Nuts and Boults of a broken team
A savage Australian bowling onslaught left an outclassed New Zealand cricket side on the brink of another heavy defeat, and their senior bowler with a tour-ending injury.
The gulf between the sides widened further on day three of the Boxing Day test in Melbourne, as the Black Caps batsmen meekly surrendered for 148 and were left staring down a 456-run deficit at stumps.
There was physical damage, too, with Trent Boult taking a painful blow on his right hand from a fearsome Mitchell Starc bouncer. Scans later confirmed a fractured bone that will see Boult return home after the test.
By then Australia will be 2-0 up, and will replace New Zealand as the world’s No 2-ranked test side with the tourists somehow needing to bat most of the next two days to save this.
It could have been a three-day test, but for Australian skipper Tim Paine’s decision not to enforce the follow-on to rest his bowlers, notably Pat Cummins who was outstanding in taking five for 28.
Australia rattled up 137 for four before stumps and may well be tempted to declare overnight and unleash their quicks again today. No rain is forecast until late tomorrow when temperatures are forecast to reach 41 degrees Celsius.
The one high point of the final stanza was Neil Wagner, New Zealand’s player of the series, removing Steve Smith for a fourth time in as many innings to raise his 200th test wicket.
Led by Cummins, and ably backed by the recalled James Pattinson, Australia’s bowlers showed their New Zealand counterparts how it was done.
Tom Latham aside, who batted 236 minutes and faced 144 balls for his 50, after he was dropped by Smith on nine, the batsmen just weren’t up to Australia’s 140kmhplus pace and hostility.
‘‘It was pretty relentless. Fair play to Australia the way they bowled . . . they didn’t let us have anything unfortunately,’’ Latham said. ‘‘But that’s test cricket and that’s what we came to expect from the Australian side.
‘‘The way they executed was spot-on from a bowling point of view and, unfortunately, we didn’t handle it the way we would have wanted today.’’
Some poor defensive techniques, and driving too hard at wider ones to offer catching practice for Paine and the slips, saw a regular procession as New Zealand’s innings lasted 54.5 overs. It was too quick and too hot to handle for prolonged, intense periods.
Having resumed on 44-2, they lost their last eight wickets for 102 and Starc, their chief destroyer in the 296-run defeat in Perth, was merely a bit part player who inflicted some late physical damage when given his chance.
Australia also showed up the Black Caps’ bowling approach from day one after Kane Williamson won the toss in helpful conditions. Channel Seven statistics show just seven per cent of the Kiwi seamers’ deliveries were aimed at the stumps on day one.
Cummins and Pattinson were hostile, accurate and fast, a good 15kmh quicker than their opponents.
There was little need for a bouncer barrage, either. The duo bowled full, attacking the stumps and letting the pitch assist them.
Somehow, Latham and his batting cohorts have to find a way to counter them.
‘‘The biggest thing is to try and narrow down plans and guys trying to stick to that. It did a little bit today off the wicket. It did that last night and probably did a little bit more this morning.
‘‘Unfortunately, we couldn’t quite get through a few spells today. As I said, we have another opportunity in the fourth innings and hopefully we can try and rectify things.’’
Latham and Taylor resumed at 44 for two with the Black Caps needing their senior men to dig in. Taylor lasted 28 balls, driving hard at home from Cummins, then Henry Nicholls was trapped in front first ball by one that was too quick.
BJ Watling survived the Cummins hat-trick delivery and looked the most composed defensively of the New Zealand batsmen. It took a good one to remove him, too, with Pattinson seaming it both ways and bowling a snorter that reared and Watling gloved it to first slip.