New Zealand vs Australia: Josh Hazlewood delivered a stellar performance with the ball, putting Australia in a commanding position after day one of the second Test match against New Zealand at Hagley Oval.
The bowler from New South Wales captured 5 wickets for 31 runs, leading Australia’s effort to dismiss New Zealand for a mere 162 runs in 45.2 overs, to the dismay of the 8,000 fans present in Christchurch.
Facing New Zealand’s bowling, Australia ended the day at 4-124, trailing by just 38 runs, with Marnus Labuschagne standing undefeated on 45 and nightwatchman Nathan Lyon at 1 not out.
After winning the toss and opting to field first, Australian captain Pat Cummins and his team were initially frustrated by a lack of early wickets. However, the momentum shifted as Mitch Marsh made an excellent catch at third slip to dismiss Will Young (14) off Mitchell Starc’s bowling.
Tom Latham (38) was next, marking the start of Hazlewood’s impressive haul, followed by Alex Carey’s catch of Rachin Ravindra (4), tilting the session in Australia’s favor before lunch.
Post-lunch, Daryl Mitchell (4) also fell to the Hazlewood and Carey combination. The significant moment came when Hazlewood dismissed Kane Williamson (17) in his 100th Test, leading to New Zealand’s captain reviewing out of necessity but ultimately departing disappointed.
Starc returned to claim two wickets in consecutive deliveries, surpassing the legendary Dennis Lillee’s tally with his 356th Test wicket. Cameron Green’s dismissal of Tom Blundell (22) left New Zealand relying on their bowlers.
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However, Tim Southee (26) and Matt Henry (29) forged a vital 55-run partnership for New Zealand. Both were eventually dismissed, adding crucial runs and sparing New Zealand from a complete collapse.
New Zealand’s Matt Henry acknowledged the team’s challenging performance with the bat but highlighted their efforts to challenge Australia.
Australia faced difficulties against New Zealand’s bowlers, especially Southee and Henry, but the newcomer Ben Sears broke through, taking key Australian wickets.
Shortly after Khawaja was dismissed, Henry showcased an exceptional bowling phase, having two convincing LBW appeals in his seventh over before finally dismantling the left-hander’s leg stump via a deflection off the pad.
Cameron Green and the struggling Labuschagne managed to add 49 runs for the third wicket until a revitalized Henry claimed Green for 25.
Henry expressed optimism about New Zealand’s bowling performance, emphasizing the importance of creating pressure from both ends and the critical role of taking wickets.
Nathan Lyon, previously leading the run-scorers for Australia in the second innings at Wellington, took to the field as the nightwatchman and skillfully faced eight deliveries to end the day unscathed. Labuschagne, meanwhile, was on the brink of a crucial half-century, standing just five runs short.
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