Hopes of a miracle win in Wellington by a Black Caps side outclassed for the majority of the test by the world champion Australians were quickly extinguished before lunch on the fourth day, giving the visitors a 1-o lead in the best-of-two series.
After bundling Australia out for a paltry 164 on the back of an unexpected 5-wicket haul from part-time spinner Glenn Phillips, the Kiwis briefly lifted the depression of the Basin Reserve faithful who cautiously entertained the possibility of completing an epic 369 run-chase which would have been the 10th highest in history.
With Australia’s seamers expected to be nullified somewhat by a flattening pitch, openers Tom Latham and Will Young were looking to see off the new cherry and provide a platform for the middle-order who would have to inevitably deal with the omnipresent threat of Nathan Lyon.
Sadly for the faithful, such well-laid plans rarely come to fruition when playing Australia.
Lyon was handed the ball not long after Starc and Hazlewood had completed the formalities and had almost immediate success when Latham missed out for the second time in the match going hard at a bouncing ball that turned away from him—slicing a sharp catch to Alex Carey behind the sticks.
New Zealand’s big hope, Kane Williamson, run-out in the first dig for zero, completed a forgettable match when Lyon came around the wicket and seduced him into a fine bat pad edge gleely collected low-down by Steve Smith.
Will Young, looking like a placeholder at the top of the innings until Devon Conway returns, did nothing to enhance his diminishing reputation when he went hard at a stock ball from golden arm Travis Head and was brilliantly taken—again by Smith to leave the home side reeling at 59/3.
The crowd erupted when the capital’s prodigy Rachin Ravindra joined a cautious-looking Daryl Mitchell, and the two weathered the storm with Ravindra, in particular, playing some elegant drives and being ferocious on the cut and pull.
A limp end to the weekend suddenly took on some rigidity as the pair looked at ease continuing to 126/3 before that man, Lyon, struck again with probably his worst ball of the afternoon when Ravindra struck a short wide one to Cameron Green at point for 59.
Tom Blundell, another local man, was famously photographed walking home in his playing whites after last year’s corresponding test win over England. However, he didn’t have anything to celebrate in 2024 as he lamely ballooned an inside edge off Lyon to Head for a three-ball duck.
Glenn Phipps couldn’t repeat his first innings half-century when he played back to Lyon on 1, giving the G.O.A.T. a bag of five. With Mitchell intent on going down with the ship, Scott Kuggeleijn joined him for a short-lived 4-boundary cameo before Green dug in a short awkward one and Carey took a dolly.
Matt Henry smacked two fours and a six before being undone by Hazlewood, and Captain Tim Southee, who must surely be under pressure to retain his place, handed Lyon his sixth with an ugly heave to mid-off that wouldn’t have looked out of place in an under-9s game.
The next test starts in Christchurch on Friday, and New Zealand has already made one injury-induced change bringing in Wellington seamer Ben Sears for Will O'Rourke.
Some quarters of the press had seen a potential opening for the recently retired Neil Wagner to make a sensational comeback into calculations for the second game, but the fantasy was derailed by indignant coach Gary Stead who said the idea had not been given serious thought.
