Kiwis on cusp of victory
Historic Test win looms
New Zealand is on the cusp of ending a 31-year drought against Australia after completely dominating proceedings on the third day of the Test being held in Christchurch. The last time New Zealand defeated Australia in a Test match on home soil was in 1993 when Danny Morrison nabbed 6-37 in the opening innings of the match.
Trailing by 94 runs after the opening innings, the Kiwis launched a superb counter-attack to score 372 in their second innings before Matt Henry and Ben Sears routed the Australian top order. Chasing a target of 279 to sweep the series, Australia was reduced to 4-34 before Mitch Marsh and Travis Head managed to hold sway for the final hour of play on Sunday. Marsh is unbeaten on 27 from as many deliveries, while Head is not out on 17, with Australia at 4-77 needing another 202 runs for victory. It is too late for New Zealand to win the Trans-Tasman Trophy back, with Australia securing the series as a result of winning the opening Test of the series in Wellington last week.
But the Kiwis can square the series and the result could well prove pivotal when the next World Test Championship decider is held at The Oval in June, 2025.
Fox Cricket pundit Brendon Julian praised the bowling of Henry, who has 17 wickets for the series, and said the Kiwis had a great chance of ending the drought.
“It was a great day from New Zealand and they have got themselves in a great position to be able to win this Test match,” Julian said. “New Zealand are well and truly in the box seat, but can they deliver the knockout blow tomorrow? That is the big question.”
Meanwhile, for the first time since 2014, Steve Smith was dismissed LBW in both innings of a Test after man of the moment Henry produced a superb ball to trap him in front for nine.
Similarly to the opening innings when Smith was beaten by a delivery from Kiwi debutant Sears when on 11, the Australian appeared befuddled by the delivery. Adding salt to the wound, on both occasions he appealed the decision, only for the review to show the delivery rattling into his stumps.
It is just over nine months until Australia hosts India in a highly anticipated series on home soil but the question remains as to whether the batting order as selected is sustainable.
Smith made the selfless decision to move to the top of the batting order after David Warner’s retirement to open a spot for Cameron Green, who repaid the faith with a stunning century in Wellington in the first Test to secure the TransTasman Trophy for Australia.
But the jury is out on whether the move has worked for Smith, who has made only one half-century since the promotion in Test series against the West Indies and New Zealand.