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Posted:
2024-02-28 21:01:23
Original link:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-02-29/australia-vs-new-zealand-first-test-day-one-live-blog/103521978
Australia has fought hard to reach 9-279 on a battling first day of the first day at Wellington's Basin Reserve.
Cameron Green played a critical innings of 103* to steer Australia to a respectable target, after New Zealand's quicks took control in the middle session on a pitch that got progressively harder to bat on.
Green's second Test century came at a critical time for both his team and the player, who has been desperate to make the number four position in the order his own. He batted with patience and sporadic power to lead his team to a far stronger position than looked possible earlier in the day.
Losing the toss and being put in on a green wicket on an overcast day, the tourists found the going tough early on.
Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja toiled throughout the first session, adding just 61 runs in the two hours before Smith (31) edged the impressive Henry behind just before lunch, with Tom Blundell taking an excellent catch.
Marnus Labuschagne's worrying form of late continued with a tentative 1 from 27 balls before he fell edging Scott Kuggeleijn behind.
Usman Khawaja's dogged stay ended on 33 from 118 balls as Henry found some swing to beat his defences, before Travis Head fell into a trap to fend a Will O'Rourke delivery to Blundell for 1.
Australia had lost four wickets for 29 runs, but Mitch Marsh counterattacked superbly with a fluent 40 at better than a run a ball.
Against tight bowling on a pitch where everyone had struggled before him, Marsh removed the shackles to play with typical rambunctious freedom, carving all comers to all corners of the ground.
Having scored an unbeaten 72 in the T20I down the road at the Wellington Regional Stadium, Marsh clearly felt at home in the New Zealand capital, punching back-foot drives and wondrously-timed cuts to Wellington's historic Basin Reserve.
As ever, with the high-risk shots comes the danger of a miscue, and soon after tea he skied a hook shot off Henry to leave Australia 5-156.
Soon after Marsh's departure, the pitch began to aggressively misbehave, with variable bounce and exaggerated seam movement making batting incredibly tough.
Green was struck hard on the arm and Alex Carey was caught on the gloves repeatedly.
Carey was dropped on 5 by Glen Phillips, although that ignores the New Zealand slip fielder's hugely impressive effort, leaping high in the air to get a piece of the ball as it flew over him.
It didn't cost New Zealand much, with Carey caught soon after for 10 chipping a drive to Kane Williamson at mid off.
Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins chipped in with some handy runs before falling for 9 and 16 respectively, and Nathan Lyon became Henry's fourth victim just before stumps for 5.
Green was determined to reach his milestone before stumps, and hit three boundaries in the final over of the day to move quickly through the 90s and to 103* by the penultimate delivery of day one.
Look back on how all the action unfolded in our live blog.
We'll wrap things up here
Well, what a fantastic day of cricket.
We're going to wrap things up here for now, but rest assured everything is very much still to play for in this match.
We've just heard that there may be question marks over the weather tomorrow, but a little bit of rain won't stop Dean and I from drivelling away for the best part of the day.
Thanks for being with us, from me Simon Smale and from him Dean Bilton, good night and we'll see you tomorrow.
Cameron Green 'it was a pretty tough wicket out there'
Australia's hero is speaking to the host broadcaster at the moment.
"Obviously feels really good," he says of his century.
"It was a pretty tough wicket out there, just one of those days and I think someone needed to bat through and I'm glad it was me.
"In the 20th over it started to come back even more than probably the first 20.
"It was nice to stick it out there and put a semi-competitive total on the board."
He says Mitch Marsh was good to bat with and took the pressure off him when he was struggling a bit.
"I knew he was going to play his shots and that's what you need to do," he says.
The cramp was "not ideal but you've got to work through it," he says.
As for the game situation.
"It's pretty close, they're probably just on top," he says.
"We've got to bowl well tomorrow"
STUMPS: Australia 9-279 (Green 103, Hazlewood 0)
What a superb day of Test cricket.
That was a proper battle, from the glacial opening session through to the late acceleration of scoring with the tail and through the middle order.
Cameron Green is the star of the show, but hats off to New Zealand, especially Matt Henry, who had 4-43 with the ball and he was very dangerous throughout.
HUNDRED FOR CAM GREEN!
If there are still question marks about the change in opener for Australia, this brilliant century may have ended some of the conversations around whether Cameron Green is suited to number four.
It's his second Test century and he's had to work so hard for it.
He went from 50 to 100 in 46 balls, a stunning acceleration with the tail.
85th over - O'Rourke is the new batter
FOUR! Oh my word! Cameron Green has a big swing and just sends the ball past wide mid on and the ball goes for a boundary. It's all or nothing for Green.
SWING AND A MISS! Big swing and a big miss from Green.
FOUR! Green is on 99! He has hammered that one to long off. It was ugly but effective.
Green almost chops on! He wanted to take the suicide run but collected himself in time.
GREEN CUTS FOR FOUR MORE!
LYON IS OUT! EDGING BEHIND!
Matt Henry has four! That's a great ball, Lyon squared up again, edging behind a feather through to Blundell who takes the regulation catch.
Lyon goes for 5 off 19.
Hazlewood is the new man in, Australia 9-267 and Cameron Green is on 91!
Will he be stranded in the 90s!?
At the moment, Green is getting a massage on his forearm and is gargling some of that anti-cramp juice in the little bottles.
84th over - Henry carries on
Green defends a straight ball that arrowed in towards his toes.
Now he ducks under a short one.
FOUR! Superb from Green! A short ball, Green slashes it over the slips for four more. Brilliant shot - he moves to 88, his second-highest Test score.
Green drives to extra cover and gets three for it - another confident, solid shot from the big all rounder.
BEATEN! Lyon is squared up by a ball that fires through, rising past the outside of off stump.
83rd over - Southee continues
Green was just run out some pickle juice and a banana - he must be getting a bit fatigued out here - he's been out there a long time, 145 balls.
Lyon leaves the first - he won't mind not having to play at the ball too much.
He leaves the second too. Ditto.
BIG APPEAL! I think they like this. Umpire Erasmus says no. The issue will be height. That's hit the back foot but right on the flap of the pad.
I can see it being not out on umpires call.
No, it was over the top by a fraction. Not out and a lost review.
Bit of a leading edge there from Lyon as he defends.
Again, Southee is wide outside off stump and Lyon has no interest in playing at that.
FOUR! What a shot from the GOAT! Back down the ground, all the way along the ground, for four more!
82nd over - Matt Henry from the other end
Cameron Green is surprised by a ball that pops up from Henry.
Green will take a single having seen what this ball can do in the hands of Henry - presumably with a little whispered "good luck mate" to Lyon as they crossed.
Lyon though, more than capable, defending solidly.
Another solid defensive stroke from Lyon.
Lyon is hit on the pads, a big appeal from Henry but nobody else looked interested - for good reason - it was wide of leg stump and going about a metre over the stumps.
LEADING EDGE! Just over the top of mid off! Wow - how thick are those edges! Lyon gets a single for that to get off the mark.
81st over - Tim Southee strips off and demands the new cherry
FOUR! Brilliant from Cameron Green, just clipping the ball off his pads for a boundary to long on.
FOUR MORE! Gentle swing away, Green cuts late past the gully sand away to deep third man for a back-to-back boundaries.
Green leaves outside off.
Now he hammers the ball to cover and takes a single.
Lyon leaves the first he faces.
EDGED! Is it dropped at third slip! Oh that is so close. He tried to claim one like that in the T20 World Cup in Australia a year or so back, but he doesn't do so here, Kane Williamson. It's a very tough chance, down low and diving to his left, it was in the hand but only just and as he rolled it's popped out.
80th over - Mitchell continues
Green fends the first into the covers for no run.
Green takes a single to expose Lyon, who can bat.
Lyon flashes at a wide one and misses getting an edge. This ball is 79-and-a-half overs old and it's still moving through the air.
Lyon leaves a tighter one.
Lyon defends the last.
New ball is now due.
79th over - Ravindra will have one at Nathan Lyon
LBW! CUMMINS IS OUT!
That's kept low, skidding on and has hit Cummins bang in front.
If there's no bat he's a gonner.
There is no bat.
Ball tracking will show this hitting off stump half way up and that's very, very out.
All three red lines come up, it is out.
Cummins goes for 16 from 24.
Australia 8-244.
79th over - Ravindra will have another go
This will almost certainly be his last.
Ravindra whirls up and has Green coming forward defending.
Green pushes to long off and takes an easy single.
SIX MORE! Cummins has hammered that one! So for the second time off Ravindra, he goes all the way.
Cummins is rushed a bit with that one so defends.
78th over - Mitchell comes into the attack
Green gets a single to keep the strike rotating.
Oh what's happened there? Cummins perhaps tried to leave, or else play the latest of late cut shots behind his hip, and fends the ball to the second of two slips.
Oh that's nice, Cummins reminds us that he can bat properly with a soothingly timed off drive for two through the covers.
Leading edge from Cummins, there's an appeal behind the stumps.
Down the leg side, Cummins swings and misses.
This is truly a great ground to watch cricket at
Fun fact for you between overs - this is the sixth Test match in history to have started on a leap day.
New Zealand have played six of them, in 1968 and 2020 against India and in 1980 against the West Indies.
77th over - Ravindra will have another go
Slip, bat pad and a catching short cover in place.
Cummins defends the first couple - there is a bit of turn, the ball straightening off the deck there.
Outside off, too short really, and Cummins cuts for a single.
Good fielding off his own bowling by Ravindra.
Bit too full this time, Green punches the ball to long off for a single.
Cummins cuts again but can't beat cover point so no run.
76th over - O'Rourke will carry on
The new ball is due in five overs.
Green leaves an incredibly tight ball that just passes over the top of off stump.
Green drives, but there is no run to mid off.
Green sways back from a bouncer that just tickles his nose hairs.
Wild bouncer this time from O'Rourke and Blundell does brilliantly to leap up and take the ball one-handed to stop byes from being awarded.
Green leaves again - this one doesn't carry and Blundell smiles back at the bowler with a grin that only a player who knows the injustice of his position can afford.
75th over - Ravindra continues
Green defends the first.
How he drives to long off for a single and they're happy to take it.
SIX! Cummins goes bash! Straight back over Ravindra's head and into the advertising boards in front of the sightscreen.
Cummins defends the next ball, slightly pushed through from Ravindra.
Now Cummins drives square and will take a single.
Green pushes to mid on for a single and Ravindra can't get down to it.