Close Australia 411 for 6 (Langer 123, Hayden 91, Ponting 92*, Vettori 4-99)
Scorecard Australia started at a gallop in the second Test at Hobart, were hobbled in mid-afternoon as Daniel Vettori flighted his way to a fightback, and then cantered off again into the distance, with Ricky Ponting leading the wagon train. Australia finished with a jaw-dropping 411 runs in the day – after being put in by Stephen Fleming on an overcast morning.

The feature of the day was a barnstorming opening partnership of 223 between Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden. In three Tests since they were thrown together at the top of the order, these two left-handers have shared stands of 158 (at The Oval in August), 224 (at Brisbane) and now 223.

Langer has scored centuries in each of those innings, but today's was his most forthright. He roared to fifty while Hayden was stuck on 1 – raucous applause greeted Hayden's second single, in the 12th over – and Langer continued to drive past the helpless cover fielders. In all he cracked 20 fours, before he failed to get to the pitch of one from Chris Cairns and hammered it straight to Vettori at cover (223-1). It was his 10th Test century.

It might have been so different. Matthew Bell in the gully got both hands to a chance off Daryl Tuffey when Langer had 1, and in Tuffey's next over Langer survived a very close lbw call. There was a sense of déjà vu in the New Zealand camp – Langer had survived a plumb leg-before shout in the first over at Brisbane, and made a century there too.

Langer's eventual dismissal triggered a mini-collapse, as five wickets went down for 44. Hayden had muscled his way to 91, with 11 fours and a six, before he was deceived by one that turned into him from Vettori and under-clubbed to long-on, where Shane Bond hung on to the catch (238-2).

Next to go was Mark Waugh, tempted forward by Vettori and bowled for 12 (253-3). Ten runs were added before tea, but none of them came from the new batsman, Steve Waugh – and he completed a lengthy duck after the interval when he padded up to an inswinger from Bond, to gift him a notable first Test wicket (266-4). It might have been a little high – Waugh was up on his toes as he let the ball go – but that didn't bother Bond, the trainee Canterbury policeman and fast bowler, who wobbled the ball around at an impressive pace.

There was less doubt about Damien Martyn's lbw, as he was hit flush on the toe first ball by Vettori, who was relishing bowling at right-handers at last after that long opening left-hand stand (267-5).

When you need a quick wicket just about the last person you want to see coming out to bat is Adam Gilchrist, and New Zealand didn't help themselves by gifting him two extra innings. Mark Richardson at midwicket couldn't hold on to a screamer off Craig McMillan, just after Adam Parore had acrobatically caught an outside-edge – only to find that bowler Tuffey had marginally overstepped the crease. Fleming had to go walkabout for a while to regain his composure after that one. Gilchrist had already plonked Vettori over the long-on boundary for six, and shelled a short one dangerously close to short leg's ear on its rapid way to the boundary.

Vettori ended those NZ nightmares by despatching Gilchrist as he had Mark Waugh – drawn down the pitch and beaten in the air, bewitched, bothered and bowled.

That made it 336 for 6, but now it was Shane Warne's turn to play the annoying tailend gunner. While Ricky Ponting played classically to advance to 92 by the close, Warne employed his crabby short-arm jabs to good effect, scything one in Chris Cairns's first over with the new ball over cover for four. They had put on 75 by stumps.

By the end of the day Australia had again scored at a fearsome rate – comfortably better than four and a half an over – and were well and truly in the driving seat. The New Zealanders were ruing those dropped catches, the umpire's eagle eyes … and their undistinguished bowling in the morning, which allowed Langer and Hayden to get off to such a flyer. It has been a near-repeat of the first innings at Brisbane – but it's already almost impossible to envisage New Zealand getting quite so close to victory again this time.

Teams
Australia 1 Justin Langer, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Mark Waugh, 5 Steve Waugh (capt), 6 Damien Martyn, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Shane Warne, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Glenn McGrath.

New Zealand 1 Mark Richardson, 2 Matthew Bell, 3 Mathew Sinclair, 4 Stephen Fleming (capt), 5 Nathan Astle, 6 Craig McMillan, 7 Adam Parore (wk), 8 Chris Cairns, 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 Daryl Tuffey, 11 Shane Bond.

Blow by Blow How the day unfolded: the long version

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