Day three report
Australia lead by 417 runs overnight. Of course, that’s more than enough by any meaningful historical measure - indeed, the highest target chased in the fourth innings to win is 418. But it doesn’t mean the Black Caps are giving up, or anything close to it. By fighting back in the final hour they have something else to take to Melbourne on Boxing Day, regardless of how this ultimately finishes. Righto, that’s enough for me today. Enjoy your Saturday. Talk tomorrow!
STUMPS: Australia 167-6
57th over: Australia 167-6 (Wade 8, Cummins 1) Wagner misses his yorker and Wade takes advantage, clipping four runs. The short ball is where it is at though, Wade hit again on the body, this time his back. It spills away for a leg bye, the opponents sharing a playful glance. Cummins’ turn, and he’s beaten outside the off stump before getting off the mark with a push off his hip. Phew. Wade again, two balls to go... inside edge just short of the catcher at bat pad. So close. At last, to the final delivery of the day and it is defended. Well played, Matthew Wade. “Let’s move on,” says Umpire Llong as stumps are called, the pair having another word. Nothing wrong with that. What a fantastic final hour, five wickets falling in a hurry.
56th over: Australia 161-6 (Wade 4, Cummins 0) Cummins knows how to tough out a difficult shift - we’ve seen him do it plenty over his career so far. Too often, really. Southee is giving it his all from around the wicket - bouncers and yorkers. His opposing number finds a way to get safely to the finish line. One over to go.
55th over: Australia 160-6 (Wade 4, Cummins 0) Whoa, a waist-high full toss to start from Wagner to Wade. ‘Sorry mate,’ ala Pat Rafter in the follow through. It’s the only time he’s forced to use his bat in the over, happy - and quite correct - to leave everything else alone.
Matthew Wade v Neil Wagner is a battle fit for a Hell in a Cell steel cage match set for Wrestlemania. Is there any batsman in the world who delights in a fast bowler having a go at him more than Wade? #AUSvNZ @cricbuzz
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) December 14, 2019
54th over: Australia 160-6 (Wade 4, Cummins 0) Ooooh, he’s not far away from bowling Cummins aound his legs before scoring too. A lot of pundits wrote Southee off when he wasn’t much of a fixture in the World Cup but he’s very much back in business here. He completes the wicket maiden, his figures 4/62 making eight now for the match.
🍑🍑🍑#AUSvNZ | https://t.co/0Uay6Vh9fg pic.twitter.com/RoxQQgec3c
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 14, 2019
WICKET! Paine b Southee 0 (Australia 160-6)
Southee bowls the captain second ball! It’s a beauty from around the wicket, pitching off-stump and darting back through the gate. What an hour this has been for New Zealand. Australia have now lost 5/29.
53rd over: Australia 160-5 (Wade 4, Paine 0) Wagner keeps it going, hitting Wade on the body with a bouncer that deceives the number five. There’s a lot going on here - a knuckle ball that drops at just the right time, Wade getting down to it just in time. Back to Plan A, he’s hit a second time in the over, this time on the arm. Compelling stuff.
Kerry O’Keeffe makes an excellent point on TV: play more hours of pink-ball Tests after dark. This is starting at 1pm, which is too early for mine. These games come to life after the lights go on. Perth is a tough sell on this front due to the time difference, but in Adelaide/Brisbane, push them back to 3pm? It’s at least worth a look.
17,104 is the attendance. So, every day of this Test has had fewer people than the first three days of the most recent fixture played over at the WACA. But yes, I know that’s not how the world works.
WICKET! Head c b Southee de Grandhomme b Southee 5 (Australia 160-5)
Another wicket to the short ball! Far from menacing, he might even have taken the pace off it. It didn’t get up but Head was committed to his stroke, helping the ball on the angle to the catcher on the 45. Australia are leading by 410 but they have lost 4/29.
52nd over: Australia 160-5 (Wade 4)
51st over: Australia 155-4 (Wade 4, Head 1) Head is off the mark second ball, putting Wade back in the hot seat and he’s copping another accurate bouncer, deflecting off his shoulder into the gloves of Watling. The third time we’ve seen that today. Another entertaining session to end the night, as it was on days one and two.
Smith takes on Wagner again and Raval takes a good catch! #AUSvNZ | https://t.co/0Uay6Vh9fg pic.twitter.com/PNvo8tWqry
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 14, 2019
WICKET! Smith c Raval b Wagner 16 (Australia 154-4)
Smith out again to the short ball! Wagner could not have telegraphed his intentions any more clearly so the former captain had a pop, but miscued the pull straight to the man at square leg. Well, then.
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50th over: Australia 154-3 (Smith 16, Wade 4) Wade has waited and ducked in response to a barrage of short stuff to begin but he is comfortable enough to take on Southee this time around, off the mark with a forceful pull shot to the boundary.
49th over: Australia 149-3 (Smith 15, Wade 0) Wagner not far away at all from removing Smith with another ball that bites, jumping off the inside edge, just past the catcher at forward short leg. Sure enough, Wade cops two bouncers from Wagner as a welcoming gift.
“Hi Adam.” Hi Peter Leybourne, hitting me up on the tweet. “Thinking about Steve Smith’s last night catch reminded of the better one that Phil Simmons took at the SCG in mid 90s ODI Aus vs Windies. Caught Slater square drive. Australia won - Michael Bevan hitting the final ball to long on.”
The best bit about this is how you are essentially remembering NYD 1996 for Simmons’ catch rather than Bevan’s innings. I hope that Big Phil did his wicket-celebration fist pumps after the snaffle. Until my career was cut short (I’ll be back), it was how I greeted each scalp.
48th over: Australia 148-3 (Smith 14, Wade 0) Southee bumps Wade to begin, left-hander ducking. This plays out again two balls later but the ball keeps so low that it only just clears the stumps ala McGrath vs Tendulkar 20 summers ago. This is what we mean when discussing Test pitches, wanting them to change in their complexion as the five days evolve. Well bowled. Wicket maiden.
Tim Southee gets a well-deserved second wicket! #AUSvNZ | https://t.co/0Uay6Vh9fg pic.twitter.com/a3Jx1PCAdc
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 14, 2019
WICKET! Burns c Nicholls b Southee 53 (Australia 148-3)
Southee from around the wicket gets one to bite at Burns, who plays with both feet off the ground into the hands of Nicholls at gully. He takes a sharp, low catch. The Black Caps aren’t for giving up.
47th over: Australia 148-2 (Burns 53, Smith 14) Oooh here we go, here we go, here we here we go. I should have predicted this: Steve Smith’s crosscourt forehand, which was only ever see from him in Test cricket when Australia are piling on third innings declaration runs. He doesn’t nail it this time but you can bet he will soon.
Are people still seriously insisting that Australia declare tonight? I understand why former players on TV say it - they want to play golf. Fair enough. But why we do, as fans, urge the very early finish?
46th over: Australia 147-2 (Burns 52, Smith 14) Big lbw shout from Southee for Smith. But coming around the wicket, it’s pitched outside leg and NZ don’t have any reviews. More interestingly: it kept quite low. By contrast, the next one has spat at his hand. They’ve pitched in very similar parts of the track. Smith whips the glove off to make sure his right index finger is still in tact, and it is. Smith being Smith, he hits the next ball for four, getting into position early to help Southee’s bouncer on its way to the long leg rope.
“Can’t help you out with the innings I’m afraid,” Peter Salmon replies. “Went to most of those matches. But I’m pretty sure it wasn’t part of any innings that was otherwise memorable. A cameo 43 sort of knock. In fact even cameo makes it sound grander than it is in my memory. I imagine it as a Boon or a Steve Waugh getting maybe 116, and Mark just dropping by for a partnership of 70, either side of lunch.”
In that case, I’ll take 1994. His 70-odd on Christmas Eve, which was day one of that Ashes Test, with the 25th a rest day. How quirky.
45th over: Australia 142-2 (Burns 52, Smith 10) I just can’t see Smith taking Wagner’s short one on again. If he did, and it got him out for the second time in this match, it’d become a thing. Nah.
“Someone just needs to channel Mark Greatbatch and bat for two days,” writes Grant Marjoribanks. Oooh, I like this. “Except when he did it in Perth 30 years ago NZ were following on. And he didn’t have to bat for two day/nights. Even Paddy would have have struggled if he’d had to face Merv Hughes with a pink ball under lights.”
Let’s have a look at the Great Man in the cordon against Australia. As it happens, given the topic of the previous over, snaffling ME Waugh.
44th over: Australia 140-2 (Burns 51, Smith 9) Southee’s turn as Williamson continues to shake up his attack. Smith is watching, watching, watching then driving through cover for four. He’s said he doesn’t like the pink ball when it goes soft, but no such concerns here. And he goes again to finish, straight down the ground with more power, crashing into the boundary. Absolutely hammered.
“Hi Adam.” Peter Salmon! Hello. “Anyway, back to Mark Waugh. One of the great things about live sport is those moments you were there for and no one else knows about. Sometime in the 1990s at the MCG, smallish crowd, play meandering along, I saw Mark Waugh play the greatest shot I have ever seen. He unfurled – the dictionary should have a picture of it under ‘unfurl’ a cover drive so sublime that here I am 25 years later thinking about it, dreaming about it. I swear it hit the square boundary at the ‘G two seconds later and bounced back 30 metres. Everyone around me gasped and looked at each other in disbelief. Waugh, obviously, just wandered down the pitch, gave it a tap, and got ready for the next ball. The greatest piece of ephemeral art ever.”
I now really want to work out the innings. It can’t have been the ton against the West Indies in 1992-93, which was all about the shots he played over third man - much to the Windies’ annoyance. Maybe 1999 against India when he was on the cusp of losing his place? I remember that as an especially lovely half century.
43rd over: Australia 132-2 (Burns 51, Smith 1) Leg slip straight in there for Smith, Wagner immediately attacking that line to him from over the wicket. Of course, he picked him up in the leg trap the first time around from around the wicket, caught at short fine. In turn, he’s off the mark clipping off the pads to midwicket for one.
Two sequences of four consecutive innings of 50+ in the same calendar year:
— Andrew Samson (@AWSStats) December 14, 2019
M Amarnath 78, 61, 64 & 120 v Pak and 91, 80, 54 & 116 v WI in 1983
M Labuschagne 59, 74, 80 & 67 v Eng and 185, 162 v Pak, 143 & 50 v NZ 2019.
WICKET! Labuschagne c Santner b Wagner 50 (Australia 131-2)
The drinks break - and the bouncer - does it! Wagner had Labuschagne miscuing his pull shot within moments of walking to the crease, only for him to be put down. Not this time with Santner’s safe hands at midwicket. Marnus’ run of tons comes to an end.
Labuschagne to 50!
42nd over: Australia 131-1 (Burns 51, Labuschagne 50) He can’t be stopped! Certainly not by Santner, who isn’t causing them any trouble early in this new spell. Marnus reaches the mark with a push to cover from his 79th delivery. Surely they give him the chance to now push on for fourth tons on the trot. Burns, too. DRINKS!
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41st over: Australia 128-1 (Burns 50, Labuschagne 48) Wagner as he does best, all short balls and cutters in an effort to create a mistake from nothing. He pulled that off a few times in the first innings. To be fair, across the over he’s called for two wides - bouncers that fly too high. But, to a point, that’s the price of doing business like this.
40th over: Australia 125-1 (Burns 50, Labuschagne 47) We’re driiiiiiifting. Labuschagne picks three off from the first over of Santner’s new spell. 24 overs left, which they won’t get in with 87 minutes left on the clock - including the extra half an hour.
Out of a healthy twitter exchange about umpires hitting the deck, this is on top of the podium. From the famous 1966 Grand Final.
39th over: Australia 122-1 (Burns 50, Labuschagne 44) The Composer is back with his left arm short-and-awkward. Labuschagne gives the strike to Burns early in the over but he isn’t tempted with the field spread out ready for any miscued pull or hook. The lead is now 372.
Aleem Dar soldiering on after worst match official injury since Tony de Las Haras copped a knee from Tonie Carroll https://t.co/q1OAztqX8w
— Ben Horne (@BenHorne8) December 14, 2019
Burns to 50
38th over: Australia 121-1 (Burns 50, Labuschagne 43) Yes, Joe. Is there more public goodwill towards any Australia player than there is Joe Burns? He brings up his half-century with a push to cover, one of five runs worked around the field off Southee in the over. He’s faced 102 balls to raise his bat, striking six boundaries. Double it up!
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37th over: Australia 116-1 (Burns 49, Labuschagne 39) Two more singles off CDG but the crowd and television coverage are mostly interested in the conventional beer snake. But security are having nothing of it, confiscating the cups. For a country priding itself on a knockabout disposition, we’re obsessed with silly stuff like that.
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36th over: Australia 114-1 (Burns 46, Labuschagne 38) A good five minutes taken out of the game with that delay, which will help New Zealand’s top order, who surely won’t want to bat tonight. Besides, a declaration would deny Marnus the chance for four Test tons in a row. Give us that, Tim. There are properly full in the crowd at Casino Stadium, now making a beer-carrier snake of sorts.
Umpire down! Umpire Aleem Dar has copped a whack to the knee from Mitch Santner and we have a delay as a result. Tim Southee was picking up and throwing after racing to a ball at cover, which meant that Dar was getting out of the way at the danger end. But Santner was running to take the stumps and the accidental collision occured. Knee on knee contact saw the man in white hit the deck. The magic spray comes out, followed by strapping. I think he’s going to be okay.
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35th over: Australia 111-1 (Burns 46, Labuschagne 37) de Grandhomme is continuing to do his bit, onlt giving up a couple to Labuschagne when he’s a tad too straight. Otherwise, spot on.
8 cases of Aus 1000-runs-in-a-calendar-year since 2014:
— Ric Finlay (@RicFinlay) December 14, 2019
Warner
Smith
Warner
Smith
Voges
Smith
Smith
Marnus
34th over: Australia 109-1 (Burns 46, Labuschagne 35) Southee replaces Santner but he runs keep coming, Labuschagne carving away over the cordon for four - no issues there. Burns is in on it as well, taking a couple in that third man direction before finishing with a cover drive for two more, where there is now a sweeper in place. Australia have gone at a run a ball for the last five overs. I know we dismissed it before tea, but, is this the behaviour of a team that might declare tonight? As Mark Waugh calculates, if they make 80 in the next 20 overs, that leaves eight overs tonight at the Black Caps with a 440-run lead. That might be tempting. If they get them all in.
33rd over: Australia 100-1 (Burns 42, Labuschagne 30) de Grandhomme gets through a quiet maiden to Burns.
“Morning/Evening Adam.” Morning where I am at Guardian Towers, Brian Withington. Great to hear from you. “Where better than the OBO to find solace after a soul destroying UK general election? (I won’t mention turkeys voting for Christmas in case an animal rights activist quite reasonably points out that’s libelling turkeys.) Moving on, given how ominously good Aus are looking already, English cricket clearly needs to work on some disingenuous three word slogans before next Ashes. Channeling the genius of ‘Take Back Control’ and ‘Get Brexit Done’, how about ‘Take Wickets Cheaply’ and ‘Get More Runs’?”
It might be all you have. As you say, they’re getting very good again.
32nd over: Australia 100-1 (Burns 42, Labuschagne 30) Shot! 1000 runs in 2019 brought up by Labuschagne, going inside-out over cover to start Santner’s new over. A lovely way to get to that milestone, averaging 72 along the way. And he’s far from done yet. The 50 partnership is also now raised. Burns moves into the 40s with a further boundary, chopping hard with the spin into the turf, running away to the third man rope. The Australian 100 is up as well. The tweaker is under the pump, going at five an over.
31st over: Australia 90-1 (Burns 37, Labuschagne 25) de Grandhomme offers up a couple of rare sundries this time around, a wide down the legside to Labuschagne then overstepping in at Burns. The runs keep coming when the former deflects three through the relatively vacant cordon. It has loosened up a bit since the tea break, making the most this chance to pile on runs.
30th over: Australia 83-1 (Burns 36, Labuschagne 22) Santner is more dangerous when the ball isn’t spinning right now, those the deliveries that are asking questions from this right-handed pair When there’s turn, they’re finding enough time to pick off runs.
For those in the Tom Banton Fan Club (me): the TV coverage reports that the Somerset batsman hit 104 not out in Brisbane club cricket day... off 35 balls. He’s playing for the Heat in the Big Bash soon.
29th over: Australia 79-1 (Burns 35, Labuschagne 19) de Grandhomme continues his pre-Tea spell. Burns pushes a single to cover then Labuschagne deals with the rest. No rush.
Some big, quick and timely runs for Erin Burns in Australia ‘A’ colours ahead of the T20 World Cup in February/March next year.
Erin Burns drove home her T20 World Cup claims with a brutal 55-ball century for Australia A: https://t.co/v0r3tbiz2P pic.twitter.com/aQPMpwL1EG
— Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) December 14, 2019
28th over: Australia 78-1 (Burns 34, Labuschagne 19) Three singles in four balls after the break. Ian Smith, on commentary, observes that Santner has been quite effective at holding an end up but needs to start bowling teams out. He nearly skittles Labuschagne with the last ball here, skidding on from around the wicket. Well kept out.
Just read during the break that New Zealand’s finest Olympian, Peter Snell, died overnight at age 80.
The players are back on the field. Santner to Burns. PLAY!
OB Jato has sent me his team of the year. You can too, of course.
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Mayank Agarwal, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, BJ Wattling (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Pat Cummins, Jofra Archer, and Neil Wagner (12th man: Jack Leach, because Jack Leach).
“I’ve stuck to regular positions for all players, which means a few great perofrmers like Kohli might have missed out. Thoughts?”
Well, you can’t leave Virat or people are going to get very angry with you. And besides, he’s definitely there. You’re being provacative. Fair play. I also had Jadeja in mine, for what it’s worth. And Wagner.
TEA: Australia 75-1
27th over: Australia 75-1 (Burns 32, Labuschagne 18) Labuschagne finishes his scoring for the session with a tidy clip out to deep midwicket, Burns doing likewise on the pull to the same sweeper. There’s a bit of extra bounce to finish at Marnus, but he rides it well. At the tea break Australia lead by 325 runs - their slowest session of the match. But it matters little with so much time at their disposal.
NOT OUT! No, that’s not a good review. Going well over. That’s it for New Zealand in terms of their use of the DRS in this innings.
IS LABUSCHAGNE LBW SHOULDERING ARMS TO DE GRANDHOMME? Williamson is wagering his second review on it.
26th over: Australia 73-1 (Burns 31, Labuschagne 17) Santner to Burns, who gets off strike with a glance. Labuschagne then adds two more with a nicely timed late cut before adding more runs through cover and past midwicket. Ominous for New Zealand.
De Grandhomme bringing the same Saturday night post-takeaway energy to his bowling that the rest of us are bringing to watching him. Very strong aesthetic, huge mood.
— Russell Jackson (@rustyjacko) December 14, 2019
25th over: Australia 67-1 (Burns 30, Labuschagne 12) de Grandhomme’s turn after Warner’s spell, with three overs left until the tea break. Labuschagne’s intent is on show already, here turning one into two just behind point with rapid running. As the TV notes, if he can reach three figures in this innings he will join Jack Fingleton as the only other Australian with four Test tons on the bounce.
24th over: Australia 65-1 (Burns 30, Labuschagne 10) Positive and perfectly executed, Burns dances at Santner and deposits him straight over his head for four. Once upon a time, he was dropped two Tests after a wonderful century on the basis that he couldn’t play spin. The way he played Yasir in Brisbane suggests otherwise.
23rd over: Australia 61-1 (Burns 26, Labuschagne 10) Marnus Labuschagne has now made 500 Test runs this summer - quite outstanding. He brings that up with a boundary to start the new Wagner over, cutting away a short ball that doesn’t get up. By the back half of the set, the left-armer is over the wicket for the first time at Labuschagne but he wants nothing of it. Time on his side.
Speaking of time, always-sensible Mike Hussey is talking about the inevitable declaration speculation. “There’s plenty of time,” he says. “In modern society we always want things to happen quicker. But this is Test cricket. There’s no hurry, it’s played over five days.”
22nd over: Australia 57-1 (Burns 26, Labuschagne 6) Santner starts well, generating ample turn after his floaty first ball, pinning Burns to the crease. He should be in the game with the pitch breaking up.
Here’s that dropped catch from the previous over.
Put down! Labuschagne gets a life on four! #AUSvNZ live: https://t.co/0Uay6Vh9fg pic.twitter.com/TXw9gw7MsM
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 14, 2019
21st over: Australia 55-1 (Burns 25, Labuschagne 5) LABUSCHAGNE DROPPED! Oh dear, de Grandhomme has huge hands (I can only assume) but they aren’t sufficiently coordinated to snaffle Marnus when running back with the flight at midwicket. Wagner won the top edge with the number three on the pull. Yes, every chance coming from over the shoulder when on the move is tough but they practice them over and over again at training. He had to take it. By the end of the over, there’s more variable bounce from around the wicket. My sense is that this game is going to hurry up quite a bit after tea.
20th over: Australia 53-1 (Burns 24, Labuschagne 4) Labuschagne is off the mark with a push, then clipping through midwicket like he was picking up from yesterday... or the week before that or the week before that. Whisper it: twin tons are on the shelf for him here.
19th over: Australia 48-1 (Burns 23, Labuschagne 0) Shot, Joey. For the third time in the last few overs, Burns jumps onto the front foot with a big stride before square driving for four. A lot to like about that technique. There’s a bit going on with the bounce now - from Wagner’s end at least - with a couple of balls keeping relatively low. The second of those, a bumper, nearly hits Burns when evading.
“Hi Adam, thanks for the blog.” A pleasure as always, Scott Lowe. “Not sure why people (mostly on Twitter) are saying Paine should declare tonight and get them in under lights. There’s still two days to play, and Starc and Cummins probably need more than a few hours rest if they are going to be bowling in this heat. Thoughts?”
Usually it’s former players on telly pushing for an early declaration to get the game dealt with early as possible. And look, I’ve not been immune from that thinking myself when on tour. In this case, I’m sure that chatter is mostly due to the orthodoxy of bowling at night whenever possible, even if the dark session is shorter at Perth with their 1pm start (Adelaide is 2pm for pink-ball Tests, by comparison). Needless to say, it won’t be happening. They’re only 298 ahead, they only have two fast bowlers and it’s 40 degrees at the ground.
WICKET! Warner c Blundell (sub) b Southee 19 (Australia 44-1)
Warner tries to pull Southee from around the wicket but instead the top edge ends up in the hands of the sub fielder Blundell. Nicely set up with that angle, having beaten his inside edge earlier in the over.
18th over: Australia 44-1 (Burns 19)
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17th over: Australia 44-0 (Warner 19, Burns 19) Wagner with the legside trap in place to Wagner, two out for the hook, another couple catching in that general direction. The left-hander doesn’t get sucked in though, clipping one off the hip. Wagner stays the course to Burns, starting with a tempter out wide - so wide it is signalled as an extra. He responds by... popping in a leg slip. I love this guy. He then oversteps for the second time in two overs. No-balls called, on the field? What is this, 1996? And he does so again to Warner a couple of balls later, a delivery that the left-hander actually had a pop at and missed - the sort that can easily get a little edge. On TV - I think I heard this correctly - they say it had been 1300 balls for Wagner between foot faults until these last couple of overs. Odd.
16th over: Australia 38-0 (Warner 17, Burns 18) Aussie Joe Burns reaches out to a Southee half-volley and creams it along the carpet behind point for four. Nice shot. As Michael Vaughan notes on comms, it won’t take long before they start hunting for his head unless he makes bulk runs again soon. That’s absolutely ridiculous, by the way, but the assessment is spot on - we’ve seen this film before when it comes to the opener. Southee bends his back in response to the boundary-ball, angling back off the seam and nearly beating the inside edge, falling over in his follow-through, such was the effort. But Burns holds his shape to the final ball of the over, latching onto another overpitched offering, again using the angle behind point to add a second controlled boundary. Good batting.
G’day. Declaration runs, the best kind of runs! Okay, not quite. But, in keeping with New Zealand’s discipline in the first innings with the ball, they clearly aren’t going to drop their bundle and let the hosts score quickly. Even without the injured Ferguson, they won’t give up hope of rolling Australia and chasing the runs - however unlikely.
As always, I’m looking forward to your company throughout the second half of this third day. Drop me a line, fire me a tweet.
15th over: Australia 30-0 (Warner 17, Burns 10) Wagner to Burns, who scores a couple off the pads. But a couple of balls later and Warner is nearly run out! I think Burns had forgotten that Santner is a left-hander. Burns drops the ball out towards point and runs immediately, calling yes, expecting that the fielder will have to run around the ball. But Santner grabs it in his left hand and throws all in the one movement, and Warner isn’t even in the frame as the ball passes the stump. A big chance missed.
A couple more decent bouncers from Wagner, and he gets no-balled for an overstep into the bargain.
That’s drinks, and that’s me for the day. I commend you into the care of Adam Collins.
14th over: Australia 25-0 (Warner 17, Burns 7) Tim Southee has swung around to replace de Grandhomme from the far end, but there’s not much sense of threat from him today. Another couple of decent balls just outside off stump but Warner is leaving confidently enough. I do wonder about the selection: Southee is a key part of NZ’s work at home, but he’s rarely seemed a threat in Australia. Averages mid-40s and is bowling in the 120s for speed today. With Ferguson on debut his experience was probably needed, but you wonder whether someone like Matt Henry with more velocity mightn’t have been worth a run here with Perth’s bounce.
13th over: Australia 25-0 (Warner 17, Burns 7) Wagner carries on, mostly full to Warner this over, who takes five balls to get a run to fine leg. Wagner bowling in the low 130 kph region in this over, it will be interesting to see whether he can get his pace back up as he warms into his spell.
12th over: Australia 25-0 (Warner 16, Burns 7) Warner isn’t landing much on de Grandhomme. Finds mid-off with a drive, then tries a swat-pull shot to a ball that doesn’t get up high enough so that Warner misses by a foot. Finally he taps a run to point.
11th over: Australia 24-0 (Warner 15, Burns 7) Wagner is on for his first over. He’s had 24 hours’ break since his two days of marathon spells. What he wouldn’t have given for another night. Burns gets forward and drives a boundary through the covers for four. That’ll make him feel better.
What is it with New Zealand’s luck and day-night Tests in Australia? “The flash on Lyon’s bat a few years back could have come from anywhere,” emails Nathan Green, “and the lack of a snicko on CDG’s gloves could have come from anywhere too.”
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10th over: Australia 20-0 (Warner 15, Burns 3) Eventually de Grandhomme gets a couple wrong, on leg stump for Burns who gets a single, then Warner who gets four. Now then, New Zealand will review! A short ball that surprises Warner zooms past the glove, hits his shoulder and loops to second slip. There’s a good take diving forward. Aleem Dar says not out, Williamson reviews.
Now then. This is basically Colin de Grandhomme’s dismissal all over again, except that the umpire on the field has said not out this time, and out the other time. It’s inconclusive around the glove, so the TV umpire has no choice but to go with the original call. New Zealand are not getting the rub of the green.
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9th over: Australia 15-0 (Warner 11, Burns 2) Southee bowls nicely to Warner from around the wicket, angling in with some swing and Warner is squared up, sparring to cover his off stump and nearly edging behind. A maiden in the end.
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8th over: Australia 15-0 (Warner 11, Burns 2) Joe Burns is really starting to sweat on that first run. Gets a straight ball from de Grandhomme but hits it to midwicket and can’t score. Then finally he gets a skewed push that goes accidentally into a gap at cover and gets him down the wicket, then back for a second. Ok. Deep breath. What’s next?
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7th over: Australia 13-0 (Warner 11, Burns 0) Warner frees his arms to redirect Southee behind point, and that takes him to 7001 runs in Test cricket. He’s got his average back up to 48.6 and has 23 Test hundreds. It’s a pretty remarkable record, before you even add in what he’s done in the shorter formats.
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6th over: Australia 9-0 (Warner 7, Burns 0) A familiar pattern, with Warner pushing a single to the off side and Burns seeing out the rest from de Grandhomme.
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5th over: Australia 8-0 (Warner 6, Burns 0) Warner squirts Southee away off the inside edge, and Burns is immediately back on strike. Needs to find a way to relax and just play. He can’t get off the mark in these next five balls either.
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4th over: Australia 7-0 (Warner 6, Burns 0) Joe Burns really isn’t comfortable at the moment. He’s nervous after a couple of low scores, I fancy. Fair enough, given how fast he’s been dropped repeatedly through his career. He nearly gets a duck here, hesitantly pushing at de Grandhomme, getting an inside edge, and turning to watch it bounce over his middle stump.
3rd over: Australia 7-0 (Warner 6, Burns 0) Southee to Warner, who is blocking anything on a good length but pounces on the one full delivery to drive it straight for four! So clear in his thinking and his execution at the moment.
2nd over: Australia 3-0 (Warner 2, Burns 0) We’re back, and Colin de Grandhomme will open the bowling after lunch rather than Neil Wagner. Perhaps looking for some swing early while saving Wagner to change things up with the short ball. No run off the bat for Burns who keeps leaving outside off stump, but the first ball of the over was an overstep that Warner knocked away for a run.
Lunch – Australia lead by 250 batting a second time
So Australia wrapped up the Kiwis for a paltry score in that session and have declined to invoke the follow-on with a bowler down. There’s half the Test match yet ahead of them to forge a bigger lead.
What are the tactics from here? Will Australia put the foot to the floor for two hours and then declare to make New Zealand bat under lights once again? Or bat long into the fourth day to declare then? The first option would be tempting, if the Aussies could batter 150 runs or so in the next couple of hours. But the second could really steamroll the whole New Zealand team, making them do another three sessions in the field before batting again. I suspect that’s what will end up happening, unless NZ can find a rush of wickets from somewhere.
1st over: Australia 1-0 (Warner 1, Burns 0) Tim Southee to bowl this one over before the lunch break then. Wide of the off stump and Warner leaves. On the leg stump, Warner glances a single. Burns gets to leave a couple, then block the sixth. Australia make it through that little bit of discomfort.
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New Zealand bowled out for 166
They’re 250 behind but Australia will not enforce the follow-on. And with about a dozen minutes until the lunch break, Australia will have to come back on and face an over or two before that interval. That’s the only thing that hasn’t gone their way though. They started this morning with the prospect that Taylor and Watling could bat stubbornly into the day, but in the end they’ve been able to take those wickets and wrap New Zealand up within a session. Excellent bowling by Starc, with sustained hostility throughout, while Cummins was typically excellent and Lyon played his part as well.
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Wicket! Southee c Neser b Lyon 8 (NZ all out 166)
The licence is taken, but it doesn’t last long. First ball against Lyon this over, Southee gallops down the track to aim a big drive down the ground, doesn’t get near the pitch of the ball, and slices a fat outside edge high and into the hands of the sub fielder at point. It’s all over.
55th over: New Zealand 166-9 (Southee 8, Ferguson 0) Lockie Ferguson has come out to bat. He has a calf strain, so I can’t imagine he’ll be dashing any singles. That will certainly give Southee licence to line up the fence if he wants to. Ferguson watches two leg-breaks go by.
Wicket! Santner b Labuschagne 2
He can do no wrong! Three hundreds on the trot, and a wicket to top it off. The leg-spinner coming around the wicket, very wide on the crease, angled in, and the left-handed Santner aims a big drive. Misses it and loses his stumps.
54th over: New Zealand 166-8 (Santner 2, Southee 8) A maiden for Lyon bowling to Southee, who maintains his position as a model of restraint.
53rd over: New Zealand 166-8 (Santner 2, Southee 8) Starc’s foray is over, Labuschagne is back. Southee drives a single. Santner whacks a ball straight back past the bowler who claims to have got a touch on it before it hits the stumps. Labuschagne got out that way himself in the UAE last year so he would like to get one back and level the ledger. But on the replay Southee’s bat is down in time.
52nd over: New Zealand 165-8 (Santner 2, Southee 7) The clear incentive, I suppose, for Southee to play sensibly is that it’s still half an hour short of lunch, it’s 40 degrees out there, and if he isn’t out there batting then he’ll have to be out there bowling and fielding. It’s much less strenuous to be blocking a few off-breaks out with the bat than running in with the ball. So Southee defends and defends until he gets a thick outside edge from Lyon for three runs, with the sub fielder Michael Neser chasing back and diving to save a run.
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51st over: New Zealand 162-8 (Santner 2, Southee 5) A maiden for Starc, as Santner defends and leaves with determination.
50th over: New Zealand 162-8 (Santner 2, Southee 4) Lyon to Southee, who again doesn’t try to hit a six but only gets a thick bottom edge past his stumps for four, between keeper and slip.
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49th over: New Zealand 158-8 (Santner 2, Southee 0) Tim Southee has more Test sixes than AB de Villiers, Ben Stokes, Ian Botham, Sachin Tendulkar, Sanath Jayasuriya, David Warner... aiming for number 73 today to match Ricky Ponting.
But Mitchell Starc won’t be so easy to hit. A single and a leg bye, as neither batsman can do much convincing.
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48th over: New Zealand 156-8 (Santner 1, Southee 0) Santner gets a single first ball of the over, and Southee somehow restrains himself from trying to slog five consecutive balls over the rope. Good grief.
Wicket! de Grandhomme c Smith b Starc 23
Starc gets five. In controversial fashion though. Colin de Grandhomme has been batting beautifully. He batters a boundary with a pull shot, a boundary with a cut, and then gets a short ball zooming through a tangle of arms and gloves to hit his helmet and bounce to slip. Aleem Dar has a long think before dismissing the batsman, who immediately reviews. On the replay it doesn’t look like he’s hit it, but it’s not entirely conclusive that the ball has missed the glove before hitting the helmet. So Marais Erasmus upstairs decides that he can’t overturn the on-field decision, and the batsman is out. Last ball of the over.
47th over: New Zealand 155-8 (Santner 0)
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46th over: New Zealand 147-7 (de Grandhomme 15) Drinks now, with Taylor’s wicket, and New Zealand are in strife. Santner in next.
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Wicket! Taylor c Smith b Lyon 80
A brilliant spell of bowling by Lyon! He’s been all over Taylor, making the batmsan look increasingly anxious. Taylor misses a sweep, which is his shot to get off strike. Lyon looks especially dangerous when the ball doesn’t turn, going on past Taylor’s edge. Taylor nails a rare half-volley but Travis Head dives and saves it one-handed at cover before bouncing up and hitting the stumps direct, nearly snaring Taylor as the batsman dives back in. That’s a team-lifting effort, and frustrating for the batsman. So Taylor, back in his shell, just prods in defence at the last ball of the over, a delivery full enough to reach for and drive, but instead the batsman hangs back and when the ball doesn’t turn it takes his edge to slip! Chalk up part of that wicket to Travis Head, but it was exceptional from Lyon. You could feel the tension building for Taylor, and now it breaks.
45th over: New Zealand 147-6 (Taylor 80, de Grandhomme 15) Marnus settling into his work, and he’s getting some turn with his leggies. Trying to land just outside off stump to force drives through the off side. Both batsmen take him up on it, taking singles to the cover sweeper. There’s one slip in, Smith there. A short third man in Warner and a backward point in Burns. A regulation cover, then Head back on the rope. Strong off-side field. Three singles from the over.
44th over: New Zealand 144-6 (Taylor 78, de Grandhomme 14) Lyon, with his nude pate shining in the sun, his arms swinging across his body like a clock’s before he unfurls at the bowling crease. This time de Grandhomme’s first-ball shot is worth two, playing it behind point this time. The batsmen trade singles, couple of yelps for a catch as de Grandhomme plunges forward to defend balsl that are bouncing substantially.
43rd over: New Zealand 140-6 (Taylor 77, de Grandhomme 11) Again de Grandhomme gets off strike first ball with a drive, and Taylor soaks up the rest of the Labsuchagne over. Lots of encouragement from Paine behind the stumps.
42nd over: New Zealand 139-6 (Taylor 77, de Grandhomme 10) The double spin attack now, with Lyon partnering Marnus. In an ideal world New Zealand would like to be able to go after these two, hit them out of the attack, and put the pressure back on Australia by making their fast bowlers come back and exhaust themselves. But with six wickets down NZ can’t take that risk.
Tell you what, they won’t have much chance of hitting Lyon anywhere based on that first over. A single first up to de Grandhomme, but Taylor gets a hand grenade that explodes back through the gate, then a ball that keeps its line and bounces over the attempted cut.
41st over: New Zealand 138-6 (Taylor 77, de Grandhomme 9) Indeed, here’s the first bowling change already. Labuschagne’s leg-breaks will be the next on the menu. Jeet Raval’s part-time stuff got substantial turn yesterday. Marnus is more of a skiddy bowler, faster through the air and with more topspin. He drags down first ball and Taylor pulls two runs, denied two more by a good diving save behind square. Taylor cuts a run next ball. I wonder how long de Grandhomme can restrain himself from trying to put Labuschagne in the stands. He drives a single along the ground first up. Taylor cuts twice and should have eight runs really, but finds backward point both times.
40th over: New Zealand 134-6 (Taylor 74, de Grandhomme 8) Cummins carries on with the short-pitched attack to Taylor, too much angle on these bouncers from the right-armer which go across Taylor and almost outside leg stump. Tim Paine is going as far towards a Douglas Jardine field as the rules allow: two in the deep behind square leg, then three just in front, one next to the batsman for the edge off the pad, one at regulation square for the top edge, and one on the rope for the full-blooded pull. Regardless, Taylor keeps playing the shot. Not the smartest strategy given Australia’s two premier quicks will need a break soon. But he gets a single to ground, then de Grandhomme slams a full ball past the bowler in the air for four.
39th over: New Zealand 129-6 (Taylor 73, de Grandhomme 4) Another single immediately for de Grandhomme from Starc, eased behind point, then Taylor is back on strike. He hasn’t faced much, hasn’t scored much, and hasn’t looked comfortable, but he is still New Zealand’s main hope. Has to just get through this short barrage. It is a barrage though, and Taylor gloves the ball just in front of slip! Fast from Starc, hitting Taylor’s fingers on the bat handle and just dying before reaching Smith in the cordon! Good bowling. Taylor looks a little desperate as he takes on a pull shot next ball and meets fresh air, again looking every chance to glove down the leg side. Third time is also lucky, as he finally gets a pull shot out of the middle, Starc’s bouncer not getting up above chest high, and Taylor clobbers four behind square. Then he bails out of another against a great short ball that zings over his front shoulder on its angle across him. Yet another pull shot finishes the over, this one mistime and limping away in the air for a fortunate run.
38th over: New Zealand 123-6 (Taylor 68, de Grandhomme 3) New Zealand’s next hope is Colin de Grandhomme, and Mitch Santner in next just made his first Test hundred the other week against England. Tough task for them up against Cummins and Starc though. The new batsman gets started with a drive through cover for three. He tends to like to get on with things.
Wicket! Watling b Cummins 8 (NZ 120-6)
Another good bit of bowling from Cummins! He’s been landing the ball on a perfect length often today, and moving it into the right-handed batsmen. This time Watling is anticipating that inward movement, pushing to cover it, and the ball goes a bit the other way. Suddenly his hands are outside the line of his body and he’s getting a thick inside edge back onto his stumps! Huge wicket, Watling can bat some seriously long hours in Test cricket.
37th over: New Zealand 119-5 (Taylor 68, Watling 2) Starc bowling with a bat-pad catcher on both sides of the wicket now, so the bowler has to do the fielding himself when Taylor pushes a run towards mid-on. Watling plays more decisively, a handsome off-drive for two as Starc pitches up. Wade doing the fielding. He might be called upon with the ball again today, with Australia short of seam options. Starc full again to Watling, with the short leg removed. There’s some excitement behind the wicket as Watling misses his next drive, but the sound was bat hitting turf, missing ball by a distance.
36th over: New Zealand 116-5 (Taylor 67, Watling 6) Cummins bowls a beauty. One ball after Watling drives a full ball down the ground for four, Cummins gets a ball to hit a crack, seam in at the batsman, and keep low. The pitch is starting to break up on this third day, with cracking along the length of the wicket in true Perth style. Hard not to love this new stadium’s surface.
35th over: New Zealand 112-5 (Taylor 67, Watling 2) Taylor is starting rusty this morning. Short down leg side again from Starc, and Taylor wafts a pull that doesn’t threaten much except a glove to the keeper. Starc has a leg gully and a long leg behind square, then a short square leg and a deep square leg in front of the line. Only two fielders allowed behind square leg, as per the old Bodyline amended rules.
All of that planning, then New Zealand nearly hand over a wicket with a run-out. Paine has made a mess of that. So did Taylor. He should have run himself out last night while batting with Williamson, and this time he burns Watling. Taylor knocks away a run to point, turns for the second, Watling honours the call, then Taylor bails out and turns back. Watling has to do the same, at the striker’s end. He’s miles out. He’s gone. Lyon throws in. And then Paine, having come up to the stumps, fumbles the take. I think he was distracted by Labuschagne, who had run in from short leg to the stumps to try to take the ball as well. Between the two of them they mess up a straightforward chance, and Watling survives. He adds a single next ball like none of that ever happened.
34th over: New Zealand 110-5 (Taylor 66, Watling 1) Pat Cummins starts from the other end, and his first ball is beautifully on the money. A hint of movement, snaking in at the off stump, making Watling defend. His second, a similar line but seaming in from a slightly shorter length, taking a small nick from Watling’s inside edge before thudding into the pad. Too high to prompt an appeal. Fuller next ball and Watling digs at it. A maiden.
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33rd over: New Zealand 110-5 (Taylor 66, Watling 1) We’re away! Watling to face the first ball, Starc bowling it. A low full toss that Watling blocks, then a ball on his pads that the Kiwi keeper can knock away to get off the mark. Taylor comes on strike and immediately Starc is bouncing him. Ricky Ponting on the TV is analysing vision from last night, saying that Taylor was least assured against the short ball. Took his eyes off it, often had his feet off the ground. That will likely be the mode of attack today then, and it is, though Starc bowls too much down the leg side.
Preamble
Today is International Ross Taylor Day. He’s the great hope for New Zealand to stay in this contest. New Zealand are five wickets down already, but both teams are short a bowler, with Josh Hazlewood doing his hamstring last night and Lockie Ferguson his calf. So a lot rides on Taylor’s innings. If he can bat through the first wave of attack from Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, then Australia won’t have a huge amount in the way of reserves. It will come down to a spin focus with Nathan Lyon and the part-timer Marnus Labuschagne, though Lyon should get some bounce and turn out of this surface and could be the key bowler in his own right.
But Taylor looked a million bucks last night after some early jitters between the wickets. He clouted his way to 66 as the wickets fell at the other end. He made 290 last time he played a Test in Perth, across the river at the Waca, and this year he’s been in some of the best form of his life.
If Taylor goes early today though, then NZ could be bundled out cheaply and would have to bowl again through the heat of the day, after doing that twice already. Australia would pile up a huge lead and then Lyon would have plenty to bowl at in the fourth innings. So a lot rides on this.
If, contrarily, Taylor can bat long with BJ Watling, then New Zealand have the better bowling balance with a true all-rounder in Colin de Grandhomme to boost their attack. Starc was an irrepressible force last night, but it remains to be seen what he’s like here during the day.
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