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The Wrap: Black Caps fail to adapt against relentless Australia

A lot rests on Josh Hazlewood's shoulders in India. (AFP PHOTO/IAN KINGTON)
Expert
14th February, 2016
21

Optimistic New Zealand fans will point to this Wellington Test tracing a remarkably similar path as the most recent matches at the same ground, against Sri Lanka and India.

The tale of the tape sounds familiar enough. New Zealand losing the toss and being asked to bat on a Kermit-green wicket, fumbling to a sub-par score, before conceding a substantial first innings lead.

Against both India and Sri Lanka, New Zealand also lost early second innings wickets before ending day three at five wickets down, in grave danger of losing. Again in both cases, New Zealand finally came good on day four, finding friendly batting conditions and the necessary grit to build substantial partnerships to eventually turn the match situation around.

This time New Zealand are only four wickets down – marginally better – but are considerably deeper in the hole, to the tune of a 201-run deficit.

More cricket:
» Australian bowlers show the Kiwi attack how it’s done
» Adam Voges, batting ugly but sitting pretty over Bradman
» Can Adam Voges better The Don’s average?
» New Zealand vs Australia: First Test – Day 4 cricket scores, live blog
» Scorecard: New Zealand vs Australia first Test

They are also without their three most experienced batsmen. Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum both winkled out, and Ross Taylor a fixture on the physio table.

The Basin Reserve pitch has played precisely as expected; helpful for bowling during the first two sessions, before bringing the batsmen into their own. Undoubtedly, this pitch is good enough for the remaining New Zealand batsmen to see out the five sessions they would need to force a draw. But for this to happen, it would require a major turnaround from what we have seen so far.

The beauty of Test cricket is that there are many discrete events which influence the ebb and flow of a game, and ultimately the outcome. Moments of indecision, luck, a lapse in concentration or a display sheer skill.

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New Zealand have not played poorly in this match, certainly compared to their lame Gabba effort in November, but they have trailed Australia on all these key indicators, and will be bitterly disappointed with their position in the match.

Nobody doubts that adjusting from short-form cricket to Test cricket is difficult, but it is reasonable to expect professional cricketers to do just that. Yet on day one, too many New Zealand batsmen played away from their body – against accurate bowling and sideways movement – and thus paid with their wickets.

What could they have done with a bit more application and a total of say, 250-260 and another session of time eaten up? Similarly, both Martin Guptill and Tom Latham made good starts in the second innings, before inexplicably throwing their wickets away to Nathan Lyon.

Both will now be wondering where their moments of madness came from. But whatever conclusion they reach, the evidence suggests that they weren’t mentally ready to bat the time which Test cricket not only allows but, in this position, their situation demanded.

Brendon McCullum will also be disappointed with the manner of his final-over dismissal; in his case not a failure of discipline, but a lapse of technique, missing a straight one from Mitchell Marsh.

By contrast, two of the Australian top order batsmen who got starts, went on to ruthlessly take advantage. Usman Khawaja showed no separation anxiety from his chum Adam Zampa having returned home, and continued on with his imperious form.

Adam Voges looks so at home in Test cricket it is truly astounding to comprehend how he came to the caper so late in his career. Certainly he was out on the first evening, but it was another seemingly effortless 232 runs before he gave New Zealand another chance.

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The bowling tells a similar tale. Josh Hazlewood, correctly identified by Ronan O’Connell in his match preview as Australia’s key player, quickly found the right length for this pitch, and the consistent accuracy to match. He bowled a superb spell to Williamson, testing him with a series of tailing in-duckers, before moving one away in the fourth stump channel.

Hazlewood also dug deep on Sunday, putting in an extra shift as Peter Siddle sat out the final session with an ankle complaint.

There are whispers from some that Williamson has lost his form, mojo or both. But in this case he was simply beaten by a bowler at the top of his game. Throw in a sublime catch by Peter Nevill in the first dig and all he can do for now is shrug his shoulders and look forward to better days ahead – hopefully in Christchurch.

Whatever the help provided by Guptill and Latham, Lyon’s accuracy and control also provided a substantial point of difference to the struggling Mark Craig.

To illustrate, three times Craig was the bowler as Khawaja (100), and Voges (100 and 200) approached their milestones. But whatever pressure the batsmen may have felt was released as, respectively, a long-hop and two gentle full-tosses delivered their centuries on a plate.

Whatever excuses Craig may have had early season in Australia, it is difficult now to find any justification for extending his Test career beyond this match – particularly at the expense of an improving Ish Sodhi.

Once again, as in Adelaide, New Zealand’s progress has been stymied by finding themselves on the wrong end of an umpiring howler. Test cricket against Australia is hard enough at the best of times without an umpire chipping in as well, but the best the Black Caps can hope for now is the “Karma Bus” winding its way to Christchurch in time for the next test.

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Conventional wisdom states that luck evens itself out over time, but McCullum now has only one more game left to make any use of it.

Assuming of course that this doesn’t kick in immediately, his lower order bats out the best part of the next two days, and Hazlewood, Lyon and the rest of the Australian attack loses the plot. In a word, unlikely.

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