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36th over: Australia 76-2 (Khawaja 33, Green 3) The camera pans to a mournful looking Marnus on the team balcony in his slippers. Test cricket seemed like such an easy game to play yesterday eighteen months ago. Southee replaces himself with O’Rourke and it’s a tidy over apart from four byes speared down the leg side off the final ball. Australia will take them any which way, their scoring rate has been prettay pedestrian so far today.
35th over: Australia 72-2 (Khawaja 33, Green 3) Scott ‘Koogz’ has started to hit his straps after lunch. He keeps Khawaja honest with a maiden that includes a snorter that climbs off the pitch and flies past the helmet – Blundell is leaping to haul it in behind the stumps. Where did that come from?!
34th over: Australia 72-2 (Khawaja 33, Green 3) Southee to Green. Four balls are left alone or defended by the big man. The fifth is driven on the up in the gap for a couple. Rippah! Southee scuds one past the edge with his final ball. New Zealand have looked more dangerous after lunch even though the conditions look better for batting.
33rd over: Australia 69-2 (Khawaja 33, Green 1) Kuggeleijn chugs in, an inswinger is worked off the pads for a single by Khawaja. Green then gets of the mark with a scampered single, three strides and he’s completed the run. Koogywoogy (did I mention it is late?) slams one down in the middle of the pitch, getting his Wagner on you might say. Umpire Marais Erasmus deems it too short and calls it a wide.
32nd over: Australia 66-2 (Khawaja 31, Green 0) Cameron Green is the new man, striding to the wicket in his new berth at number four. Khawaja clips Southee off his pads to bring Green on strike for one ball. A lunge forward and a leave alone by Green. The stadium PA blasts out a bit of REM. Just turned 1am here in London, this one feels appropriate:
I am the screen, the blinding light
I’m the screen, I work at night
WICKET! Labuschagne c Mitchell b Kuggeleijn 1 (Australia 65-2)Khawaja gets off strike off the first ball of the over to leave Labuschagne the rest. Watchful stuff from Marnus. He leaves the ball outside off stump and defends a shorter ball well – getting in and behind it, riding the bounce. He’sgot one run off 27 balls … and he’s GONE on his 28th! Kuggeleijn makes the pressure count – nicking off Marnus, fab low catch by Daryl Mitchell. A torturous knock comes to an end as Labuschagne’s battting woes continue.
31st over: Australia 65-2 (Khawaja 31)
30th over: Australia 64-1 (Khawaja 29, Labuschagne 1) Southee sends down some scrambled seam deliveries that kick off the pitch. Khawaja takes a single and then the Kiwi skipper hangs the ball outside off stump, daring Marnus to have a flirt. He resists.
Like he does so well, Usman Khawaja has seen off the gloomy part of the day, even if it’s not been easy, and earned the right to bat under much clearer skies and with the Wellington sun out in its glory #NZvAus pic.twitter.com/EYXQ0ojK2Q
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) February 29, 202429th over: Australia 63-1 (Khawaja 28, Labuschagne 1) Scott Kuggeleijn starts from the other end. Khawaja swivels his hips to pull a single into the off side. Marnus cloths a short ball wide of off stump, that was a gimme and an in form Labuschagne would have pummelled it to the fence without a second thought. Another scratchy start from the Aussie number three – he has just a solitary run from eighteen balls, but he’s still there and scrapping.
28th over: Australia 62-1 (Khawaja 27, Labuschagne 1) Southee steams in, blue skies and sunshiiine in Wellington now. A maiden to begin with. There was a nice feature with Rachin Ravindra and Tom Blundell at lunch, both seem like thoroughly nice blokes. Looking forward to watching Ravindra bat later on, he’s had a stellar past six months and has all the shots. Also a big fan of his lusciously tousled curls.
Here come the players for the afternoon session. TimSouthee will start with the ball and he’s got rhree slips and a gully in place for Marnus Labuschagne.
“Dear James, 62 runs in the session at a run rate of 2.30 runs per over. It’s not exactly Bazball…”
Don’t mention the B-word Michael Meagher!
Lunch: Australia 62-1
27th over: Australia 62-1 (Khawaja 27, Labuschagne 1)
That’s the end of the session. It looked like it was firmly Australia’s until Matt Henry prised out Steve Smith ten minutes before lunch. Australia played watchfully, 62 runs in the session at a pedestrian run rate of 2.30 runs per over means that they haven’t got away from the home side.
26th over: Australia 62-1 (Khawaja 27, Labuschagne 1) O’Rourke is working up a head of steam, buoyed by the wicket at the other end. He’s up at 143 KPH but the radar is a bit all over the show. Labuschagne only has to play at two deliveries in the over.
25th over: Australia 62-1 (Khawaja 27, Labuschagne 1) Marnus Labuschagne is the new batter and he is under some pressure in this series after having a quiet Ashes series and home summer. He gets off the mark with a clip to fine leg and chews his gum with unbridled ferocity at the non strikers end.
WICKET! Smith c Blundell b Henry 31 (Australia 61-1)My oh my did New Zealand need that! Matt Henry gets the breakthrough and it’s a really good ball that sees the end of Steve Smith. Full and shaping away, squaring Smith up and talking the shoulder of his blade. Props to Tom Blundell who took a brilliant diving catch behind the stumps, snaffling the ball straight in front of first slip.
24th over: Australia 60-0 (Smith 29, Khawaja 27) O’Rourke has a leg slip in place for Smith and the trap nearly works… a short ball at the ribs is fended round the corner but evades keeper and fielder. Twenty minutes or so until lunch…
23rd over: Australia 58-0 (Smith 29, Khawaja 27) Matt Henry back into the attack – he’s been the most potent looking of the bowlers this morning. His side need a wicket here, nothing doing off this over, the batters take a single each. Sun beating down in Wellington, pitch flattening out by the second.
22nd over: Australia 58-0 (Smith 29, Khawaja 27) Smith picks up a couple of twos off O’Rourke. All too easy for the visitors, New Zealand’s attack has looked a bit samey so far this morning.
21st over: Australia 54-0 (Smith 25, Khawaja 27) New Zealand lose as review as they send a LBW upstairs but Kuggeleijn’s full ball was sliding down past Khawaja’s leg stump. Shot! Khawaja responds with flashing drive past backward point to pick up four and then follows up with a pull for four more to bring up the fifty opening stand for Australia.
Away from cricket. Just seen the news about Richard Lewis. Tried and failed to find a ‘clean’ clip but this just made me chuckle. One of the great non double double acts of recent years.
20th over: Australia 44-0 (Smith 24, Khawaja 18) Pick that out! Southee drops short and Khawaja pulls away nonchalantly for SIX! Southee responds with a beauty that zips away late.
Is it time to tell the chin-stroking pitch readers that they have no clothes @Jimbo_Cricket? Nobody knows how a pitch will play and it would be nice if we heard more of that to be honest.
— Gary Naylor 85 (@garynaylor85) February 28, 2024 19th over: Australia 37-0 (Smith 24, Khawaja 11) Kuggeleijn is up at 135 KPH (mid-eighties MPH) and beats Smith with a full ball that nips away late. He’s not as accurate as Southee or Henry but you feel he’s got wickets in him even if he does go for a few. A short ball is flayed by Smith but Glenn Phillips flings himself across the turf at backward point to stop a certain boundary.
18th over: Australia 34-0 (Smith 23, Khawaja 9) Shot! Steve Smith drives Southee on the up and straight back past the bowler for four. Imperious.
17th over: Australia 30-0 (Smith 19, Khawaja 9) Kuggeleijn starts perkily, he goes full and short – unsettling Smith with a seating short ball and nearly sneaking a yorker through too. Three singles off the over but a more threatening over from the fourth seamer.
16th over: Australia 27-0 (Smith 17, Khawaja 8) Southee starts again after a slurp of something luminous. I reckon New Zealand need to be a bit braver here and risk going for runs in search of wickets. They could be a bit fuller, Smith and Khawaja are happy to hang back and play from the crease, it’s all a bit too comfortable. Here comes the whippy Scott Kuggeleijn. If Paul Adams was the ‘frog in a blender’ then Kuggeleijn’s action is reminiscent of a snake in a salad spinner – limbs spraying in all directions during the delivery stride. I’m all for it.
15th over: Australia 27-0 (Smith 17, Khawaja 8) O’Rourke joins the dots to make it eight maidens in the first hour. Time for a drink. Australia have been watchful and New Zealand frugal but lacking in penetration. Still nothing in the wicket column for the Kiwis after winning the toss and bowling first.
14th over: Australia 27-0 (Smith 17, Khawaja 8) Southee replaces Henry, he’s full and at the stumps and pads. Khawaja gets down the wicket but hits the fielder with a lovely looming flick to midwicket. Now then! Steve Smith slips over after being sent back by his partner but New Zealand were slow to react in the field. Rachin Ravindra eventually threw to the non-strikers end with Smith sprawling for his crease but the throw was weak and wide. A let off.
13th over: Australia 27-0 (Smith 17, Khawaja 8) Smith lines up a booming drive off O’Rourke but finds the fielder. And again – signs of a bit of frustration from Smith, he nailed those two but got now for ‘em. A maiden.
12th over: Australia 27-0 (Smith 17, Khawaja 8) Runs! Khawaja clips a couple off his pads as Henry strays too straight.
“G’day James”
Back atcha Rowan Sweeney.
”You’ve made it over from Ranchi in good time, living the jetsetting dream of the OBOer! How good is it to see two fast bowling captains? I love a bit of symmetry so I hope Cummins breaks with tradition and starts the first over when it’s NZ’s turn with the willow.”
Haha. My carbon footprint has only taken in the journey from my sofa to the fridge and back again, Rowan.
11th over: Australia 25-0 (Smith 17, Khawaja 6) O’Rourke is a bit too short and Smith cuts away for a couple. A few clouds roll over the Basin, Matt Henry is going to continue – Khawaja has soaked him up so far this morning, the seamer hasn’t had a delivery at Smith in his last four overs.
10th over: Australia 23-0 (Smith 15, Khawaja 6) Matt Henry is in fine fettle here. Another maiden, his third of the morning.
9th over: Australia 23-0 (Smith 15, Khawaja 6) Will O’Rourke replaces Southee and gets some steepling bounce in his first over. A skiddy, limby action, he’s an exciting talent and Southee is happy to get him into the game early. Smith glides a late cut wide of point for two runs.
8th over: Australia 21-0 (Smith 13, Khawaja 6) Close! Henry squares Khawaja up and takes the edge but the ball flicks the thigh pad on the way through which means it dies just before it gets to Tom Latham in the cordon! Eeeesht – that was close – replays show that Latham came as close as dammit to scooping that up on the dive, we’ve seen players celebrate those plenty of times before. Latham simply tossed the ball back round to the bowler, he knew it wasn’t clean.
Salt, meet wound. Khawaja gets a thicker edge on the final ball of the over and it flies away wide of the slips for a boundary.
7th over: Australia 17-0 (Smith 13, Khawaja 2) Southee’s turn to tie Steve Smith down at the other end. Smith defends stoically before a huge appeal off the final ball for an LBW… NOT OUT – an inside edge saves The Smudger from an early bath.
6th over: Australia 17-0 (Smith 13, Khawaja 2) Matt Henry works Khawaja over once again, pitching the ball on a postage stamp outside off stump. Usman is watchful, only playing when he really has to. A maiden ensues – proper criggit.
5th over: Australia 17-0 (Smith 13, Khawaja 2) Hear that? That’s the sound of a million Aussie cricket fans purring simultaneously. Southee overpitches a smidge and Steve Smith unfurls a classical cover drive that skims away in the gap for four.
“It’s a little chilly at the Basin, but blue skies advancing. No real movement, but a typical Basin wicket. All set fair.” Have a belter Paul Cockburn!
Khawaja has one of the great faces for opening the batting. Scowling, narrow-eyed, distrustful, questioning. Everything you want at 11am on a green top.
— Jon Hotten (@theoldbatsman) February 28, 20244th over: Australia 13-0 (Smith 9, Khawaja 2) Lovely maiden stitched together by Matt Henry. He gives Khawaja’s defensive tekkers and judgement a thorough working over but the batter is up to the challenge. There’s a decent amount in this wicket on early evidence, New Zealand will have to make it count before it flattens out.
“Time for business” writes Simon McMahon. “Evening / Morning Jim. Test cricket featuring fierce rivals on a green top on a Wednesday night in February. The night for Test cricket, among other things. Two handsome captains. It’s business time!”
3rd over: Australia 13-0 (Smith 9, Khawaja 2) Southee gets some nibble off the pitch, one nips away from the left-handed Khawaja and another decks back and narrowly misses off stump. There are only two types of leave eh Ussie… Khawaja clips off his toes to pick up a brace and get off the mark. Southee then sprays one well wide of keeper Tom Blundell that is given as byes. Who’d be a keeper.
2nd over: Australia 9-0 (Smith 9, Khawaja 0) Matt Henry shares the new ball and he takes the edge of Steve Smith’s bat twice in his opening over! Both times the Aussie is squared up by a length ball and both times the ball flies in the gap between slip and gully and away for four runs. Glenn Phillips is the fielder at gully, don’t mess with him, that guy is electric in the field.
1st over: Australia 1-0 (Smith 1, Khawaja 0) There’s a suggestion of movement in the air but nothing too dramatic off the pitch in the first over. Smith tickles the fourth ball off his hip and into the leg side to get the first run of the Test match. Beauty! Southee whizzes one off a length past the forward prod of Usman Khawaja. Sun peeping out in Wellington, the Basin Reserve looks a picture.
The players have belted out the anthems. Tim Southee is marking out his run, this is his 99th Test match. He’ll open up with the new orb to Steve Smith. Play!
We got bazball but they got Advance Australia Fair, which is a banger, imo. Always found it stirring.
— Jon Hotten (@theoldbatsman) February 28, 2024 We’ve got about ten minutes til the start of play. It’s a cliche but the first hour is going to be imperative. New Zealand will want early wickets and Australia will want to alleviate any nagging doubts that their batting card is a bit out of nick, beady eyes particularly on Steve Smith at the top of the opener followed by Marnus and Cameron Green.
A word on Neil Wagner who hung his bowling boots up this week. Such a wholehearted and sinew straining cricketer. I for one will miss him whanging it down the middle of the pitch, not sure Steve Smith will though…
No more Neil Wagner to worry about and it’s been obvious in the way Steve Smith and the other batters have trained in the last few days in Wellington. No more over emphasis on preparing for the short ball. An ode to the impact Wagner had on them #NZvAus pic.twitter.com/7ZPNoklpN0
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) February 28, 2024 The first three days are a sellout in Wellington and there’s a great buzz around the place (that I can detect through my TV on my sofa in South London). The coverage started with a delightful Anchorman/Alan Partridge ‘stroll n talk’ towards the camera. Someone must be clipping it up as we speak.
Here are the confirmed teams:
Australian XI 1 Steven Smith, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Cameron Green, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood
New Zealand XI 1 Tom Latham, 2 Will Young, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Rachin Ravindra, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Tom Blundell (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips, 8 Scott Kuggeleijn, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Tim Southee (capt), 11 William O’Rourke
New Zealand win the toss and will BOWL firstSouthee calls the coin correctly and sticks the visitors in on a green’un!
“We’ve played enough here to know it’s a good surface, it’s been under covers for the last 24 hours.”
Pat Cummins confirms he would have done the same but says he isn’t too dissapointed as the wickets in Wellington tend to be decent. “I’m not too upset. Some first innings scores have been big here.”
Tim Southee and Pat Cummins have got their blazers on out in the middle… two of the most handsome chaps in world Cricket?
Kiwi pacer Scott Kuggeleijn has been spotted marking out his run up at the ground, so unless he is doing some Mitch Marsh esque jiggery pokery the smart money is on New Zealand going for an all out pace attack and resting the bespectacled tweak of Mitchell Santner.
The toss will be all important, with the pitch greener than a Goblin’s todg… erm ankle and some overhead clouds hanging around it has to be a bowl first morning? The Basin Reserve tends to flatten out though so make it through the first session and there could be runs to be had.
Fair to say there’s already been a bit going on in Wellington this morning… there’s been rain and the small matter of a 4.7 magnitude earthquake. That’s just a tiddler, apparently.
Adam Collins – sometime of this parish and all the time with the resplendent bouffant – is at the ground, it looks a bit mizzly but the forecast is good for the next few days at least.
Preamble
James Wallace
Hello and welcome to the day one OBO of New Zealand v Australia at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. ‘The War of the Ditch!’ as absolutely no one is calling it. This series is proper appointment viewing – Australia return to New Zealand to play cricket after an eight year gap. Eight years! Neither captain Pat Cummins or searing southpaw Mitchell Starc has hauled on the cream flannels for a match on the green green grass of New Zealand.
The two Test series (Boo!) is hotly anticipated, with ticket sales strong in both Wellington and Christchurch. This is perhaps a reflection on the fact that the Trans Tasman rivals don’t face up that often in the longest format (and aren’t scheduled to meet again until 2026/7) but also because they are two fine Test sides with stardust sprinkled across each XI.
…The New Zealand public, who have just watched the Black Caps beat an understrength South Africa side 2-0, are ready for the challenge of their noisy neighbours, despite the odds. Somehow, from a population of just over five million, most of whom are obsessed with rugby union, the New Zealand cricket side not only won the World Test Championship in 2021 but head the current table (with England languishing down in eighth).
But for all the outstanding, unexpected, success of the New Zealand Test team, the Australians are their brain fart, their soft underbelly, their recurring naked nightmare. The Black Caps have beaten Australia only once in a Test since 1993 – at Hobart in 2011. And they have have lost nine of their 10 home Tests against Australia in the 21st century. They followed on in the 10th, and saved it thanks to bad light and persistent rain rather than any memorable rearguard action.”
Jim here with you for the first few sessions, there’s so much to dig into over the coming hours and days and I for one am positively fizzing to get into it all. In the meantime, here’s one Tanya Aldred prepared earlier – well worth a read of this scene setter as we approach the toss and final team news* in Wellington.
Play gets underway at the Basin Reserve at 11am local/9am AEDT. Please do drop me a line on Email or tweet @Jimbo_Cricket with your musings, it’s always** a pleasure to hear from OBO followers around the globe. Righto, let’s do this shall we?
*Cummins has already named his XI a day early, the confident so and so.
**Almost always. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.