaced Doull in the 11th over, the 18th of the innings, at the grandstand end to bowl into the wind. With a slip and short cover the close-in field, the left-arm spinner attacked over the wicket, searching for the footmarks outside the right-handers’ legs.
At the other end, Slater was circumspect although a short wide ball from Cairns was dispatched in the air past a diving Craig McMillan at gully to the boundary and Vettori was similarly treated when he strayed.
Shayne O'Connor was brought into the attack in the 14th over of the morning, bowling his left-arm pace from the southern end with the wind behind him. He was quickly reminded that anything short and wide would be punished, Steve Waugh cutting past point to the boundary.
Australia went to drinks at 66 for 4.
Then it was Warne’s turn. Vettori, on 27, played a defensive shot, the ball flew to Justin Langer under the short-leg helmet and the third umpire was required to establish that the ball had gone down from the bat onto Vettori’s foot and away to the fielder.
Shayne O’Connor joined Simon Doull as the last pair and they took the score from 287 to 298 before Doull, on 12, attempted to swing Warne over the mid-wicket boundary. He got it as far as Michael Slater who took another good outfield catch just inside the rope to end the innings.
Warne ended up with the best figures, 4 for 68 off 14.5 overs while Lee took out the top order, finishing with 3 for 49 off 17. Miller picked up two, one with his medium pace and the other with his spin, and Blewett one. McGrath bowled 17 overs for 60 runs, not an effort that he will remember with great pleasure.
Nor will the Australians look back on their fielding effort with satisfaction. It let New Zealand off the hook, the big scorers Astle and Cairns dropped by Lee at mid-on and Mark Waugh at second slip respectively. They both went on to make a difference. Warne also put down Vettori at first slip and some of the ground fielding lacked accuracy.
Blewett and Slater opened for Australia with seven overs to face before stumps, Slater cutting a wide first ball from Cairns for four. However, both Cairns and Doull had vigorous leg-before appeals denied in their early overs.
And Doull did not have to wait long for success. In the fourth over, Blewett, off the ground at the crease, still failed to get over the ball and cut it straight at eye-height to Astle at second slip. A duck for Blewett and Australia 9 for 1.
Shane Warne came in as nightwatchman with the evening gloom settling over the ground. It did not bother Slater, who latched onto anything short, particularly from Cairns, ending the day on 22.
However, it was not so good for Warne. Vettori bowled the last over and with the last ball had the nightwatchman lbw for 7.
Vettori ended the day with one for 3 off his single over, Doull one for 12 off three and Cairns none for 14 off his three.
Australia finished the day on 29 for 2 with the knowledge that they return to enjoy a good batting pitch. But they have been given yet another reminder that, no matter how dire the situation, this New Zealand team keeps fighting.
In the 68th over, with New Zealand on 236 for 6, Waugh brought back Blewett for Miller ---- and Cairns celebrated. Short and wide outside off and the all-rounder drove handsomely through the covers to bring up his third test century, his first against Australia, off 128 balls and including 14 fours and two sixes. The over also saw the arrival of the 100 partnership.
Waugh tried a double change, replacing McGrath with Lee at the southern end. Parore looked less comfortable although a controlled chop through the slips to the vacant third-man boundary was more effective than a wild slash.
However, the double change worked. In the second over of his new spell, Blewett had Parore pushing outside off, the edge was taken and Gilchrist completed a regulation keeper’s catch to see the departure of his opposite number for 46 with the score at 247.
The left-handed Daniel Vettori joined Cairns, who frustrated Lee with an inside edge past the stumps. Vettori added to the speedster’s woes, driving a short ball through the covers for four after taking evasive action to a bouncer and getting four leg byes off the body.
The New Zealand 250 came up in the 71st over. Vettori forced Lee to go round the wicket and immediately drove for four through extra cover.
The pair took New Zealand to the last drinks break of the day at 269 for 7.
But only a little. Parore did not look comfortable, flailing and missing wide balls from both bowlers.
In search of another breakthrough, Waugh turned to part-time medium pace in the form of Greg Blewett in the 47th over and himself for Lee in the 52nd over. Blewett was accurate, Waugh less so. Parore, in a confidence-builder, made contact with a short, wide one from the Australian captain.
Waugh kept ringing the changes, Miller, in off-spin mode, replacing Blewett at the grandstand end in the 55th over. Parore, beaten by the spin a couple of times, advanced and put him high back over his head into the stands.
The New Zealanders were being given enough short and wide to profit, Cairns cutting Miller to bring up the 200 and Parore cutting Waugh to ensure the New Zealanders went to tea at 204 for 6.
The New Zealand batsmen had a look and then played as though the horrors of the morning session had been put well behind them. McGrath and Warne both suffered, Cairns driving through the covers and pulling the pace bowler for consecutive fours and sending the spinner over the straight and mid-wicket boundaries for sixes. At the other end, Astle had a lively over from McGrath that left him unsettled but with a top-edge four behind the keeper to frustrate the bowler.
The pair brought up the New Zealand 100 in the 33rd over off 204 balls. In the next, a more patient Astle ducked and left until McGrath bowled just a little too full, providing a juicy opportunity for a straight drive four and with it his 10th test 50 off 80 balls.
The sixes prompted the removal of Warne, replaced by the medium pace of Miller. At the other end, McGrath was still being damaged, 14 coming from the over including a legitimate four from each batsman and a streaky shot from Astle.
Miller fared no better, Cairns straight driving him and pulling him for consecutive fours before having a diving Mark Waugh put one down at second slip.
Need some help, turn to Warne. Waugh brought the spinner back with the breeze behind him and he immediately induced Astle to cut off the stumps into Mark Waugh’s waiting hands at first slip. No mistake this time. Astle gone for 61, ending a 72-run partnership with the score at 138.
Adam Parore joined Cairns, who continued the attack, lifting Miller over mid-off for another four. He brought up his 50 off 54 balls, sweeping Warne for four, picking up another to mid-wicket and a third through the covers when Warne dropped short and wide, all in the last over before drinks. New Zealand 161 for six at the break.
At the grandstand end, Miller continued his mixture of medium pace to the right-handed Astle and spin to the left-handed Fleming. To turn, of course, the ball has to hit the ground, and Fleming eased the pressure temporarily by sending a full toss to the mid-wicket boundary.
However, Miller got his revenge but not in the manner that he, at least, would have planned. After the New Zealand 50 arrived in the 19th over, Waugh replaced the off-spin/medium pace with the leg-spin of Warne. The master had immediate success, inducing Fleming to chip on the on side where it was Miller, going to his right, who took the catch tumbling away at mid-on. Fleming gone for 16 with the score at 53.
Craig McMillan, the best of the New Zealand batsmen at Auckland, joined Astle but his stay was short. In the 25th over with the score on 66, Lee directed two balls outside off, requiring no shot. But, with the third, he tightened, moved it away, and the edge and Gilchrist between them did the rest to send McMillan on his way for 1.
Chris Cairns, not surprisingly, was greeted with a bouncer. However, he and Astle negotiated the remaing overs to lunch, going to the break with the score at 69 for 5.
In his first over, the second of the morning, he yielded one off the edge of Craig Spearman’s bat along the ground past third slip to the boundary. Retribution was quick in coming, Spearman driving outside off and being taken by Adam Gilchrist with the score made up of just that single scoring shot.
In Lee’s second over, the other opener, Matthew Horne, turned him for 4 down to long leg before being squared up, the ball taking the edge and Shane Warne doing the rest low down to his left at first slip. Horne gone for 4 with the score 9 in the fourth over.
Matthew Sinclair and the captain, Stephen Fleming, set about getting the innings under way while McGrath offered something of a mixture, not requiring the batsmen to play often outside off but producing the occasional testing delivery.
In the 10th over, Steve Waugh played a masterstroke, introducing Colin Miller, who applied his off-spin to the left-handed Fleming, one ball turning sharply to beat the bat. But it was a single that brought an interesting and ultimately effective ingredient. To the right-handed Sinclair, Miller switched to medium pace and won a successful leg-before demand off the last ball of the over. Sinclair gone for what was fast becoming a New Zealand bogey, 4, with the score at 18.
Nathan Astle joined Fleming, and McGrath, with his line outside off, soon had Astle flailing with that early shot that sends shudders through New Zealand supporters. At the other end, a ball on the foot had Fleming in obvious discomfort.
Drinks were taken after 15 overs with the score 31 for 3.
It is a ground that has not been over-kind to the visitors, where they have achieved only one win in six tests; that 56 years ago. Then again, they have lost only once at the attractive Wellington cricket headquarters, where inclement weather, blown in from Cook Strait, could have as much bearing on the possibility of a definitive result as the performance of the teams.
That said, a beautiful day greeted the players and a good weekday crowd.
For this second test in the three-match National Bank series, New Zealand replaced the spin of Paul Wiseman with the left-arm pace of Shayne O’Connor from the team that went so close to upsetting Australia in Auckland. For the Australians, the dilemma of finding a place for the Eden Park hero, Colin Miller, was settled in favour of Miller’s retaining his place. However, his medium pace is likely to be employed before he reverts to his off-spin.
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat.
Date-stamped : 27 Mar2000 - 14:23