Funny how we can watch 500 runs scored in a one-day match and spend the final ten overs yawning in boredom as another predictable game of cricket drags to its inevitable conclusion. The end of the first Test here today turned into a one-day run-chase, yet it was far from boring. As the first of a three-match series, there was too much at stake for that. Yet the influence of one-day cricket cannot be discounted.

Steve Waugh deserves a lot of credit for risking a loss in the first Test at Brisbane by going along with Stephen Fleming's attempt to open up the last day of a rain-affected match.

Fleming had nothing to lose and much to win, a priceless 1-0 lead in a brief series. However Waugh would have faced plenty of criticism if he had allowed New Zealand through the narrow gate he had opened for them. Waugh's decision to enforce the follow-on in the second Test against India earlier this year opened a much smaller gate, but VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid forced it wide open with a monumental partnership.

Adam Gilchrist, deputising for Waugh in the fourth Test at Headingley in August, set England a gettable target in the fourth innings and then Mark Butcher obliged with the innings of his life.

Both losses were due in part to the Australians' generosity, their willingness to risk defeat in pursuit of victory. That Waugh was not shy after those two losses was a tonic for the game. Although the Kiwis went very close, the Australians held their nerve and you have to wonder how much one-day cricket influenced the end of this match.

Because of their experiences in those endless one-day matches, most teams in the world now know how to approach a run-chase at a run-a-ball. The New Zealanders did it superbly today. But equally the Australian bowlers and fieldsmen held their heads as well. Without that one-day experience this match might have collapsed into a shambles early in the day, with either the Kiwis panicking and throwing wickets away or the Australians dropping catches and releasing the pressure.

But both sides played well and produced an excellent finish. A draw might be a little unsatisfying but, given the loss of two days' play through rain, it was the fairest result. Still, it would have been fascinating to see how the Australians would have responded to going down 0-1 at the start of a series they were expected to dominate. Then we might have seen how great a team this is.

Mark Ray has covered Australian cricket since 1987 and is also the author of a number of books on the game.

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