Key events
7th over: Australia 15-0 (Smith 9, Khawaja 6) A nice pull shot from Khawaja to start the over, but he can only manage a single from it. A ball catches the edge of Smith’s bat and looks panicked at slips, but it falls safely and then he plays a nice drive for three.
6th over: Australia 11-0 (Smith 6, Khawaja 5) I’ve been sent an email prediction, which I’m hesitant to put on the record here for fear of enacting the commentator’s (live blogger’s) curse. But ultimately I’ve decided it’s not my prediction, so here were go from budabbott who simply says:
“100 for Smith. Aussies win by 5 wickets”
Are they correct? Only time will tell. This is a good over from Henry, just the one from it.
5th over: Australia 10-0 (Smith 6, Khawaja 4) Southee continues his spell. Some confusion in the middle of the over with the running and Smith almost gets caught out of his crease, but dashes back in time. It looked like a nervous start to the innings, but both Smith and Khawaja have settled a little now.
4th over: Australia 7-0 (Smith 5, Khawaja 2) Henry bowls another over and the first ball just misses the edge of Smith’s bat. The second catches Smith on the pads and there’s an appeal, but it’s safely outside the line. They appeal again next ball, which is again outside the line – rinse and repeat. Finally an overpitched delivery gives Smith an opportunity and he whips it through deep midwicket for four.
3rd over: Australia 3-0 (Smith 1, Khawaja 2) Southee resumes to Smith, who comes right across his crease to flash at the ball. Eventually he finds his way off strike with a single and Khawaja sees out the over.
2nd over: Australia 2-0 (Smith 0, Khawaja 2) Khawaja gets his first look at the bowling now and it’s Henry who opens from the other end. There’s a big appeal for caught from the first ball, but the umpire isn’t interested and New Zealand decide not to review. Replays show that it hit Khawaja’s arm, so it’s a good decision not to review. It’s very good areas from Henry, forcing Khawaja to leave on multiple occasions. Eventually Khawaja goes after a straight one and finds a gap in the field and he manages to get himself – and Australia – off the mark.
1st over: Australia 0-0 (Smith 0, Khawaja o) Here we go with the fourth innings – unless something very silly happens, we will have a winner out of this match. Smith takes strike to start and Southee opens the bowling in his 100th Test match. It’s a maiden from Southee – a good over to start.
New Zealand all out for 372
New Zealand fought back well at the end of the last session and had some good periods early in this session, but Australia found a way to keep taking wickets. Lyon was very good when he came on – he leaked some runs, but made up for it with three vital wickets. Australia now require 279 runs to win – they have more than two days in which to do it, but whether they can avoid losing wickets is the real question. There has been a bit in this pitch late, so New Zealand would put themselves in with a great chance of snatching a win. It’s all happening at Hagley Oval – don’t go anywhere!
WICKET! Kuggeleijn c Green b Lyon 44 (New Zealand 372)
Kuggeleijn gets greedy and wants to smack his way to 50 in one ball, but Lyon is having none of it and Green takes an easy catch to send him back to the pavilion.
108th over: New Zealand 372-9 (Kuggeleijn 44, Sears 0) Another Cummins over and Kuggeleijn immediately gets himself off strike and throws Southee to the wolves. And straightaway he has to go for a duck, bringing the debuntant Sears to the crease. Sears looks decidedly uncomfortable to be facing Cummins, but he survives the over,
WICKET! Southee c Carey b Cummins 0 (New Zealand 372-9)
Southee can’t get out of the way of the ball and Cummins traps him sensationally, with Carey taking a great catch behind the stumps to see the back of the New Zealand captain.
107th over: New Zealand 371-8 (Kuggeleijn 43, Southee 0) Lyon resumes and gets his first look at Kuggeleijn, who plays watchfully and gets himself off strike after blocking out a couple. Lyon tempts Henry into throwing away his wicket and the captain Southee comes to the crease and blocks out the over.
WICKET! Henry c Hazlewood b Lyon 16 (New Zealand 371-8)
Henry has been finding the boundary with ease, so as soon as he gets on strike to Lyon again he goes for it again, but Hazlewood is lying in wait and takes a comfortable catch a metre inside the rope.
106th over: New Zealand 370-7 (Kuggeleijn 42, Henry 16) Cummins resumes and Henry picks up another four – this one is a streaky inside edge that does not look intentional, but they’ll take the runs whichever way they come. Carey can’t stop a ball that flies off Henry’s pads for four leg byes and the lead continues to build. On the last ball of the over, Henry plays a much more deliberate shot that also finds the boundary. It’s disappointing for Australia after taking that wicket – they need to find a way to fight back.
105th over: New Zealand 358-7 (Kuggeleijn 42, Henry 8) The perfect start to Lyon’s spell brings Henry to the crease. He blocks the first ball he faces, then takes a big swing and plays the ball in the air, but it falls safely and Hazlewood can’t stop it reaching the boundary. Buoyed with confidence, he rocks back and cuts one through the off side for a second consecutive four. Lyon bowls a quick one next ball that beats everything and swings the momentum back a little.
WICKET! Phillips b Lyon 16 (New Zealand 349-7)
Lyon comes on to bowl and immediately takes a wicket! Phillips’ eyes light up and he swings hard, but the ball sneaks under the bat to clip the top of off stump. That’s the start Australia were looking for after tea.
104th over: New Zealand 349-6 (Kuggeleijn 42, Phillips 16) We’re back from tea and will keep rolling on until stumps now. Let’s see which team are best able to use the break to their advantage. Cummins starts with a cracker of a ball (as per usual) that jags back and just misses Kuggeleijn’s bat. Kuggeleijn hits one for four late in the over and Cummins responds with a dot with excellent line and length.
While you’re having your tea, please enjoy this beautiful ball from Pat Cummins to take the wicket of Rachin Ravindra in the last session.
TEA: New Zealand are 345-6 and lead by 251 runs
The start of this session looked like it belonged to Australia, but New Zealand quickly settled and fought back hard. They will be pleased to have got the lead up above 250 and will look to push that to 300 in the final session of the day. Australia needs quick wickets to stem this flow of runs and give themselves the opportunity to win this game. They have plenty of time, but do not want to give themselves too big of a fourth innings chase. The game is in the balance and it’s a fascinating battle!
103rd over: New Zealand 345-6 (Kuggeleijn 38, Phillips 16) Hazlewood resumes and looks to capitalise on the pressure Cummins built in the previous over. He slides one just past Kuggeleijn’s bat, which just misses both the bat and the stumps, but next ball the batter gets bat on ball with a pull shot for four, bringing up the 250 lead for New Zealand. Hazlewood responds with a bouncer, which the batter ducks under, before getting one of those pesky quick singles to get off strike.
102nd over: New Zealand 340-6 (Kuggeleijn 33, Phillips 16) Cummins has brought himself back as tea approaches. He bounces Kuggeleijn first up, who ducks under it, though he looks a little uncomfortable. Australia are struggling to contain the singles at the moment, the batters are ready to drop and run almost every time they get bat on ball and little by little, their lead creeps up. Cummins manages to almost put a stop to that and eventually entices Phillips to flash at a ball once he gets him on strike. It’s a play and miss, and it looks like he was very lucky that he did miss.
101st over: New Zealand 339-6 (Kuggeleijn 32, Phillips 16) Hazlewood resumes and Kuggeleijn immediately tries to go after him, but he doesn’t time it well and it dribbles away for a single – it highlights the difference between Hazlewood and Starc’s bowling at the moment. Hazlewood is bowling a more difficult length and the batters are finding it harder to pick it up. Phillips takes a ball to the body late in the over after a ball nips back off a good length, but he recovers quickly.
100th over: New Zealand 336-6 (Kuggeleijn 30, Phillips 15) An appeal early in the over for caught behind, which is given, but there’s a successful review and Kuggeleijn gets yet another lifeline and immediately responds with two consecutive fours – the first is uncontrolled past third, but the second is well-timed through deep midwicket. Starc is leaking runs here and New Zealand are building a decent lead.
99th over: New Zealand 327-6 (Kuggeleijn 21, Phillips 15) Hazlewood takes over from Green at the other end and he attempts to tidy up the scoring after Starc’s loose finish to the previous over. Kuggeleijn tries another big swing after a few balls of settling in, but he mistimes it and next ball he has to settle for a scrambled single against the tighter line and length that Hazlewood has brought.
98th over: New Zealand 325-6 (Kuggeleijn 20, Phillips 14) Starc has replaced Cummins. The batters are cautious to start – we’re not seeing those same big swings from the past couple of overs. They are watchful while they find Starc’s rhythm. But late in the over, Kuggeleijn has found that rhythm and hits it for six over deep backward square, before a poor delivery next ball – a full toss outside off – gives the batter another chance and he takes four more runs.
97th over: New Zealand 314-6 (Kuggeleijn 10, Phillips 13) Green is looking so close to getting a wicket on almost every ball he bowls at the moment. The ball goes within a whisker of hitting the stumps on the second ball of the over, but the very next ball, Kuggeleijn smacks one over long on for six. This feels like the very circumstance in which Dan Liebke’s ‘free dot’ rule should apply. Nevertheless, it’s a successful over for New Zealand, who are looking back on track.
It should be against the law to score runs against Bumrah after being made to look so foolish the previous delivery. The opposite of a free hit. #INDvENG
— Dan Liebke (@LiebCricket) March 7, 2024
96th over: New Zealand 306-6 (Kuggeleijn 3, Phillips 12) Ball tracking shows us that the LBW appeal in the previous over was too high and would have been missing the stumps, so a good call not to review. Cummins is bowling his 20th over of the innings and midway through the over, Phillips finds a ball he likes and swings hard enough that the streaky edge flies to the boundary.
95th over: New Zealand 300-6 (Kuggeleijn 2, Phillips 7) Green nearly takes another wicket with the first ball of this over, but this time Labuschagne in the slips can’t keep hold of it and Kuggeleijn gets a lifeline. Green is finding good length this over, but can’t quite find the line to tempt the batter to swing at it after that first ball. There’s an LBW appeal on the last ball, but the umpire isn’t interested. It’s a maiden for Green in quite an eventful over.
94th over: New Zealand 300-6 (Kuggeleijn 2, Phillips 7) In all the excitement of last over, I neglected to mention my fantastic colleague Angus who has seen you through the first part of today’s play. I’ll be with you until stumps and hopefully we can all enjoy some more of that excitement together. Cummins resumes his spell and is looking threatening (with his bowling only of course, he’s far too charming and adorable to ever look threatening as a person). New Zealand bring up the 300 with a quick single, but they have a way to go in building their lead to a defendable total.
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Megan Maurice
93rd over: New Zealand 297-6 (Kuggeleijn 1, Phillips 5) Well Green couldn’t even give me one ball to settle in! Starts with a wicket – it was a poor shot from Blundell, but a brilliant catch. It’s now been 3-20 since lunch and New Zealand are not looking as confident as they were this morning.
WICKET! Blundell c Labuschagne b Green 9 (New Zealand 296-6)
Green comes on to bowl and immediately Blundell throws the bat at a wide ball and Labuschagne takes a fantastic catch. Green is in disbelief – there’s an umpire review, but it can’t save Blundell and he has to go.
92nd over: New Zealand 296-5 (Blundell 9, Phillips 5) Here cometh Cummins. He enters his 18th over with 3-40 but knowing he and his pace cartel may only have 10-15 overs when this new ball is at its best. If New Zealand can withstand this assault for an hour and get their tail to wag they can march toward 300 and favouritism to win the Test.
Time for me to settle into spectator mode and hand the new-ish ball to Megan Maurice to steer you home to stumps. Thanks for your company and see you on the morrow!
91st over: New Zealand 296-5 (Blundell 9, Phillips 5) Glorious from Hazlewood! Almost unplayable bowling as he zeroes in on a length. Fast, full, unrelenting. Just a couple of streaky singles from the over but New Zealand are on the back foot for the first time today.
90th over: New Zealand 295-5 (Blundell 8, Phillips 4) The fightback is on! Cummins smells blood. He has two new batters at the crease and he’s going after them. Rushes another past the edge of Phillips and then draws a loose shot which rattles away for four. That’s okay. Both these batters are aggressors so we’ll see some action here. New Zealand’s lead is up to 201. But is that enough?
WICKET! Ravindra c Carey b Cummins 82 (New Zealand 286-5)
Cummins strikes first ball! He attacked Ravindra’s off stump and the young man stepped out to drive then withdrew when it rushed on him. It slid off-line, squared Ravindra up and drew the edge. Beautiful, inspirational bowling from Captain Pat!
89th over: New Zealand 282-4 (Ravindra 82, Blundell 8) Good shot down the ground by Blundell but Cummins, who has stopped plenty of drives there all day, mistimes his dive and it gets through and runs to the rope. Hazlewood bottles his lightning and reduces his pace with a sublime slower ball to finish and almost gets an edge. That’s the majesty of the medium pacer right there.
88th over: New Zealand 282-4 (Ravindra 82, Blundell 4) Great bowling by the Hoff. He’s been patiently building pressure and he kept his cool after Daryl Mitchell’s one-two punch to deliver a knockout response. Can Mitchell Starc get in on the action too? Not in this over, straying onto Blundell’s pads and getting worked for three. Surely Cummins enters the attack with this new batter at the crease?
WICKET! Mitchell c Carey b Hazlewood 58 (New Zealand 278-4)
Mitchell slammed two fours to win the early battle. But Hazlewood, calm and classy as always, slid back of a length on the next to win the war. A lovely ball draws a faint edge and Carey pouches the catch. Big breakthrough for Australia! Can they roll on?
87th over: New Zealand 278-3 (Ravindra 82, Mitchell 58) It’s over 87 – traditionally a bad luck number for Australian cricket. Sure enough, Mitchell thick edges Hazlewood on the half-volley past the outstretched arm of Steve Smith at slip for a streaky boundary. Mitchell takes a mighty heave at the next one and gets another edge, this one flying over point. But Hazlewood wins the long game, drawing a nick on the next ball!
86th over: New Zealand 270-3 (Ravindra 82, Mitchell 50) Peach from Starc! He put it on a beautiful length outside off stump and Mitchell twitched, watching it slide just past the edge. After a profligate start to the session, Australia have bowled 21 balls for one run. Mitchell cuts into that record by gliding one past backward point for two and takes a single for his fifty. Well played, Daryl! His half-century is from 94 balls and Ravindra celebrates his partner’s feat with a brutal cut shot to the boundary. Ouch!
85th over: New Zealand 263-3 (Ravindra 78, Mitchell 47) It’s the first time since 1997 Australia has given eight bowlers a whirl. And Steve Smith – who debuted as a bowler in 2010 – isn’t one of them! Crazy-brave Cummins captaincy? Or a feather in the Black Caps of New Zealand? Hazlewood is into his 20th wicketless over but gets one to jag back and Ravindra inside edges short of Carey. Another maiden from the Hoff. He’s trying hard for his captain here and has his speed is up to 134kph.
84th over: New Zealand 263-3 (Ravindra 78, Mitchell 47) Starc returns. Can his line? Better start to this over, full and fast. Mitchell edges the second ball short of slip and dangles the next wider. Mitchell drives but Cummins reels it in at mid-off. Mitchel has looked a different player. But a wider ball brings a wafty drive and Australian tails go up. Is Starc setting him up here? Fifth ball is wider still – too wide to play at. Starc keeps his corker yorker on ice on the last, content with a maiden.
83rd over: New Zealand 263-3 (Ravindra 78, Mitchell 47) A test for Pat Cummins’ captaincy here. New Zealand well on top and Ausstralia struggling with the new ball. But he’s unleashed two huge yawns at mid-on so looks unfazed. Hazlewood gets the new pill to lift a little on his third and Ravindra flashes and edges just short of slip. That’s better. The Hoff has his line right – full and tight as a frog’s freckle at 132kph.
82nd over: New Zealand 262-3 (Ravindra 78, Mitchell 45) Short and wide. A typical Starc start. And then CRACK! Ravindra square drives him to fence. Lovely shot! Almost another boundary from the next but Pat Cummins dives well to stop the runs. Oh dear. Next one is aimed at third slip. Wide x 3! Pitch it up! (And Mitch it up ie. bowl a yorker!) Mitchell eases a single. A frustrating start to Starc’s spell, one Australia can ill afford. They have given away 19 runs from their first three overs after lunch.
81st over: New Zealand 255-3 (Ravindra 73, Mitchell 45) New ball time! And Josh Hazlewood gets the fresh cherry. Deserves it too after his wonderful 5-31 in the first dig. But now he needs to use it wisely. Australia desperately need wickets. This Mitchell-Ravindra partnership has reached 100 and New Zealand’s lead is 161. Just the one no-ball from the over. Can Mitchell Starc do better?
80th over: New Zealand 254-3 (Ravindra 73, Mitchell 44) The eighth bowler in the Australian attack is… Marnus Labuschagne. Clearly Marnie chewed his skipper’s ear off over lunch begging for a six-ball reward for his 90 runs in the first innings. And his first ball is a BOUNCER waaaayy over Mitchell’s head. Jeers from the crowd. Cheers when Mitchell runs a single to the non-strikers end. No one wants to get out to Marnus. Another bouncer! Marnus on the attack! Next ball is top edged but Hazlewood didn’t pick it up on the boundary and it falls safely. Marnus almost jagged Ravindra there! Labuschagne does have 13 Test wickets to his name and a best of 3-45. He won’t better those figures today me thinks as Ravindra swats him down the ground for four. A snarling bouncer to finish but it’s a second no-ball to go with the wide. And finally a dot to end a nine-ball, nine-run over. So endeth (we hope) the Marnus Labuschagne Experiment. Not a bad band name, that…
79th over: New Zealand 245-3 (Ravindra 68, Mitchell 43) Australia want a new ball and Travis Head is the hurry up man. Two singles from his over take the lead past 150.
Not a cloud in the Christchurch sky as players take the field for the second session. Time to start again.
LUNCH: New Zealand are 243-3 and lead by 149 runs
Great session for New Zealand. They lost the wicket of Tom Latham but piled 109 runs onto their lead and go to the break sitting pretty. Daryl Mitchell has shaken off his skittish form and charged to 42 runs from 70 balls with four boundaries and a six. Rachin Ravindra has gone with him with a lovely 67 from 121 with seven boundaries.
Australia have tried most of their bowling options with minimal success. But they have a new ball due to them after the break and if they get it talking and capture a cluster of Black Cap wickets they are right back in this Test. However, if the home side hang tough and survive, they can take their lead over 200. That would still test Australia but this demon-deficient Hagley Oval pitch a chase in excess of 300 is required I reckon.
Are the Kiwis closing in on their first home victory over Australia in 31 years? Or will a fresh cherry after lunch get this fast and furious Australian pace attack back in the pink? We’ll break for a hot half-hour while both sides dare to dream.
78th over: New Zealand 243-3 (Ravindra 67, Mitchell 42) Top edge! Green dug it in hard and fast and Ravindra flashed equally hard. It caught the splice and ballooned over slips and down to the fine leg rope. Good aggressive bowling and batting there but dicey stuff in the shadows of lunch. Ravindra played a loose shot to lose his wicket before the long break in the first innings. But he survives the over and goes to lunch intact.
77th over: New Zealand 238-3 (Ravindra 62, Mitchell 42) Another wildcard! Cummins brings in Travis Head for a whirl. Head has 12 Test wickets at 31 and a best of 4-40 but possesses an uncanny knack for cracking partnerships. Mitchell suspects he’s more arse than class though and skips down to crack a floaty third ball down the ground for four.
76th over: New Zealand 233-3 (Ravindra 61, Mitchell 38) Straight away Cam Green’s elevated pace draws an inside edge from Mitchell. They run a single. Now we’ll have a battle between the two prodigies of trans-Tasman cricket as Ravindra faces up. But it’s a looser ball down legside and Ravindra gets enough on it to send it to four at fine leg. Green counters with a slower ball that draws an uppish drive and the sniff of a caught-and-bowled. But it’s too far left of even Green’s wedgetailed wing span.
75th over: New Zealand 227-3 (Ravindra 56, Mitchell 37) Lyon keeps it to a couple of singles in his 14th over. New Zealand’s lead has edged to 133. Cameron Green has been warming up with a few mighty windmills at gully. What can Golden Balls deliver?
