Caps deliver grisly scene at Basin
After months of anticipation, thousands watching with optimism, the Black Caps delivered some of their grisliest cricket in a decade. New Zealand last night ended day two of the first test hoping for another miracle, having awoken yesterday with enhanced ambitions of a rare victory over Australia.
The tourists began on 279-9 at the Basin Reserve. The hosts had a good argument for holding the advantage. Then, in two unseemly sessions, the match went the way it so often does when these teams meet.
A record 10th-wicket stand; a ruinous mid-pitch collision; two in-form batters falling for ducks; another two departing in as many deliveries.
Suddenly, the Black Caps were
29-5, still trailing the defending world champions by 354 runs, any designs on a series win almost dashed.
But not completely. Not after Glenn Phillips counter-punched with
71 from 70 balls to help his side stagger to 179, before Tim Southee removed Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to leave Australia on
13-2 at stumps.
And not after what happened in Wellington last summer, when the hosts were similarly floundering and forced to follow-on by England, only to mount an improbable comeback that became a miraculous one-run win.
New Zealand on that occasion started their second turn 226 runs in arrears. This time, when the tourists eschewed the follow-on, they were
204 behind and ruing a first session in which they were toyed with by the final-wicket pair.
Much credit belonged to Cameron Green, who conducted an exhibition for batting in such circumstances and converted a day-one century into a new test best of 174no. Josh Hazlewood also acquitted himself well while making 22, his highest score in eight years.
But the Black Caps were sloppy in execution and bereft in imagination, allowing Green to do as he pleased while frustration steadily grew.
After the No 4 cracked a couple of sixes and Hazlewood stroked early boundaries, Southee was quick to position fielders on the legside boundary while instructing his bowlers to go short.
Regardless of the merits of that tactic — at home on what had been a helpful track while bowling to a No 11 — the attack was incapable of carrying it out.
Instead of building pressure, let alone taking a wicket, the bowlers sent their bouncers well over the batters and, in the case of Scott Kuggeleijn, even to the boundary. New Zealand conceded 20 wides and
41 extras in total — the third-highest they had allowed in test history.
Overs proceeded in a numbingly predictable pattern: Green would begin on strike, turn down a single, ignore a short ball, collect a boundary and easily make his way to the opposite end to do it all again.
After lunch was delayed, the hosts’ misery extended, Matt Henry finally ended the innings by getting Hazlewood and finishing with his second five-wicket haul in tests.
Demoralised that day by two tailenders scoring half-centuries, the Black Caps summarily collapsed to 76 all out. And history seemed set to repeat as a wretched first session was followed by an embarrassing second.
Tom Latham’s fifth-over dismissal by Mitchell Starc was bad but not shocking; the opener is approaching a year without a test half-century.
Shocking was what happened next, as Kane Williamson followed three centuries in four innings against South Africa by being run out for zero from two balls, calling for a single and colliding with Will Young.
A double-centurion last month, Rachin Ravindra also fell for a duck from his third ball.
The innings — and the day — was then encapsulated by a kamikaze innings from Kuggeleijn, whose selection was touted by New Zealand as strengthening the batting.
With Phillips needing as much strike as possible, the test novice survived an lbw shout from Nathan Lyon first ball before dancing down the wicket and sending a simple catch straight to deep midwicket.
Southee looked to have concluded the day with a couple of positive moments, only to spill Lyon at third slip from Henry’s final ball.
It was a much more fitting end.