Reflections on Australia's 2-0 series win v NZ

Australia 224 (Nevill 66, Smith 53) & 7/187 (S Marsh 49, Boult 5/60) def New Zealand 202 (Latham 50)  & 208 (Santner 45, Hazlewood 6/70) by 3wkts with 2 days to spare: T3/3 D3/5 at Adelaide Oval. Australia won Trans Tasman series 2-0. Player of the match: Josh Hazlewood, Player of the series: David Warner.

A low scoring Test concluded, unusually (perhaps unprecedently for Adelaide) in 3 days. Australia made relatively hard work of securing victory after having NZ 6/116 just after play began on D3. The Black Caps tail, marshalled by Mitchell Santner on debut, fought hard against an Australia attack minus injured Mitchell Starc, but in the face of Josh Hazlewood's skill and persistence were unable to set the 200+ target which might have stretched Australia's relatively thin-looking batting against the pink ball under lights. Trent Boult belatedly showed what a good bowler he is but Shaun Marsh, supported by his brother Mitchell in a crucial 5th wicket partnership, guided Australia to a victory which, if not particularly convincing, was (as two wickets fell close to the target) more comfortable than it appeared. 

Only once did NZ hold the initiative: in Australia's first innings when the home team were 8/116 and had a DRS review turned down by the 3rd umpire in the face of a lot of evidence which would have made the score 9/118. Yes, it was galling for everyone at the ground and watching on TV (where the audio revealed even more of umpire Llong's uncertainty), to wait what seemed like an eternity (perhaps 5 mins) for the decision. But NZ should have refocused and got on with it. By persisting with mostly spin when the pace bowlers had shown themselves (notwithstanding 2 wickets in an over from Mark Craig) more penetrative, they let Peter Nevill with support from Nathan Lyon and Starc (on one good leg) lead Australia to what in Adelaide Test terms still looked inadequate, but turned out to be the highest total of the match.

Pink ball, pink sky:Australia grasp initiative after bowlers destroy early NZ resistance in first day/night Test: T3 D1

Australia 2/54 (22ov, Smith 24*) trail New Zealand 202 (65.2ov, Latham 50/103b/7x4), Santner 31, Watling 29, Williamson 22, Taylor 21) by 148 runs with 8 1st inns wkts in hand: T3/3 D1/5 at Adelaide. NZ won toss and chose to bat. 

In many ways this was an island of traditional Test cricket in an ocean of change. 12 wickets for 256 runs in a day seems more like 1950 than 2015, but Test cricket under lights, and with a pink ball to boot, would have been inconceivable in the midC20.

I want to write more, but I'm tired after a long day at the cricket, so will leave sketchy summary for now, and return to the topic when I'm refreshed.

Johnson bows out as Test fizzles out in draw: T2 D5

Australia 9/559 dec & 7/385 dec (103ov, Smith 138/185b/18x4, Voges 119/240b/16x4, Nevill 35, Johnson 29, Starc 28*, Warner 24, Southee 25-4-97-4, Boult 2/77) drew with New Zealand 624 & 2/104 (28ov, Taylor 36*, Williamson 32*, Johnson 2/20): T2/3 D5/5 at the WACA, Perth. Australia lead series 1-0. Player of the match: Ross Taylor.

Steve Smith and Adam Voges batted Australia to a comfortable position before Peter Nevill and Mitchells Johnson and Starc took them to safety. New Zealand had little chance of chasing down 321 in 48 overs, so the players went through the motions until rain interrupted and then, after Johnson's two wicket last hurrah, bad light ended the Test.

After their mauling at the Gabba New Zealand would have been very pleased with their revival, and satisfied with a drawing a match thanks largely to Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson's batting. Australia will need to make changes for Adelaide because of Johnson's retirement (a pity we won't see him here) and Usman Khawaja's injury: there is debate about who the replacements should be (I think Peter  Siddle should be one of them). The Kiwis should, if they wish, be able to field an unchanged side, but their attack remains weak and the tail long, and they may not have the underpinning of big innings from 

Taylor, Williamson or perhaps Brendon McCullum to keep them competitive.

Taylor 290 takes NZ to lead before Smith & Voges punch back with tons: T2 D4

Australia 9/559dec & 2/258 (63ov, Smith 131*/170b/17x4, Voges 101*/180b/15x4) lead New Zealand 624 (153.5 ov, Taylor 290/374b/43x4, Richardson 166, Starc 37-7-119-4 , Lyon 3/107) by 193 runs with 8 2nd inns wkts in hand: T2/3 D4/5 at the WACA, Perth.

Another high scoring day saw Steve Smith and Adam Voges regain the initiative for Australia after Ross Taylor's magnificent 290 took New Zealand to a 65 run 1st innings lead. 

The pitch has deteriorated little and the bowlers of both sides struggled, though Mitchell Starc less so than the others, to cut through. Yet this shouldn't detract from Taylor's achievement: a quality innings which brought his team back into the Test and series and which showed Australians just how good a batter he is. He deserved to make 300 (and might have reached it had Tim Southee and Trent Boult been able to give him more of the strike).

As Smith, especially, and Voges became more assured against an at best steady NZ attack my thoughts turned once again to whether either side can win from here. Much as I'd like to see a close finish, I can't see it happening here unless Australia set the Black Caps a tempting target which their aggressive batsmen can chase down or fail in the attempt as the home bowlers combine to cut through them. I'll venture to predict a draw.

Australia maintain dominance despite brief NZ resistance T1D2

New Zealand 5/157 (45ov, Williamson 55*/70b/9x4, Latham 47/93b/3x4, Starc 2/30, Johnson 2/52) trail Australia 4/556 dec,( 130.2 ov, Khawaja 174/239b, 2x6 16x4, Warner 163,Voges 83*/127b/11x4, Burns 71, Smith 48/78b/,8x4) by 399 runs with 5 1st inns wkts in hand:) T21/3D2/5 at the Gabba .

Another very. good day for Australia, for whom Usman Khawaja and Adam Voges batted on freely before Steve Smith declared. The top three in the New Zealand order showed some fortitude, but only Kane Williamson survived until stumps as Mitchells Johnson and Starc got their second winds  and took two wickets apiece, regaining whatever initiative Australia might have lost.

Australia batted imperiously, and took the New Zealand attack apart. Trent Boult bowled better today, but he could hardly have bowled any worse than he did on D1. Tim Southee, the pick of a poor bunch, is now injured, Doug Bracewell was at best steady, while Mark Craig was unable to bowl a consistent line and length to optimise the turn he sometimes extracted from the pitch.

Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum looked more like lower order debutants than NZ's most experienced batters. They both, especially Taylor, were all at sea against Johnson, who removed them in short order at a time when Richardson was in desperate need of support. 

NZ are now 399 in arrears, with most of their batting gone, and their confidence undoubtedly dented. 

The best they can hope for is a draw, and that will require assistance from the weather not to mention much more second innings resolution from all the batters. Unlikely.

Scorecard

Australia pummel lightweight NZ attsack: T1 D1

Australia 2/389 (88ov, Warner 163/224b/1x6 19x4, Khawaja 102*/133b/2x6 10x4, Burns 71/120b/12x4/Smith 41*/54b/7x4) v New Zealand: T1/3 D1/5 at the Gabba, Brisbane. Toss: Australia.

Australia powered ahead after winning the toss at the Gabba and batting on a good wicket in conditions which the New Zealand attack was unable to use as effectively as some had predicted.

David Warner and Joe Burns played watchfully in the opening overs, where Tim Southee bowled tightly without beating the bat much, then accelerated as the other bowlers proved unable to sustain a consistent line and length.

At lunch Australia were 0/100 and such was the quality of Warner and Burns's batting I was tempted to call the match, and perhaps even the series, to Australia then.

Not much happened thereafter to change my mind. Burns was out for an aggressively fluent 71, Warner sailed past his century and 150, and looked set for many more when out of the blue he was well caught at slip by Ross Taylor.

Then Usman Khawaja. He'd been tried in the Test team before but had never broken through to cement a place. Today he confirmed, that he ia a hugely talented batsman with an unbroken century scvored at a rate marginallyfaster than the dashers Warner and Steve Smith, whose appearance at 2/311 was an ideal situation for him to deply his talent to build the Australan innings furthe.

So, is it too early to csll match and series to Australias? Perhaps, but New Zealand cannot afford another day remotely approaching the shambles that was today.

Footnote

November is now a popular month in which to play Test matches. Today, which is also my birthday, three were in progress; this one at the Gabba, Pakistan v Engalnd at Shrjah (won bythe "home" team) and day 1 of  what looks to be, judging by a few minutes' TV viewing, an intriguing Inda v South Africa fixture.

NZ wipe floor with England by 199 runs to win T2 & level series 1-1.

After the Black Caps batting had propelled their team (at a great rate rate of knots) to a very healthy lead their bowlers took a while to work through the rickety (with some exceptions inc a gutsy Alistair Cook &  persevering Jos Buttler) England batting. 

Well done, Kiwis. But you'll need to regroup before you take on Australia later this year. Your batting is good, your fielding much improved on what we used to expect from you, but your spin bowling is erratic. Mark Craig is a great slip fielder and at times surprisingly good batter, but he's bowled too short  too often. He extracted a lot of spin from the D5 Headingley wicket but his length was too often awry.

As for England, Cap'n Cook has gone from flab to backbone in the series, and Adam Lyth looked OK in this match, but there's not much else  to report.

In just over an hour Australia take on the West Indies in T1/2. I'm expecting this to be a 2-0 walkover (or warm up for the Ashes, as some have uncharitably suggested). If it isn't the Ashes will be more, much more, interesting.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/england-v-new-zealand-2015/engine/match/743941.html

McCullum's feat and great, the more so for being unexpected, NZ recovery.

Brendon McCullum's 302 -the highest individual innings ever by a New Zealander in a Test match- deserves acknowledgement, indeed high praise,  as a masterpiece of judicious batting, concentration and endurance. He, with considerable support from an obdurate BJ Watling and, as the immediate threat of defeat receded, a more fluent Test debutant Jimmy Neesham, turned the match and series around. 

A draw may have been a bit anticlimactic, but it did give the series to NZ 1-0 and show several things, notably (which we already knew) that India are below par away from home, and that NZ at their best and at home are a formidable force in the long form of the game.

Well done, Black Caps.

<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/feb/18/brendon-mccullum-triple-century-new-zealand-innings?CMP=EMCSPTEML942">Scorecard</a>

Back from break to see NZ hold England in check in day of 1950s style Test cricket

I've taken a break from cricket following, not only because there's been no IPL coverage apart from sketchy highlights of matches and a bit more on the emerging scandal (or series of scandals) there.


But last night I settled onto the couch and watched the first two sessions of England v NZ T1 at Lord's, which turned out to be (1) a good day for the Black Caps and (2) a throwback to the 1950s.

England (Alistair Cook) won the toss, opted to bat, and struggled against some steady NZ bowling, a lush outfield and perhaps their own defensive mindset.

4/160 from 80overs isn't the kind of batting to lure crowds through turnstiles (and perhaps to the TV screen). Yet young Trent Boult 17-7-29-2 and old(er ) Bruce Martin 24-11-37-1 had reason to be pleased, even though Martin's missed c&b from Jonathan Trott before he'd scored was a big blot on an otherwise clean NZ fielding sheet.

Slow batting, slow outfield, rain forecast: are these the ingredients of a draw?

I predicted (to myself) that on home turf England would reverse their modest achievements in the recent Antipodean series. But after T1D1 a 2-0 result looks less likely. For what it's worth I reckon England are better placed than 4/160 suggests. If Matt Prior can hit out and the rain keep away England may yet win. On the other hand if the Black Caps can persist and play four or so more days like the first (a big ask IMO) who knows what might happen?

England 4/180 (80ov) v New Zealand; T1/2 D1/5 at Lord's

Sri Lanka see off tenacious NZ to move to final

Sri Lanka 220 for 5 (47.5 ov,T Dilshan 73,K Sangakkara 54, T Southee 3/57) beat New Zealand 217 (48.5 ov, S Styris 57, A Mendis 3-35, S Malinga 3/55) by five wickets: CWC2011 Semifinal #1 at Colombo. Sri Lanka progress to final; New Zealand eliminated from tournament.

Sri Lanka deservedly won the match when their bowlers took the last 6 NZ wickets for 25 and their batters chased down, with some anxious moments but no major collapse, what looked like a below par 217. The Black Caps fought hard - better than I'd expected (I stayed up watching later than I'd intended to) - and were worthy semifinalists, but Sri Lanka's temperament carried them through.

Scorecard

Fox Sports video highlights: there was some cloud cover so don't expect to see one of the spectacular sunsets which have been a feature of many of the matches played in Sri Lanka.

Another South Africa CWC choke, this time against tenacious NZ

New Zealand 8/ 221 ( 50 ov, J Ryder 83, R Taylor 43, M Morkel 3/46) beat South Africa 172 (43.2 ov, J Kallis 43, J Oram 4/39, N McCullum 3/24) by 49 runs: CWC quarter final #3 at Mirpur. NZ go through to semifinals, South Africa eliminated from tournament.

What a result! A modestly credentialled New Zealand team, albeit one which was correctly selected for the conditions, ie included three spinners, posted what looked to be a modest - not bad, not good - score and then chipped away at the South African batting to run out easy winners.

The NZ heroes were Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor with the bat, Jacob Oram in the field and, with Nathan McCullum, the ball. The South African bowling looked good, though the batting crumbled in the face of better than modest bowling, an unusual dismissal (Hashim Amla caught at slip via the keeper's boot) a fine outfield catch (Oram taking Jacques Kallis) and a brain snap (by Francois dePlessis) induced run out of AB deVilliers, at which point the Proteas were 5/121.

Unlike so many other occasions when they've been surprised to find themselves in a strong position, the Kiwis didn't ease off. Oram took a couple more quick wickets, then a few overs later returned to dismiss de Plessis who'd briefly threatened to atone for his sin. The 49 run margin was impressively conclusive.

Can NZ go beyond the semi final? Great effort as it was at Mirpur it's hard to see them repeating it against Sri Lanka (if they beat England) in Colombo, but if England win today...

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Fox Sports highlights

Plenty of cricket on TV: India- NZ Test the one to watch

Since my return I've had plenty of cricket viewing options on both Free to Air (Channel 9's coverage of the Australia- Sri Lanka ODIs) and Foxtel (India - New Zealand Tests, Pakistan - South Africa ODIs and Aust ODD). ABC radio, at least over the weekend, has also kept a reasonable finger on the pulse of other matches, notably the Western Australia- England XI one.


I've sampled much of the coverage. The most interesting by far has been the India - New Zealand Test in Ahmedabad where, after four days, India 487 and 6/82 lead NZ by 110 runs . At one stage India were 5/15 in their second innings as Chris Martin, who I'd hitherto thought was at best an honest trundler, ripped the guts out of the Indian top order.

India's hopes rest chiefly with VVS Laxman (again). I sensed that the Black Caps lost their edge in the last session: perhaps, not for the first time in Test matces, they can't believe the good position they're in. Watching Day 5 if you can.

Oh, and Australia have at last managed to win a match: the dead rubber of the three match ODI series v Sri Lanka , while in a slightly contrived (though genuine first class) warm up match in Perth England defeated Western Australia.

Australia coast to match and 2-0 series win

Australia 231 and 8/511 d def New Zealand 264 and 302 (91.1 ov, M Guptill 58, B McCullum 51, M Johnson 6/76) by 176 runs. Australia won series 2-0. T2 D5 at Hamilton

There were few obstacles obstructing Australia on the road to its comfortable match victory and series win. Fifties to Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum and a 45/25b (1x6, 7x4) biffed by Tim Southee saved a bit of Black Cap pride, but nobody could keep Mitchell Johnson (6/73 from 20.1 ov) at bay for long enough to mount a serious challenge.

The series confirmed yet again that New Zealand struggle against the top teams at Test level. They win a session here, a day there but aren't capable of stringing together enough sessions and days to achieve victories. It must be frustrating for their class players like Daniel Vettori, whose 100th Test this was, and Brendon McCullum to see potentially promising situations frittered (or thrown) away.

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Cricinfo Bulletin

Katich leads Australia's methodical buildup

Australia 231 & 4/333 (114 ov, S Katich 106, M Hussey 67 S Watson 65) lead New Zealand 264 by 300 runs with 6 second innings wickets in hand T2D3 at Hamilton

Simon Katich's Test cricket style 106/279b (12x4) underpinned Australia's solid progression towards a position of considerable strength. All the other batters except for Ricky Ponting supported him: Hussey mirroring Katich's strike rate, Watson, Clarke and North driving a gear or two higher. The NZ attack was, as NZ attacks often are, honest rather than penetrative: it's hard to see the (also honest) NZ batting chasing down what looks like more than 400 in the 4th innings.

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Cricinfo Bulletin

Taylor's lone hand keeps NZ in match

Australia 231 & 0/35 (14 ov) v New Zealand 264 (63.3 ov, R Taylor 138, M Johnson 4/59) T2 D2 at Hamilton

Ross Taylor's belligerent 138/104b (4x6, 19x4) and the Australian fielders who dropped him several times have kept NZ in the match.

Scorecard.

Cricinfo Bulletin .

Wind drops and NZ revival fizzles out

Australia 5/459 d & 0/106 (P Hughes 86*) def New Zealand 157 & 407 (B McCullum 104, T McIntosh 83, D Vettori 77) by 10 wickets T1 D5 at Wellington

Scorecard

Cricinfo Bulletin

Ill wind does NZ some good

New Zealand 157 & 6/369 (124.0 ov, B McCullum 94*, T McIntosh 83, D Vettori 77) lead Australia 5/459 dec by 67 runs with 4 second innings wkts remaining, T1 D4 at Wellington.

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Cricinfo Bulletin

Only weather can save New Zealand

New Zealand 157 & 5/187 (72.0 ov T McIntosh 83) trail Australia 5/459d by 115 runs with 5 second innings wickets in hand. T1 D3 at Wellington

Scorecard

Cricinfo Bulletin

Test firmly in Australia's grip as NZ crumble

New Zealand 4/108 (47 ov) trail Australia 5/459 dec (131 ov, M Clarke 168, M North 112*, S Katich 79) on first innings by 351 runs T1 D2 at Wellington

An even more one-sided day's play than D1 with few noteworthy moments for NZ. Michael Clarke 168/253b (2x6, 22x4) and Marcus North 112*/208b (2x6, 12x4) continued from where they'd left off on D1, adding 253 for the 5th wicket.

Ricky Ponting declared at 5/459, a relatively low score by Australian standards, but it soon looked more than adequate as New Zealand collapsed to 4/43 before some stiffer resistance from Martin Guptill and Daniel Vettori (at no6) restored a smidgin of self-respect.

Cricinfo bulletin and scorecard

Australia on top as Clarke conquers troubles and NZ attack

Australia 4/316 (90 ov, M Clarke 100*, S Katich 79, M North 52*) v New Zealand T1D1 at Wellington

Cricinfo Bulletin