6.15pm New Zealand 197 for 4 (Fleming 71*, McMillan 51*); rain stopped play The umpires have inspected the ground, and asked for the pitch-covers to be removed in time for a further inspection at 6.30. Typically, as soon as they decided this the weather closed in again, and yet more rain is a possibility. Ian Healy, Wisden.com's Session by Session analyst, can't see any realistic prospect of more play today. Tomorrow's forecast is hardly encouraging, either.

New Zealand still need 162 runs to avoid the follow-on. Today's rain has just about scuppered any chance of a Brisbane-style final-day run-chase – so it's beginning to look as if it will be 0-0 going to Perth for the final Test on Friday. New Zealand would have settled for that before the series started …

5pm New Zealand 197 for 4 (Fleming 71*, McMillan 51*); rain stopped play

The umpires had hoped to restart play after tea at 4.30, but when they inspected the ground they discovered some soggy patches on the outfield. That, and the return of yet more light rain, sent them off the field again and there is no immediate prospect of a resumption. Play is scheduled to continue until 7pm.

New Zealand still need 162 runs to avoid the follow-on. Today's rain has just about scuppered any chance of a Brisbane-style final-day run-chase – so it's beginning to look as if it will be 0-0 going to Perth for the final Test on Friday. New Zealand would have settled for that before the series started ...

3.31pm New Zealand 197 for 4 (Fleming 71*, McMillan 51*); rain stopped play

There was only time for 17 balls after the resumption before rain returned with a vengeance and sent the players sprinting off the ground once again.

Craig McMillan took the opportunity to reach his half-century during the brief spell of play. It came up in strange fashion, when he tipped and ran for a push into the covers. Ricky Ponting swooped and threw at the bowler's stumps, but he missed – McMillan was safe anyway – and the ball skidded away to the boundary for four overthrows. Tea will now be taken.

The unbroken stand of 97 is a record for New Zealand's fifth wicket against Australia. The old mark of 92 was set by McMillan and Nathan Astle in the previous Test, at Brisbane.

3.15pm New Zealand 190 for 4 (Fleming 70*, McMillan 46*) need 169 more to avoid the follow-on

Play is about to resume after a 50-minute stoppage. Some parts of the outfield are still pretty damp, but Steve Waugh seems anxious to get at the New Zealanders.

Jason Gillespie will resume the attack with the new ball, which was one delivery old when the stoppage came.

2.25pm New Zealand 190 for 4 (Fleming 70*, McMillan 46*); rain stopped play

For the third day running, rain lashed across the Bellerive Oval at Hobart and sent the players scurrying from the field. Just one delivery had been bowled with the new ball, which was taken after 83 overs, when the stoppage came. By then, New Zealand had sneaked up to 190 for 4, still 169 short of saving the follow-on.

Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan had taken their partnership to 90. McMillan clattered Brett Lee through the covers for four, and tucked another boundary off his pads in the same over, but otherwise the bulk of the scoring after lunch was done by Fleming, who was closing in on his highest Test score against Australia of 91. He rasped a drive off Lee through the covers, then reached out delicately to persuade a wide one from Shane Warne square for another four.

When the rains came Fleming had 70, from 174 balls, with seven fours. McMillan, who had teased Brett Lee by leaving some deliveries which were dangerously close to the stumps, had made 46 from 121 balls.

Lunch New Zealand 153 for 4 (Fleming 50*, McMillan 30*) need 206 more runs to avoid the follow-on

Stephen Fleming led the way for New Zealand as they reduced the arrears by 82 in the extended morning session. With Craig McMillan combining in a defiant fifth-wicket stand which has stretched to 53 by lunch, New Zealand had repaired the damage caused by the loss of two early wickets. The bad news for those expecting a repeat of the final-day excitement at Brisbane is that it has started raining again at Hobart, and the covers came on to the field as the players came off for lunch.

Fleming spent almost half-an-hour marooned on 49, but eventually squeezed Shane Warne for a single to complete his 33rd Test half-century. He has converted only two of those into hundreds before today. There were only four fours, two of them in Mark Waugh's seventh (and so far last) over – one a neat punch off the pads to midwicket, the other an easy back-foot square cut.

McMillan, meanwhile, tempered his natural aggression a little, and did well to survive a testing spell from Brett Lee. He mixed up some testing inswinging 90mph toecrushers with a new variant, the slower away-looper at around 64mph.

The first wicket went down in the third over of the morning. Mark Richardson was unlucky to be given out to one from Jason Gillespie that seamed into him (76-3). It would have flattened middle stump, but he did get a faint inside-edge on the ball. The umpire, local man John Smeaton, is out in the middle for the second day after starting the game as the video-watcher. Steve Davis, the appointed umpire, hurt his knee on the second evening and has been off the field ever since.

The other casualty was Nathan Astle, who started confidently but fell to Steve Waugh's three-card-trick. When Gillespie came off Astle would have been expecting Glenn McGrath to lope in, but instead Mark Waugh was given a trundle. His second ball went straight on, flicked the edge, and flew to slip, where Shane Warne plunged to his right to take a fine catch (100-4).

McGrath, whose face when Mark Waugh went on ahead of him was quite a picture, eventually did get a bowl. He tested McMillan with some rising deliveries, and then tied him up by coming round the wicket. By lunch, though, Australia's most dangerous bowler still had only one wicket to his name in the series.

12.40pm New Zealand 152 for 4 (Fleming 50*, McMillan 29*) need 208 more runs to avoid the follow-on

Glenn McGrath finally made it to the bowling crease, for the 28th over of the morning, but Craig McMillan greeted him with a crunching cover-drive for four. Soon afterwards a single from McMillan off Shane Warne brought up New Zealand's 150, and this pair's fifty partnership. McMillan did well to survive a testing spell from Brett Lee, who mixed up toe-crunching 90mph sandshoe crushers with a new delivery, a slower away-looper at about 64mph.

Stephen Fleming had earlier ended Mark Waugh's spell by stroking two fours in his seventh over, one a well-timed punch off the pads to midwicket, the other an effortless back-foot cover-drive off a short one. Waugh, who took the wicket of Nathan Astle with his second ball, returned to close-catching duties.

After a run of five overs in which the only run was a no-ball, Fleming finally flicked Warne away for the single that brought up his half-century. It was the 33rd time Fleming has reached 50 in Tests – but he has only gone on to three figures twice. A third ton would fit the bill nicely for New Zealand here at Hobart.

12 noon New Zealand 122 for 4 (Fleming 38*, McMillan 12*) need 237 more runs to avoid the follow-on

Stephen Fleming, showing admirable restraint, and Craig McMillan have made a good job of patching up the New Zealand innings after the early loss of Mark Richardson and Nathan Astle. They have batted for around 40 minutes since Astle's departure with few alarms, save when McMillan nearly chopped Mark Waugh into his own wicket.

Fleming, a languid left-hander, has a poor record against Australia – he only averaged 20 against them before this innings, and has never made a century. If his side are going to avoid defeat here Fleming may have to put that omission right.

There was one slightly disgruntled spectator to the morning's play. Glenn McGrath spent the first 90 minutes kicking his heels in the outfield. If it's a ploy by Steve Waugh to rile his main strike bowler, it might just be working: McGrath's face when Mark Waugh got a bowl ahead of him was quite a picture.

11.18am New Zealand 100 for 4 (Fleming 29*, McMillan 0*) need 259 more runs to avoid the follow-on

A surprise bowler – and a surprise wicket. Mark Waugh trotted up for his first over of the match, and tempted Nathan Astle forward with his second ball. It went straight on instead of turning in as Astle expected, nicked the edge and flew low to slip, where Shane Warne plunged to his right to take a fine one-handed catch.

It was an important wicket, as Astle had looked comfortable in the face of a working-over from Jason Gillespie, who rested with figures of 17-8-28-2 to allow the junior Waugh a trundle.

The next man in was the belligerent Craig McMillan, the last of New Zealand's recognised batsmen.

10.40am New Zealand 78 for 3 (Fleming 17*, Astle 1*) need 281 more runs to avoid the follow-on

Australia struck an important early blow when Mark Richardson was adjudged lbw for 30 in Jason Gillespie's second over of the day. He had just thick-edged a four, but then fell to a well-pitched ball which seamed back in at him.

The ball cannoned into the pads, right in front, and substitute umpire John Smeaton raised the finger (76-3). Richardson looked aghast, and twirled his bat meaningfully as he trudged off. The TV replays confirmed that there had indeed been a faint inside-edge. Smeaton, a local man who started the match as the third umpire, is having his second day out in the middle after Steve Davis injured his knee.

Nathan Astle, the new batsman, got off the mark first ball with a push towards mid-off.

10.30am New Zealand 71 for 2 (Richardson 25*, Fleming 16*) need 288 more runs to avoid the follow-on

After yesterday's thunder and rain Sunday dawned bright and dry in Hobart, and play got under way on time at the Bellerive Oval. New Zealand will be looking for a solid start as they strive to avoid the follow-on. If they do that, we might just see an exchange of declarations, à la Brisbane, and another final-day run-chase. That's a long way off for now, though: the first task for New Zealand's two not-out left-handers, Mark Richardson and Stephen Fleming, will be to avoid losing early wickets.

There will be an extra hour's play on each of the last two days in an effort to make up some of the lost time. Play began at 10.30am local time – half-an-hour early – and will continue until 6.30pm, weather permitting (and the forecast is reasonable). A minimum of 105 overs have to be bowled today.

Steven Lynch is Database Director at Wisden.com

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