Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Vithushan Ehantharajah early and Russell Jackson late

Australia v New Zealand: day three of the first Test – as it happened

Joe Burns and David Warner both posted centuries on another dominant day for Australia at the Gabba. Photograph: Tertius Pickard/AP

Australia lead by 503 - the day that was

Well, that’s it for another day at the Gabba, where Australia pressed home its advantage even further to lead by 503 at stumps. There was notable resistance from Kane Williamson (140) late in New Zealand’s innings when he posted a brilliant rearguard century, but that only led to more pain for the tourists when Joe Burns and David Warner resumed their demolition job of the first innings.

Burns (129) broke through for his maiden Test century and Warner (116) his second of the game in a blistering 237-run stand. From there it was a case of cheap wickets for the Kiwi bowlers – Mark Craig ended up with 3 as reward for a tough couple of days at the office – but the damage is now well and truly done.

There’s storms forecast in Brisbane over the next couple of days, so it would be unsurprising if Australian skipper Steve Smith declared overnight and maximised his side’s chances of ripping through the tourists.

Anyway, that’s it from me for today but make sure you drop by tomorrow for all the live action on day four. Adios.

David Warner and Joe Burns dominated day three at the Gabba.
David Warner and Joe Burns dominated day three at the Gabba. Photograph: Saeed Khan/AFP/Getty Images

Stumps on day 3 - bad light ends play at the Gabba

42nd over: Australia 264-4 (Khawaja 9, Voges 0)

Australia’s 500-run lead is established not with a towering six or beligerant four, but a very uncool leg bye when Usman Khawaja misses a sweep. After Marsh goes, Voges does end up making an appearance under ever-darkening skies. They need a pink ball out there to be honest. The umpires convene again, talk briefly, and then lead the players off the ground. That’ll be stumps on day 3 with Australia now 503 in front.

WICKET! Marsh c McCullum b Craig 2 (Australia 263-4)

Now Marsh goes, chipping a fairly innocuous delivery from Craig to McCullum at short mid wicket. This is really deteriorating now. The umpires are looking at the light too.

41st over: Australia 260-3 (Khawaja 8, Marsh 1)

With Smith gone in the pursuit of quick runs, Mitch Marsh leap-frogs Adam Voges to appear at five and I think we all know what that means. This could get really wild.

Wicket! Smith c Williamson b Boult 1 (Australia 258-3)

Geez, Smith almost needed a broom to get to that one and he thought it was a bump ball, but once he’s satisfied that it didn’t bounce immediately after he hit it he starts to walk off. But then...he sees that the Williamson catch is a little iffy on the slow-mo, with the Kiwi’s fingers being jammed together very close to the turf. But he’s gone! I think they made the right call there.

Is Steve Smith out? Catch review?

Kane Williamson thinks he’s gone after grabbing what looked a catch at point but the umpires are referring it. Smith had backed away and speared the ball out towards point and Williamson swooped.

40th over: Australia 257-2 (Khawaja 6, Smith 1)

With Craig finally coming good it’s perhaps not champagne cork time for Brendon McCullum and co because the sharp bounce and turn he’s extracting from the pitch now will also be of great benefit to Nathan Lyon when the Australians have another bowl. They now lead by 496.

WICKET! Burns c Taylor b Craig 129 (Australia 254-2)

Craig gets another! Burns’ job is done at this point and in looking for boundaries, he perishes by smashing Craig down to cow corner where Ross Taylor is waiting. Taylor runs in ten metres and takes a smart catch. What a knock.

39th over: Australia 253-1 (Burns 129, Khawaja 3)

With Warner gone and the lead now standing at 480+, Trent Boult returns to the attack with his left-arm pace. Burns pays him no respect, plenting his front foot down the track and smacking him for a four over long on and then a blazing six over long on. The second of those really came from the screws. He creamed it.

WICKET! Warner c Boult b Craig 116 (Australia 237-1)

38th over: Australia 239-1 (Burns 116, Khawaja 2)

This is just video game batting now from Warner, who is bashing Mark Craig for a six (slog-sweep) and a four (inside-out lofted drive) to start the over before baseball-clubbing him over the umpire’s hat for another. Then a switch hit! It’s absurd stuff but in the process of tonking it out to long off he’s caught by Boult, ending a truly entertaining few minutes. He goes for 116 from just 113 deliveries. Craig finally gets a wicket!

Warner brings up his second century of the game!

37th over: Australia 223-0 (Burns 116, Warner 102)

Good grief. Warner takes two off Bracewell’s first delivery to move to 99 but in doing so, Burns should have been run out by a good metre or so but Mark Craig – taking the stumps at the bowler’s end – can’t even perform the simple task of hauling in the throw and breaking the stumps to Burns’ dive is a successful one. It was a comedy of errors.

On 99, Warner is jammed up by Bracewell, who is suddenly exerting pressure on the nervy batsman. But then Warner drives uppishly, perilously close to the hand of the man at short cover, but it pierces the gap to bring up his second century of the game! Sensational stuff. It’s the third time he’s done that in Tests.

36th over: Australia 216-0 (Burns 114, Warner 97)

Now Burns gets in on the act, biffing Craig out to the fence with a slog-sweep and then giving Warner the strike with a single. Craig fancies a wicket here and Warner’s a little loose at times but he taps a single down the ground to retain the strike for the next over.

35th over: Australia 208-0 (Burns 108, Warner 95)

Bracewell is still going through the motions and with a single off the second ball of his over, Burns brings up the 200-run partnership to go with the 150-run on he and Warner reached in the first innings. There’s a bit of rain about again too, so Warner is always looking to attack and get his own milestone out of the way. He calls for a change of gloves and it’s a fortuitous one, because Bracewell’s next delivery is thumped into the stands to push Warner into the 90s.

34th over: Australia 199-0 (Burns 106, Warner 88)

Mark Craig is looking a little nervous now because he could be in for an even bigger mugging than the first innings if Warner tees off. Oh dear, Warner tries to swift hit, misses it but BJ Watling had been blind-sided by the unconventional stroke and fumbles a stumping chance. Poor Mark Craig. It wasn’t a great ball but he should have had a wicket then.

33rd over: Australia 194-0 (Burns 104, Warner 85)

Little Davey is putting his foot on the gas now, playing an upper cut off Bracewell to lift the struggling paceman over a vacant cordon area for four and then belting him out through cover for two. There’s also overthrows in this over – from the sub fielder no less – because Warner is always making them think twice with his aggressive running.

32nd over: Australia 185-0 (Burns 103, Warner 77)

Warner could be forgiven for taking a ‘stand and deliver’ approach here – and he does fall onto his back failing to play a a quite absurd switch slog-sweep off Mark Craig – but he’s also still scurrying between wickets to push for twos and doing the little things well. The Brisbane sky, meanwhile, is dark and more than a little ominous.

31st over: Australia 181-0 (Burns 102, Warner 74)

Of course, after close to an hour of increasingly irritating waffle on the local broadcaster, myTV waits until the resumption of play to start cacking itself, so I see a slightly pixelated version of David Warner trying to hit Doug Bracewell’s first delivery into Sunday but only getting fresh air. Looks like he’s going to try and pass 100 before the declaration. He dabs four down to third man and then a single to long on to get started. Burns gets in on the act with a couple down to deep mid-wicket.

Is anyone else having this reception problem? Is anyone still reading? Are friends electric? Who’ll stop the rain? What’s the frequency, Kenneth? Who let the dogs out? Is she really going out with him? None of those questions will be answered in the next over.

Play is now five minutes away

And we’ll have an hour of it upon its resumption. Also, did you know that David Warner and Joe Burns are first Australian openers in Test history to put on two 100-run partnerships in the one game? Remarkable but true.

A beautiful photo of Burns bringing up his hundred

Do you think Australian selector Mark Waugh will give him more than 2 Tests in the job now? Anyway, we’ve just got news through that play will resume in just under fifteen minutes.

Joe Burns of Australia celebrates reaching his century during day three of the First Test match between Australia and New Zealand at The Gabba.
Joe Burns of Australia celebrates reaching his century during day three of the First Test match between Australia and New Zealand at The Gabba. Photograph: Mark Kolbe/Getty Images

As the rain continues at the Gabba, more on Joe Burns’ father

His name is Reg! This bloke must surely have a Driza-Bone stashed away in his ute out in the car park. He seems to be a quote-machine too.

Joe Burns’ father is the most Aussie-looking man alive...

Actually, the closer I look the more I think he might actually be Alf Stewart from Home and Away.

It’s not easy bowling off-spin

This looks grim...

Though the local broadcaster seems to think otherwise. The ground staff are hovering very close by in the hope of removing the covers. We shall soon see.

And rain stopped play...

Rain delay - 30th over: Australia 173-0 (Burns 100, Warner 69)

And with the spontaneous joy of the Burns six and milestone celebration done, the umpires call players off for a rain delay.

Australian opening batsman Joe Burns has hit his way to a maiden Test century on day three at the Gabba.
Australian opening batsman Joe Burns has hit his way to a maiden Test century on day three at the Gabba. Photograph: Dave Hunt/AAP

Joe Burns brings up his maiden Test century with a towering six!

30th over: Australia 173-0 (Burns 100, Warner 69)

Whack! Burns dances at Mark Craig and belts the off-spinner over his head for a towering six and then repeats the dose to bring up his maiden Test century as rain starts tumbling onto the Gabba. Brilliant stuff! That took just 102 deliveries and featured 11 fours and 3 sixes. There’s not many players who can say they’ve out-attacked David Warner but Burns has today in fine style.

It’s been hard yards for New Zealand’s Mark Craig in Australia’s second innings.
It’s been hard yards for New Zealand’s Mark Craig in Australia’s second innings. Photograph: STRINGER/AUSTRALIA/Reuters

29th over: Australia 160-0 (Burns 88, Warner 68)

I’m looking a gift horse in the mouth here I suppose but this is fairly uninspiring cricket in the last half hour or so. Burns releases the shackles by shifting his weight onto the back foot and dispatching Bracewell out to the boundary at deep square leg with a crisp pull shot. That’s more like it.

28th over: Australia 153-0 (Burns 83, Warner 67)

As Warner looks to the skies and does a bit of amateur meteorology, Burns presses on towards another milestone by skipping down the wicket to Craig and lofting one down to the man at long on. This game has hit a bit of a holding pattern in the last twenty minutes with the batsmen happy to just take singles.

27th over: Australia 151-0 (Burns 82, Warner 66)

I think People for the Ethical Treatment of Jimmy Neesham must have stepped in because McCullum finally pulls him from the attack and brings Bracewell back into the fray as Warner and Burns bring up their 150-run partnership. Warner has been quite fascinating to watch in this Test; tighter, more determined and less given to wild swipes at the ball. Maybe he is taking this vice-captaincy business seriously.

26th over: Australia 147-0 (Burns 79, Warner 65)

Mark Craig battles on, bowling far better now than he was in the first innings and mostly eliminating the regular flow of boundary balls he’d offered up then. The Australians lead by 386 now - 419 is the record Test chase of course but it’s doubtful that the New Zealanders would go close to that the way they batted in the first innings.

25th over: Australia 144-0 (Burns 77, Warner 64)

Oof, Neesham is told to keep limping on. This is almost cruel now. He’s clearly in pain. He can barely get through his delivery stride. But Ian Smith agrees with my theory that McCullum knows young Jimmy won’t be playing next week in Perth so he might as well spare his frontliners another day of pain and misery.

It’s been a day of landmarks.

24th over: Australia 139-0 (Burns 75, Warner 61)

Perhaps in fear of wasting an opportunity, both Burns and Warner are watchful against Craig at the moment and content to milk him for ones and twos. I’m not so sure that Neesham is loving how quickly the spinner rips through his overs though. He’s deep inside the hurt locker at the moment.

23rd over: Australia 134-0 (Burns 73, Warner 58)

There’s actually something compelling about this Jimmy Neesham spell now; it’s like some kind of ritual initiation or something. Why isn’t Bracewell relieving him? Has McCullum just said, ‘listen Jimmy, I know you’re hurting but you’re also not playing at the WACA, so bend your back old boy and really finish yourself off’? Maybe.

As all of this is happening there’s a crack of lightning or two in the background. Neesham’s probably hoping it’ll strike him. Alas, that weather seems to be blowing away from the ground, not towards it.

Jimmy Neesham is toiling manfully late on day thre at the Gabba.
Jimmy Neesham is toiling manfully late on day thre at the Gabba. Photograph: STRINGER/AUSTRALIA/Reuters

22nd over: Australia 131-0 (Burns 70, Warner 58)

Brendan Brown has a bad cricket book for me, but it’s a deliberately bad one. “I’ve got the ‘Warwick Todd Diaries’,” he says, “which technically isn’t a real cricket book and certainly not bad. I’ve never laughed so much at reading a book in my life where the humour is deliberately corny as opposed to the unintended type like Max Walker’s.” Yeah, we need someone (other than me) who has read ‘Merv and Me’ by Merv Hughes and Ian Cover. That didn’t miss out on literary awards for no reason.

21st over: Australia 127-0 (Burns 68, Warner 56)

Clonk! Burns is treating Neesham like a rental car now, stepping down the track and hoisting him ten rows back for a six. “I’m trying,” Neesham appears to tell a conciliatory Brendon McCullum, but the bowler is clearly hobbled and just continuing so he doesn’t let his country down. He simply can’t afford to limp off and join Southee on the sidelines at the moment, the poor bloke. Burns has no mercy for him, cracking another short one out to the fence at deep square leg. The Aussie pair will never get a better opportunity to rack up Test hundreds than this.

20th over: Australia 117-0 (Burns 58, Warner 56)

Mark Craig has bowled a jaffa! At this point I think it needed to highlighted whenever he does something well. This one pitched around leg and ripped across the left-handed Warner, gaining a decent amount of bounce along the way. It’s not as good as a wicket but it’s a real stand-out moment amid all the awful dross he’s bowled.

19th over: Australia 115-0 (Burns 57, Warner 55)

Joe Burns is really motoring now. Neesham is still chugging in and serves up a full toss that the Queenslander swiftly hammers down the ground for four more. Maybe it’s time for Neesham to be allowed to fire off a few tweets down by the boundary’s edge to get himself fired up. Something I’ve just realised: Burns actually has fifties in his last four Test innings. Pretty handy work that.

18th over: Australia 109-0 (Burns 52, Warner 54)

C’mon OBOers, #ShowUsYourCricketBooks - I want to see that copy of Greg Chappell’s ‘Unders and Overs’ or Tim Zoehrer’s ‘The Gloves are off - now for the facts’.

Five runs come from the Craig over and I’d like to think that before it, Burns and Warner met in the middle with a cricketing version of Alex Ferguson’s pre-game rev-up against Spurs; “Lad’s, it’s Tottenham.” *Ferguson turns on his heels and walks out the door*

Updated

Joe Burns brings up his second half-century of the game!

17th over: Australia 104-0 (Burns 50, Warner 51)

There’s diminishing options for Brendon McCullum other than to keep Jimmy Neesham on right now so Burns is also presented with an easy way to bring up his second half-century of the game when he gets to turn another short one down to the third man boundary with minimal exertion and then squirt a follow-up in the same direction for the single that takes him to 50. That came up off 57 deliveries and featured 8 boundaries. How easy is this Test cricket malarkey?

David Warner brings up another 50

16th over: Australia 99-0 (Burns 45, Warner 51)

With Mark Craig on for his first trundle of the innings, Warner is immediately gifted a short one to bring up his half-century, which came off 44 deliveries but featured only four boundaries. Mostly he’s just hustled between the wickets so far. Maybe he’ll really unleash now and bring up the third twin-century of his Test career..

Chris Bowden has a confusing addendum to the Kiwi trophy cabinet debate. “You can probably see the Chappell-Hadlee trophy in there, Russell,” he says. Are they just refusing to give it up since the World Cup final or did that not count? We all know that’s what they were really playing for at the MCG...

15th over: Australia 95-0 (Burns 44, Warner 48)

Aaand we’re back after tea. Unfortunately for New Zealand, very little has changed. Burns turns four down to fine leg and then under-edges another short one for four through the vacant slip region. Jimmy’s having a ‘mare.

Joel Smith has a decent point via email. “Yes that Ian Smith anecdote caught my attention too. But most surprising to hear Len Pascoe name checked as “the last person you would want to see” given DK Lillee was in the bowling attack and took 6/53 in the second innings.” Dennis Who?

A personal favourite bad cricket book, if only for the cover

How rapt does Beefy look here? A face that says “sometime in the next hour, my manager will meet his maker.”

Kathy Bothan: Living with a legend
Kathy Bothan: Living with a legend Photograph: None

Cricket book corner

The tweet below has alerted me to a new stream of conversation as Australia makes a bit of a one-sided contest of this game; what are your all-time favourite bad cricket books? There are a number of classics of the genre here. I lined up at Myer in Bourke Street as a kid and had my copy of One-Day Magic signed by Deano himself, actually. And who didn’t revel in the trashy scandal of Calypso Cricket? Is any holiday house complete without at least one of Max Walker’s stinkers? He was the highest selling author in Australia at one point. Take that, Bryce Courtenay. Take that, New York Review of Books. Take that... culture.

It's tea on day 3 and the Australian openers are piling on the runs

14th over: Australia 86-0 (Burns 36, Warner 47)

Boult is entrusted with the final ball of the session and with Australia already rattling along at 6.5 per over, it’s not like things can get much worse. Mark Craig’s probably not feeling too hard done by that he hasn’t been thrown the ball yet the way he fared in the first innings. Anyway, the over passes without incident and with that the Australian batsmen head off for a well-earned drink. I might do the same if you don’t mind, but I’ll be back shortly.

Trent Boult had a tough time containing David Warner before tea on day three.
Trent Boult had a tough time containing David Warner before tea on day three. Photograph: STRINGER/AUSTRALIA/Reuters

13th over: Australia 85-0 (Burns 36, Warner 46)

Crunch! Burns leans back and cracks Neesham for a pair of fours to start this over, both close to identical in execution and the precise destination of the ball. I don’t think the 140-character Don has learned his lesson there. Neither has he with regards to banging it in short and wide to David Warner, who lashes him for another boundary square of point. It doesn’t look like much fun to be a bowler right now. They’re counting down the seconds until tea.

Updated

12th over: Australia 71-0 (Burns 27, Warner 41)

Shots fired! Raymond Reardon appears with his first email of the day and they’re fighting words. “Apart from historical records of past and current players records, are there any trophies in the NZ Cricket Museum you mentioned in the 6th over ?”

In the interest of preserving a convivial Trans-Tasman conversation, I won’t weight in on that one but I am here to tell you that Trent Boult is back into the attack with much the same dross he was offering up earlier. Warner belts him for a boundary through point and there’s singles aplenty as Boult struggles to replicate the same ball twice at any point in the over.

11th over: Australia 61-0 (Burns 25, Warner 33)

It’s tighter stuff from Neesham in his second over, but he still looks some way short of a gallop and Burns and Warner remain busy between the wickets. Meanwhile, I’m in contact with the man himself to source some more Lemon facts. And on the citrus theme...

10th over: Australia 57-0 (Burns 23, Warner 32)

Monkey see, monkey don’t. You’d think these New Zealanders would have learned something from Australia’s bowling efforts but apparently not. Now Bracewell spears one down leg for Burns to tuck another four runs down to fine leg. I think Matt Henry can probably start preparing himself to play at the WACA.

9th over: Australia 49-0 (Burns 17, Warner 31)

It is indeed the 140-character Don who appears to replace the wayward Boult. He doesn’t start well, gifting Warner a pair of twos by sending it down the leg side and then dishing up a full toss that Warner probably should have thumped into the stands but only bunts for one. His skipper Brendon McCullum would probably be a little more annoyed if he wasn’t so puffed from all the chasing he’s been doing in the field.

Worse: Neesham is actually moving a little gingerly now, which isn’t ideal with Southee already injured and out of the attack. McCullum might end up having to do the bowling himself. He probably deserves a drink too:

8th over: Australia 44-0 (Burns 17, Warner 26)

Continuing my so far unpopular series of observations relating to the home broadcaster’s improved efforts in this game, there’s a nice moment here when Ian Smith describes making his debut at the Gabba. Back then they still had the dog track going around the ground, so he had to cross a kind of wooden deck to get to the crease and settle his nerves, only to be confronted by a sweaty, snarling Len Pascoe. That sounds like fun.

Anyway, Jimmy Neesham has had a shocker here, diving over the top a ball at mid on and missing it, bringing to mind the Sydney Harbour Bridge more than any Queensland landmarks. It only costs two, fortunately for him. I think he’s about to have a bowl, Jimmy.

7th over: Australia 41-0 (Burns 15, Warner 25)

Such is the diminished state of Boult’s efforts he’s got a man sweeping the deep cover boundary now for the one he keeps dropping short. Warner belts it out there for a single but it’s a dire state of affairs that MCullum’s having to err on the side of containment in the seventh over. Futile too, because Burns rocks back to the next ball – again short – and slams it over mid-wicket for a boundary. Boult couldn’t throw a hoop down a hill at the moment. He’s bowling like a drain.

6th over: Australia 34-0 (Burns 10, Warner 23)

Warner’s in such rude form he’s practically walking at Bracewell as he deliveries the ball because right now it’s like he’s got a sixth sense for where the ball is going to pitch. There’s three here past McCullum at mid off and I get the feeling we could be in for some fireworks here. Warner was circumspect in the first innings – at least by his standards – but he might go berserk here.

Obligatory OBO reference to the 90s:

5th over: Australia 30-0 (Burns 9, Warner 20)

Boult bowls a short one that hurries onto Warner a little here but even if the shot has an element of flinching about it, he still fashions a pull shot that carries the ball away to the boundary at deep square leg. A few balls later he turns Boult to fine leg and refusing to rest on his laurels, hares between the wickets to get back for a second run and that plans a seed that allows him to pressure Latham into a fielding error in the deep moments later, so he gets two more.

Warner ends up with 3 twos in that over to go with the boundary; death by a thousand cuts. Without taking undue risks he and Burns are going at a run a ball.

4th over: Australia 20-0 (Burns 9, Warner 10)

It’s becoming increasingly clear that missing the Matador Cup domestic one-dayers has certainly not hurt David Warner’s batting form because he appears to have all the time in the world to play his shots right now. He cracks Bracewell for two through cover and then nudges a single in the same direction.

3rd over: Australia 16-0 (Burns 9, Warner 7)

Trent Boult has been a real fizzer in this Test, mostly because he’s down on pace and energy in his return from injury. First up here he dishes up a gentle length ball that Warner punches through cover for three and then there’s an all-run four when Burns crunches him through the same region. So far so uninspiring from the Kiwi strike bowler.

2nd over: Australia 9-0 (Burns 5, Warner 4)

With Southee sick and sore, it’s Doug Bracewell who partners with Boult to start with, which wouldn’t have been McCullum’s plan going into the game but he’ll have to roll with it. Jimmy Neesham will need to put in a decent shift with the ball, too. But how long will the Aussies bat given the ever-present threat of storms in Brisbane? I reckon they’ll belt a quick 250 and insert the tourists sometime early tomorrow – an audacious call, I know.

It’s a decent first over from Dougy B; disciplined and consistent in its adherence to the basic principles of line and length.

1st over: Australia 9-0 (Burns 5, Warner 4)

Trent Boult takes the new ball for New Zealand and dropping short to Burns with his second delivery, gets pulled away imperiously for a quick boundary. Take that! Burns gets off strike with an inside-edge to leg but that’s actually bad news for the bowler, because he’s then belted through the off side by Warner to concede another early boundary.

“You’re right about Williamson,” says Robert Wilson. “He’s quite good at the old cricket. He’s been like that for a couple of years now and it’s hard to make an argument for Smith or Root being better. Certainly not as a spectacle.” No disagreements from me on that one.

Stat of the morning

This says a lot about both men: Williamson was supreme against everyone, Johnson against everyone bar the Kiwi ace.

As Warner and Burns start padding up...

Here’s some stats from that Australian bowling effort, because there’s not much to say about the Kiwi batting beyond Williamson’s majestic 140: Starc ended up with 4-57 from 17.2 overs and bowled beautifully in patches. Johnson had 3-105 from 21 and veered between truly intimidating and, well, a little bit erratic. Hazlewood was the hard luck story with 1-70 from his 21 penetrating overs and Nathan Lyon – 1 for 46 off 17 – contained the Kiwi batsmen well where his opposite number Mark Craig had bled runs. Mitch Marsh got a handy breakthrough after lunch but got biffed around a bit otherwise.

Anyway, a couple more minutes and the Aussies are back out there batting.

WICKET! Williamson c Nevill b Starc 140 (New Zealand all out for 317)

Williamson finally goes! It was a magical innings - 140 from 178 balls with 24 boundaries - but he gets a beauty from Starc and knicks an inside edge through to Nevill behind the stumps. It looked like it might have clipped the off stump on the way through as well but either way he’s gone and the Kiwi innings ends at 317 – 239 behind the Australian first innings. And it looks as though Australia will not be enforcing the follow-on, which appears sensible.

Australian skipper Steve Smith congratulates Kane Williamson after his dismissal ended the New Zealand innings.
Australian skipper Steve Smith congratulates Kane Williamson after his dismissal ended the New Zealand innings. Photograph: STRINGER/AUSTRALIA/Reuters

Updated

82nd over: New Zealand 317-9 (Williamson 140, Boult 0)

Hazlewood relieves Johnson and grabs the new ball, but he’d probably prefer to be bowling to Boult first up that Williamson, who threads the eye of the needle by cutting him for four through point. Hazlewood gets one ball to Boult and the Kiwi gets forward in determined style to block it out. Williamson’s played this beautifully to farm the strike. He’s got 7 tons in his last 24 innings. Safe to say he knows what he’s doing.

81st over: New Zealand 310-9 (Williamson 133, Boult 0)

Oooowwwfff! Starc has one ball to Boult and it’s another fast, full, in-swinger and the tailender has no idea, moving unconvincingly and playing no role in his survival because the ball merely passed by the outside edge of the off stump.

WICKET! Southee b Starc 14 (New Zealand 310-9

Southee is castled! The new ball does the trick for Mitch Starc, who is errant to start with but eventually hoops it in beautifully to splatter Southee’s stumps. The big Kiwi was backing away and swinging wildly all over, because he’s really been in pain out there. A ball earlier he’d been cracked on the back pad as he tried to launch one into orbit and it was a case of ‘you miss, I hit’ for Starc.

Tim Southee loses his off stump to Mitchell Starc at the Gabba.
Tim Southee loses his off stump to Mitchell Starc at the Gabba. Photograph: STRINGER/AUSTRALIA/Reuters

Updated

80th over: New Zealand 308-8 (Williamson 132, Southee 14)

Southee and Williamson are both living on the edge in this over, taking the bait in the form of Johnson’s leg-line bouncers and hooking them perilously close to Mitchell Starc at fine leg. Southee heaves one just short of the fieldsman for a single and then Williamson clears him but marginally misses out on six. Johnson is not amused.

Geoff Lemon Fact 3: Geoff Lemon really is a performance poet. I wasn’t making that bit up.

Geoff Lemon Live

79th over: New Zealand 303-8 (Williamson 128, Southee 13)

I don’t want to sound like an ‘I told you so’ but Marsh is indeed done for the time being, having prized out Bracewell but stunk it up a little thereafter. Starc returns in anticipation of the new ball but also, perhaps, to see if he can extract something interesting with the old ball before it goes. Anyway, at the very least he’s blown off the cobwebs here and will be right to go with the brand spanker.

78th over: New Zealand 300-8 (Williamson 126, Southee 12)

Williamson is a genius. Mitchell Johnson does nothing wrong here with an off-cutter that would ask questions of your mortal batsmen, but Williamson gets forward and turns the face of the bat to deflect it through gully. It’s a gorgeous shot to pick up four. The Johnson over finishes with another boundary when Sir Kane (am I going the early crow there? I don’t think so) thumps him through point. His top-order colleagues should be hanging their heads in shame right now.

Kane Williamson is batting like a dream on day three at the Gabba.
Kane Williamson is batting like a dream on day three at the Gabba. Photograph: Tertius Pickard/AP

77th over: New Zealand 292-8 (Williamson 118, Southee 12)

Mitch Marsh continues from the Vulture Street end and also continues his tendency to overstep the line and cough up no-balls. Then Southee biffs him over mid-on for four and call me crazy, but I get the feeling that Southee is here for a good time but possibly not a long time. His best defence is attack. He doesn’t die wondering. He’s never backward in coming forward. And that’s why we love him: he conjures up so many cliches. Marsh has probably done his job now I reckon.

76th over: New Zealand 282-8 (Williamson 117, Southee 4)

Johnson’s back to pair with Marsh and where the part-timer was all smiles early, the lefty is grimacing when he strays wide from around the wicket and Williamson clatters him through gully for a boundary. But the big quick follows it with an absolute peach that squares the rampant batsman up and screams past his outside edge. Good stuff.

People are going wild for the Geoff Lemon facts now and they want more. Well, Brendan Brown does. “And I thought my size 12 was something to be proud of. You know what they say, “Big feet, big......shoes”.

Geoff Lemon fact 2: Geoff Lemon is the worst shadow batsman in the world. You know when Mark Taylor goes out for the pitch report and shadow bats with such beauty that you can imagine him padding up and making a hundred even now? Geoff is the opposite of that. He shadow bats like Phil Tufnel and Chris Martin do. Disclaimer: I haven’t seen him bat for real, so he could be foxing.

75th over: New Zealand 277-8 (Williamson 112, Southee 4)

He’s not fully fit, but Tim Southee arrives at the crease in fine style, clipping the final delivery of Marsh’s over down to the fine leg boundary for four. But that was a real bonus for the Aussies, that over. Marsh hadn’t bowled since a few hours before the close of play yesterday and in his first over today, he’s jagged a quick wicket.

Updated

WICKET! Bracewell b Marsh 16 (New Zealand 273-8)

We’re back from the Vulture Street end and it’s Mitch Marsh who is tasked with getting through a few overs before the arrival of the new ball and he does much more than that - he removes Doug Bracewell! The ball is full and angled in and though Bracewell meets it with his bat, all he can do is chop it onto his stumps. First blood to Australia in this second session.

Doug Bracewell loses his wicket to Mitch Marsh after lunch on day three at Brisbane.
Doug Bracewell loses his wicket to Mitch Marsh after lunch on day three at Brisbane. Photograph: Tertius Pickard/AP

Updated

Play is only a minute or so away

...and I for one am very much looking forward to watching Kane Williamson bat. In the meantime, Andy from far north Queensland has our last lunchtime email.

“No you aren’t a bad person for wanting to see the carnage of Mumford vs Lee, it is quite human!” he says. “Just like I am desperately waiting to see NZ get hopelessly smashed around the Gabbatoir for another 3 or 4 sessions, I suppose... And I personally quite enjoyed Piers Morgan’s attempt to face Brett Lee. He might have looked like a deer in the headlights, and backed away from the thunderbolts, but he walked the talk and suited up for 6 of the best from Brett which is more than most people would do given the chance.” True Andy, true.

“Now to business; my own suggestion for a musician to face Bing would be Dr Hook, partly as revenge for my mum’s endless playing of his tapes in the car when I was young, but mostly for the name - would it not be cool if he could pivot and put one over his shoulder to truly earn the moniker, “Dr Hook”? The eyepatch would make the feat even cooler (if he survived the experience).”

Andy, my childhood was worse. My mum erased my cassette tape of King Missile’s ‘Detachable Penis’ and dubbed over it with REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’. Beat that for a sad musical story.

The emails are flooding in now...

Robert McLiam Wilson arrives with what I’d consider a veiled insult if I wasn’t as thick-skinned as I am. “Look, I didn’t want to bring this up but where is the sweet, fragrant Geoff Lemon?” he asks of my sometime OBO mucker. “You guys used to be the Oz OBO. Has he been unpersoned? Is he the Leon Trotsky or Shelly Miscavage of Guardian cricket? The OBO has everything EXCEPT a good conspiracy theory. I’m blaming you. You’ve taken over. At best you come out of this a Stalinist Scientologist. Where’s Lemon? I want proof of life.”

He’s actually at the Gabba, Bobbo, doing a bit of radio, a bit of writing, and knowing the great man, wolfing down literally kilograms of free food while doing some freestyle slam poetry. In lieu of his presence in this Test, how about I drip feed you with Lemon facts through out the day?

Geoff Lemon fact 1: Geoff Lemon has size 17 feet. This is not a joke. He could probably kill a man with one swift kick in the swingers. Geoff Lemon doesn’t leave footprints, he leaves sinkholes.

With play only ten minutes away, our first reader email of the afternoon session...

And it’s from live blog regular, Brendan Brown. “I could agree with your sentiment about Brett Lee firing a few into the ribs of – not Mumford and Sons – but Nickelback’s singer.” Too true, Brendan. My favourite piece of Nickelback work would have to be this one:

Nickelback shreds.

Geez, they’re really making us hang out for this Mumford and Sons mauling...

And it’s a little hard to concentrate on Stuart Law being interviewed when Mark Nicholas is in the background bowling even bigger pies than [the drummer?]. Anyway, there’s at least an amusing moment when they forget to mute the “rock stars” and one of them says “it’s fu*king hot lads” as Nine come back from the break.

The big moment finally arrives and disappointingly, Lee actually goes a bit too easy on old mate, but does splatter his middle stump with his second delivery. Marcus? Is that his name? Anyway, now he knows what I feel like listening to his music.

If you’re underwhelmed by all of this, keep in mind that it could be worse; I once live-blogged an entire episode of Neighbours in a rain delay. Back to the real cricket from now, I promise.

Hello OBOers

It is indeed me, Russell Jackson, here to take you through the rest of the day at the Gabba. I’m not there, actually, because despite being a world-class cricket venue, the Gabba does not yet boast dog washing facilities.

Before we get to the cricket – and excuse me delving for a moment into trivial matters – I’m in a conflicted frame of mind right now. Remember when Brett Lee bowled bouncers at Piers Morgan during the lunch break of the 2013-14 Ashes series and there was a quite justified outcry about how stupid and irresponsible the whole thing was? Well... I agreed with those complaining at the time. But now... he’s got the opportunity to put a few into the ribs of the lead singer of Mumford and Sons. Everything in me is saying “Yes! Yes! Yes Brett! Crush his toes! Crush his banjo-picking finger! Gore! Gore! Gore!”

Am I a bad person? Email me on russell.jackson@theguardian.com or tweet me @rustyjacko to let me know. Also feel free to suggest other musical acts you’d like to see being dished up some chin music by Bing.

This just about sums up the session:

That’s all from me folks. Thanks for the company. Russell Jackson is here to take you through to stumps.

74th over: New Zealand 273-7 (Williamson 104, Bracewell 16)

After Voges’ shuttle runs to get another over out of this session, Williamson hits the first and third ball of Lyon’s over for four, both through backward point. Three dots finish it. And there’s the break.

LUNCH

73rd over: New Zealand 265-7 (Williamson 104, Bracewell 16)

We’re going to be treated to some left-arm spin from Adam Voges. He’s got an arm ball and another which doesn’t arm as much. It’s a pretty fast over – Voges runs back to his mark in the hope of getting another over in. And it’s work – Lyon will have the final go before lunch. Three from it.

72nd over: New Zealand 262-7 (Williamson 102, Bracewell 15)

Williamson takes a single into the legside and trusts Bracewell with the rest. Lyon’s pulled his length back so Doug sits in the crease and plays him from there. Hint of bat as the ball pops up just over bat-pad’s head but no one’s really convinced.

71st over: New Zealand 261-7 (Williamson 101, Bracewell 15)

Yes Doug! Where did that come from? Bracewell pokes the bear, carting Johnson high over mid off for a one-bounce four. Seems happy to keep the strike and try and get what he can from Johnson, and fair play to him. Another nice drive, this time all along the floor, finds a fielder.

70th over: New Zealand 256-7 (Williamson 101, Bracewell 11)

“This is what happens when you grow up, mate, you end up spending your weekend paying other people to wash your dog.” Russell Jackson, replacing me on the OBO from lunch onwards, has had a busy morning (must stress that that’s not a euphemism – he really does have a dog). Bracewell’s now trying to hit Lyon over the top. Hasn’t got quite got to the pitch of any yet but readjusts accordingly to get three from the over.

69th over: New Zealand 254-7 (Williamson 101, Bracewell 8)

Adam Voges drops an absolute sitter. Good delivery from Johnson, rushing across Bracewell, who is back and defending. The edge is taken, right to Voges’ breadbasket. Shelled. One on the hip is flicked to the man out at square leg for a single. Williamson pulls to that same man with a lot more conviction, but it’s still just one as Hazlewood puts in a good dive.

68th over: New Zealand 249-7 (Williamson 100, Bracewell 4)

Bracewell gets a single off the second ball to give Williamson the chance to push Lyon. He doesn’t, though, simply going front and back and negotiating past the close catchers. No runs, mind.

67th over: New Zealand 248-7 (Williamson 100, Bracewell 3)

Just as the crowd – and the Channel Nine commentators – were preparing to witness some Mi-Jo induced pain, Williamson cuts him late and then drills him through cover for two boundaries to move to 98*. A dab into the leg-side – is there two there? There is! Good grief, what a pristine hundred: 129 deliveries, 17 fours. It’s his 11th in Tests.

Next over...

66th over: New Zealand 238-7 (Williamson 90, Bracewell 2)

Bracewell’s using his feet to get to Lyon. But he’s not taking any chances, defending most back down the pitch. Another maiden.

65th over: New Zealand 238-7 (Williamson 90, Bracewell 2)

Maiden from Hazlewood, who is hoping Williamson makes a mistake. Might be a bit disingenuous to say that’s what he’s doing: Williamson’s shown he can hit most balls to the fence, so a feather in Hazlewood’s cap for giving him sod all.

Updated

64th over: New Zealand 238-7 (Williamson 90, Bracewell 2)

A single each gets Williamson into the nineties. Nothing else from the over.

63rd over: New Zealand 236-7 (Williamson 89, Bracewell 2)

Bracewell gets right in behind the ball and, when Hazlewood unleashes that bumper, Bracewell obliges with the hook. Mitchell Johnson’s the man out on the fence for the shot, but the connection wasn’t enough to get it to him on the full. Single it is. Williamson gets a couple to finish the over, jumping off his toes to time well in front of point.

62nd over: New Zealand 233-7 (Williamson 87, Bracewell 1)

A wicket first ball brings Doug Bracewell to the crease. He’s not on strike as the batsmen crossed when Craig whiffed the ball in the air, but he gets a sight of Lyon for the last two balls, taking a single off the second.

WICKET! Craig c Marsh b Lyon 24 (New Zealand 231-7)

That was odd. Lyon flights one and Craig tries to skip down to the pitch of the ball. He’s nowhere near, but goes through with the shot anyway and skews the ball into the offside, where Mitchell Marsh takes a simple catch.

61st over: New Zealand 231-6 (Williamson 86, Craig 24)

Bit of discomfort for Kane as he inside edges one and gets the ball lodged in his pads. He has a reach and fishes it out before tossing it to cover. Really good lines from Hazlewood keeps him honest. Maiden.

60th over: New Zealand 231-6 (Williamson 86, Craig 24)

Craig lofts Lyon over mid off for four. Comfortable in the end but for a moment it looked like he wouldn’t clear the man. Bit of time out for a review, but the umpire’s decision of “not out” is upheld as impact with the pad prior to a forward defence is outside off stump.

REVIEW

Lyon bowls to Craig who goes forward and defends but there’s a suspicion of pad first... (might be outside the line, if so)

59th over: New Zealand 227-6 (Williamson 85, Craig 21)

Hazlewood manages four dot balls against Williamson. You could sense something had to give. And it did: Hazlewood goes fuller and Williamson plays a picture perfect cover drive for four. Christ, he’s good.

58th over: New Zealand 223-6 (Williamson 81, Craig 21)

Nathan Lyon on for Mitchell Johnson. Craig gets a single and It’s Lyon to Williamson. The offie is coming around the wicket to the right-hander, with bat-pad, leg and orthodox slip. Williamson tickles one off his hip – literally, it just hits his hip, no bat – and beats that leg slip for one. Craig gets a single and then Williamson rushes through for a risky one. Johnson does the fielding and fires to the nonstriker’s end where Lyon can’t quit gathers but Williamson just makes his ground anyhow.

57th over: New Zealand 219-6 (Williamson 80, Craig 19)

Uppish, is Craig, but good form through the shot as he punches again down the ground for four. It’s Hazlewood back bowling, by the way. He started us off from the other end. He surprises Craig with a short ball that the Kiwi has to fend away, while taking a hand off the bat. A single taken brings Williamson on strike for the last ball and he’s so quick on the length, which isn’t even that shot. Short-arm jab through midwicket gets him four.

56th over: New Zealand 210-6 (Williamson 76, Craig 14)

Williamson plays the most immaculate defensive shot and manages to find a single in the offside. Forget what I said about Craig’s feet, he’s just readjusted them in double quick time to time a full, inswinging ball off Mitchell Johnson through mid on for four! Johnson’s had enough and comes around the wicket last ball. It’s angled in awkwardly at Craig’s hip, but the leftie does well to drop his hands in time to divert the ball behind square on the legside for one.

55th over: New Zealand 204-6 (Williamson 75, Craig 9)

Just two from the over – to Craig, who has yet to really engage his feet but is doing everything with his hands and doing it well.

Updated

54th over: New Zealand 202-6 (Williamson 75, Craig 7)

Williamson holds onto a cut long enough to beat point AND gully, who are a matter of feet apart. And my word is it delicious. But Mark Craig serves up some pleasure of his own, standing tall into a punch through cover that gets him four to the longer square boundary.

53rd over: New Zealand 192-6 (Williamson 70, Craig 2)

Williamson skews Starc for four at a very catchable height through the vacant gully region. To be fair, it’s vacant because he’s been faultless up until this moment: Smith doing his best to target his strong zones and, at the very least, limit his run-getting. A single gives Starc a go at Craig, who immediately edges past his stumps for two. He’s off the mark.

52nd over: New Zealand 185-6 (Williamson 65, Craig 0)

Nothing shot from Watling, who had looked good up to the first ball of this over. Good length from Johnson but it’s wide and could have been left alone. He has a play and nicks behind. Off-spinner Mark Craig is up next – a left-handed bat who has three fifties in 16 Test innings. File him under “No Mug”. He’s wary of the short ball, hopping to his first ball and playing it down, before ducking his second. He’s struck in front but the ball’s going down leg.

WICKET! Watling c Nevill b Johnson (New Zealand 186-6)

Mitchell Johnson’s into the attack and, with a bit of extra nip and bounce, gets Watling to waft and nibble one behind.

51st over: 185-5 (Williamson 65, Watling 32)

Oh Kane, teach me. Starc’s trying to find the right spot on Williamson’s toes but he’s put to the fence third ball, thanks to another gorgeous straight drive. That’s all from the over. What more do you need?

50th over: New Zealand 181-5 (Williamson 61, Watling 32)

Gorgeous from Williamson. Not had much of the strike in the opening 15-minutes but greets the first ball of the over with the full face and times an on-drive for four. Watling gets the strike back and plays a wicketkeeper’s cut through cover-point for the over’s second boundary. Then he plays a very wicketkeeper hook – hunched yet on the front foot – for another couple.

49th over: New Zealand 170-5 (Williamson 56, Watling 26)

Good hands from Watling as he guides one along the floor and through a gap in the cordon for four. Then there’s a tidy push through the covers for two.

48th over: New Zealand 163-5 (Williamson 55, Watling 20)

Hazlewood’s hammering a nail just back of a length. Watling leaves comfortably and defends the penultimate ball. Then, the change-up – fuller, angled into Watling’s pads and he’s late on it. There’s no bat and all pad, but umpire Nigel Llong reckons it’s sliding down the legside. Steve Smith consults with Peter Nevill but decides against the review.

47th over: New Zealand 163-5 (Williamson 55, Watling 20)

Mitchell Starc from the other end – Watling leaves a couple and then has a scrappy reach at the third. Better this time from BJ and he gets another three, as he beats Usman Khawaja at mid off, who manages to get a hand to the ball and save one.

Updated

46th over: New Zealand 160-5 (Williamson 55, Watling 17)

First runs of the day come from Watling’s bat – a three off the last ball of the over, right through the covers. Hazlewood’s the bowler.


Sean Mcneil gets us going with the first email of the day:

“Having seen both these teams play England this year, it isn’t going as I thought it would. Any simple answer to this Pom why that is?”

A couple of reasons I think, Sean. In no particular order – New Zeaand are Salmonella levels undercooked and Australia just don’t lose at the Gabba. As a collective, New Zealand didn’t bowl well but Tim Southee was unlucky not to see a few off on that first morning – I lost count of how many times he beat the outside edge. I was a bit surprised they went with Doug Bracewell over Matt Henry, too.

Morning all – Vish here.

After the Australian batsmen did their thing on day one (and a bit of day two), the bowlers took over and did that Gabba thing where they look lively enough early on. Then, I don’t know, some warning signal goes off at a frequency only left-arm quicks can hear and Kill Bill-esque carnage ensues. Watching the bounding Mitchell Starc bowl Twitter’s Jimmy Neesham was like watching Predator rip Bambi’s mum limb from limb and then turn up to Bambi’s house every Mother’s day and flick him the Vs.

Australia are sniffing an innings victory, but Kane Williamson is looking irresistible. He resumes on 55* with BJ Watling (14) for company. New Zealand are 156-5, a hefty 399 runs behind.

Vish will be along shortly to take you through the first session before Russell guides you through to stumps. In the meantime, check out what happened on day two in the match report here. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t good news for New Zealand.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Jennifer Lopez's Micro Mini Dress Is Nude, But Not Naked
She bared it all without going sheer.
Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Maine boyfriend moves in, agrees to pay utilities. Then on payday, he goes on ‘a little shopping spree’ instead
Moving in with a partner can teach you a lot about a relationship.
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
Camera sensors love green. But as a photographer, I have a love-hate relationship with green
I know it’s St. Patrick’s Day, but sometimes the photographer in me has a love-hate relationship with the color green
Digital Camera World
Digital Camera World
This '80s classic with undeniable chemistry' is exactly what you need to stream on Prime Video if you love Kurt Russell but hate The Madison
New Taylor Sheridan series The Madison isn't everyone's cup of tea — and this 80s classic movie on Prime Video might be a better alternative for Kurt Russell fans.
TechRadar
TechRadar
Tina Fey pulls ‘Epstein files’ from bag in Mary Poppins gag for SNL UK teaser
Fey will host the UK series’ first episode on March 21.
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Someone (Allegedly) Caught Taylor Swift's Leg At A Hollywood Party, And Confirmed Those Oscars Rumors
Did she keep it 100 at these parties?
Cinemablend
Cinemablend
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play