Perth Test, Day 1, Close
Friday, November 30, 2001

Well, it's the classic scenario isn't it? New Zealand worked so hard for their runs, they got bogged down around the 70-over mark, Australia were able to pin them down by bowling on one side of the wicket, to a slightly defensive field, and the pressure paid off. The Aussies had a bit of luck along the way – it'll be interesting to see the Vincent dismissal again, but that's the deal with this team. If you give them one chance, they will pounce.

To beat Australia in a Test match you have to have a minimum of one good day. At tea, New Zealand looked to be on their way, but by the close the game had been snatched away from them. Glenn McGrath was crucial to the recovery. Not only did he come back into the attack after suffering back spasms, he also sent down five maidens in his first six overs. That must have deflated the Kiwis. At one stage, with Lee out-of-sorts, Australia were effectively two bowlers down.

But McGrath's return gave Lee the confidence to stop worrying about how long he was going to have to spend in the field, and he has not bowled like he did in the final session since the West Indies series last year. For an hour he was back to the fast, full, slightly erratic speedster he began his career as, and I wonder whether he'll carry that on for the rest of the match, and against South Africa, or go back to a more controlled approach. He did for Fleming with the classic paceman's double-whammy – a short ball followed by a fuller, swinging delivery, and that's really tough to face as a batsman.

Gillespie was consistent all day, he perhaps could have had more impact with the new ball but he didn't do anything wrong and got his rewards late in the day. But Shane Warne was the pick. He sent down 25 overs for 66 runs, and picked up a wicket as well, and all of this from a legspinner on a first-day wicket that is tailor-made for seam bowling. He extracted spin and bounce, and none of the batsmen could settle against him. There's no other spinner in the world who can match him on that form.

Before the start of play New Zealand would have bought this position, but it is a measure of how well they did in the first two sessions that they will be bitterly disappointed now. I know that my co-commentator Ian Smith is fuming about a couple of the decisions – Vincent's wicket and one of the lbws – but those are the swings and roundabouts of a great day of Test cricket.

Australia won't see themselves as lucky though. They hung in there, and they will take all the credit for the way they blasted back with the new ball. They were perhaps a little aimless in the middle session, with no real plan, but they'll say they were just biding their time. I'd love to be able to read minds at this stage. As I said, 400 is a par score on this pitch. Will New Zealand be thinking of that, or will they be thinking that Australia will steamroller them for 320? Either way, they are 110 short of par at the moment, and I'd say the game is 70% in Australia's favour.

Ian Healy made a record 395 dismissals in 119 Tests for Australia. His comments will be appearing on Wisden.com at the end of every session in the series. He was talking to Andrew Miller.

More Ian Healy
Day 1, Tea: The pressure's on Waugh
Day 1, Lunch: Aussies drop the script

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd