A DAY AT THE TEST

NZ v Australia SCG

Caps lost

Without Kane Williamson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Henry Nicholls and Mitchell Santner, the Black Caps lost 267 caps of experience from the Boxing Day test, and their replacements provided only 41 caps. That 215-cap drop-off is believed to be the most between tests in New Zealand cricket history, edging out 1990, when Richard Hadlee, John Bracewell and Martin Snedden all retired after a test against England.

2009

The last time the Black Caps played a test without Williamson, Southee or Boult — and it ended in a heavy defeat to Pakistan. Tim McIntosh and Martin Guptill were opening, Daniel Flynn was at No 3, Peter Fulton and Grant Elliott manned the middle order and Daryl Tuffey was trusted with the new ball. Yet it still might have been a better line-up than what the Black Caps used yesterday.

NZ’s no name

The Black Caps’ illness woes saw Glenn Phillips make his test debut after a last-minute call-up — so last-minute that he walked out to field without a name or number on his jersey. That was rectified during the first session, but it was a brief callback to test cricket of old.

New captain, new role

Tom Latham became New Zealand’s 30th test captain due to Williamson’s ailment, and also took up a rare role for a captain — fielding under the helmet. Few captains have taken the particularly unwanted job, though Ricky Ponting was a notable one — often fielding at silly point, but without a helmet. You suspect that would not be allowed in this day and age.

39

Balls it took for Steve Smith to get off the mark. Content to see off Neil Wagner, Smith finally scampered a single (a risky one at that) to break his duck after 45 minutes; pumping his fist in joking response to the sarcastic applause. It was the longest wait for an Australian batsman to get off the mark since David Boon against the West Indies in 1991.