Tag: australia

WELLINGTON: Nathan Lyon spun Australia to a 172-run win over New Zealand in the first Test, taking six wickets as the hosts collapsed to 196 all out here on Sunday.

The home side crumbled on the fourth morning in Wellington, losing their last seven wickets for 70 runs, with four of them falling to off-spinner Lyon.

He finished with innings figures of 6-65 off 27 overs, giving him 10-108 for the match.

The 36-year-old capitalised on spin-friendly Basin Reserve conditions and some meek batting from New Zealand, who began the day on 111-3 with 258 more runs required to secure an unlikely victory.

The capitulation began in the seventh over of the day when Lyon claimed the key wicket of Rachin Ravindra for 59.

Ravindra had only added three to his overnight score when he failed to keep a cut shot down and was caught by Cameron Green at point.

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Tom Blundell was caught in close by Travis Head without scoring in the same over and Glenn Phillips was trapped leg before by Lyon for one soon afterwards, to expose the tail.

Scott Kuggeleijn struck 26 off 28 balls before he failed to control a short ball from Green to be caught by wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Matt Henry fell for 14, caught at slip by Steve Smith off Josh Hazlewood.

Tim Southee became Lyon’s sixth victim before Daryl Mitchell was the last wicket to fall, for 38, caught and bowled by Hazlewood.

Green was named man of the match for his career-high unbeaten 174 in the first innings.

No one else made three figures in a challenging Test for batsmen as Green rescued Australia from 89-4, having been put into bat, to reach 383 and set up a 204-run first-innings lead.

The second and final Test between Australia and New Zealand will start in Christchurch on Friday.

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Australia opener Usman Khawaja was made to remove the dove sticker, which symbolises world peace, on his bat during the third day of the ongoing first Test against host New Zealand.

The incident took place in the 19th over of Australia’s second innings. Usman Khawaja, who has been a vocal critic of the Israel-Palestine conflict, batter broke his blade and asked for its replacement.

After going through different bats, he picked one and it had the “dove” logo on it. The officials stepped in and asked the cricketer to remove it.

It is pertinent to mention that the opening batter wanted to wear shoes emblazoned with the hand-written slogans “Freedom is a human right” and “All lives are equal” in the first Test of the three-match series against Pakistan in December.

But he was told that it flouted International Cricket Council (ICC) rules on messages that relate to politics, religion or race.

When Cricket Australia (CA) expressed their hopes that the opener would uphold the rules, Usman Khawaja covered the slogans with a semi-transparent tape.

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However, the words written on his shoes remained partially visible — only in close-up — in the colour of the Palestinian flag.

Later, Khawaja donned a black armband to show solidarity with Palestine.

But he was still charged by the apex cricketing body for staging a muted protest against the ongoing war in Palestine.

Usman Khawaja vowed to fight the ban on his footwear, calling it “a humanitarian appeal”.

He doubled down on his stance just before going in to bat in the first Test.

“I just think that so much has happened in the past that sets a precedent,” Khawaja told Fox Cricket.

“Other guys that have religious things on their equipment, under the ICC guidelines that’s not technically allowed, but the ICC never says anything on that,” he added.

Australian captain Pat Cummins said he was “really proud” of his teammate and of other squad members who had spoken up for what they believe in.

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WELLINGTON: Rachin Ravindra scored an unbeaten half-century for New Zealand while chasing a mammoth 369 on day three of the first Test against Australia here on Saturday.

Ravindra struck an eye-catching 56 not out as the home side reached 111-3 at stumps on day three, having stumbled early in their pursuit of a lofty 369 to win the opening match of the two-Test series.

Daryl Mitchell was on 12, with the pair having put on 52 in 20.3 overs together to give New Zealand a glimmer of hope in difficult batting conditions.

Lyon took 2-27 — aided by some brilliant catching from Steve Smith — to give him six wickets for the match.

Lyon shapes as a key figure in preventing New Zealand from scoring the remaining 258 runs they need on a Basin Reserve pitch taking turn and bounce.

New Zealand part-time spinner Glenn Phillips earlier capitalised on the conditions, snaring career-best figures of 5-45 as Australia were bundled out for 164 in their second innings.

Ravindra, who scored 240 in the first Test against South Africa last month, defied Australia late in the day with a series of aggressive strokes in his 94-ball knock.

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Mitchell was fortunate to survive an early stumping chance off Lyon, when the ball evaded the gloves of wicketkeeper Alex Carey, with the charging batsman well out of his ground.

Lyon was introduced in the sixth over of New Zealand’s innings and quickly removed opener Tom Latham before claiming the key wicket of Kane Williamson when Smith pouched a sharp catch at leg slip.

Smith’s second catch was even better, to remove Will Young for 15 off part-time spinner Travis Head, reacting quickly to a fine edge that went low and to his left.

Earlier, Australia lost their last six wickets in the space of 13 overs, with Phillips producing the best figures by any New Zealand spinner on home soil in 18 years, complementing his 71 with the bat in New Zealand’s first innings of 179.

Two wickets fell in the first session, with nightwatchman Lyon departing for Australia’s top score of 41 and opener Usman Khawaja for 28 after they resumed at 13-2.

First-innings centurion Cameron Green scored 34 and Travis Head 29 but the end of their 46-run partnership for the fifth wicket sparked a collapse.

Head miscued Phillips to be caught at long-on before the spinner removed Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey to close catchers and Henry bagged the last two wickets to finish with 3-36.

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WELLINGTON: Nathan Lyon-led Australia bowling attack booked New Zealand on a modest 179 and attained a dominant 217-run lead at the conclusion of Day 2 of the ongoing first Test here on Friday.

The touring side were 13/2 with nightwatchman Nathan Lyon, unbeaten on six, and opener Usman Khawaja, five not out at the crease.

Australia had a disastrous start to their second innings as Steve Smith (0) and out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne (2) perished cheaply, both falling victim to New Zealand captain Tim Southee.

Earlier, the hosts succumbed to 179 all out in response to Australia’s 383 despite a fighting 71 from Glenn Phillips.

New Zealand had a dismal start to their innings as they lost half of their side with just 29 runs on the board.

Mitchell Starc struck early to dismiss Tom Latham (five) cheaply before star batter Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra perished for ducks in the span of just five deliveries, leaving the hosts reeling at 12/3.

Will Young, who faced 50 deliveries for a fighting nine, put together a brief partnership with Daryl Mitchell (11) before finally perishing in the 18th over.

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Following the slump, Tom Blundell was joined by Glenn Phillips and the duo combined to form New Zealand’s best partnership of the innings which yielded 84 runs.

Blundell fell victim to Nathan Lyon after a cautious 33 but Phillips hung on and ticked the scoreboard singlehandedly for New Zealand before being caught by Starc off Josh Hazlewood.

He scored a brisk 71 off 70 deliveries with the help of 13 boundaries.

Following his dismissal, Lyon struck twice to sweep off New Zealand’s tail.

“The pitch was moving around a little bit and they were hitting really good areas so it was up to us to get the pressure back up on them,” said Phillips.

“Obviously the way Green played with Hazlewood, they did really well and put up a massive partnership. It’s not ideal for us but that’s what Test cricket is like.”

Australia’s hero with the bat on the opening day, Cameron Green, continued where he left off and added a further 84 runs to his 11th-wicket partnership with Hazelwood to bolster his side’s total to 383.

Green remained unbeaten with 174 off 275 deliveries, hitting 23 boundaries and five sixes.

Whereas, Hazlewood scored an unbeaten 22 off 62 deliveries which featured four boundaries.

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WELLINGTON: Cameron Green slammed only his second Test century on Thursday to steer Australia to 279-9 at stumps on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand here at Basin Reserve.

The visitors were tottering on 89-4 after being put into bat at the Basin Reserve before Green dug in for a rescue mission with the help of Mitchell Marsh, who made 40.

The 24-year-old Cameron Green brought up three figures with his 16th four in the final over to end unbeaten on 103 with Josh Hazlewood yet to score.

“Obviously it feels really good, mainly with where we were as a team,” Green said.

“It was a pretty tough wicket out there … someone just needed to bat through so glad it was me. Was nice to stick it out, and hopefully put a semi-competitive total on the board.”

Green, batting at number four, fought back after New Zealand seamer Matt Henry took the key wickets of Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja and Marsh to end with 4-43 on a green pitch.

Henry dismissed Smith for 31 before lunch, bowled Khawaja for 33 after the break then snagged Marsh and Nathan Lyon, for five.

Scott Kuggeleijn, restored to the side, also grabbed two wickets, removing out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne for one and Alex Carey for 10.

Black Caps rising star Will O’Rourke, who took nine wickets on his debut this month, bagged two more in the shape of Travis Head (1) and Mitchell Starc (9).

Green said the wicket would still offer plenty for the Australian quick bowlers on Friday.

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Marsh and Green offered the main resistance with a 67-run partnership off 77 balls.

After winning the toss, Tim Southee and New Zealand’s pace bowlers were frustrated by Smith and Khawaja as they put on 61 before Henry got the breakthrough.

Smith, promoted to open for the second Test in a row after the retirement of David Warner, lasted 71 deliveries, crunching four boundaries.

Henry induced him to play back to a delivery that nipped and took the edge, with wicketkeeper Tom Blundell collecting a sharp diving catch in front of first slip.

Labuschagne departed after a defensive knock, getting a thick outside edge to Daryl Mitchell at slip off Kuggeleijn, with Khawaja and Head following in quick succession.

Henry’s inswinger took out the stump of Khawaja before Head went after O’Rourke but clipped the ball to Blundell.

Marsh crashed six fours and a six before Henry struck again straight after tea, with Australia’s Twenty20 skipper attempting a pull shot that landed in Blundell’s gloves.

Carey departed for 10 before O’Rourke had Starc caught at second slip.

Pat Cummins was trapped lbw by spinner Rachin Ravindra with Henry taking his fourth when Lyon was also caught behind.

New Zealand are looking for a first Test victory over Australia since 2011 and came into the two-match series on the back of a 2-0 sweep against South Africa this month.

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New Zealand opening batsman Devon Conway has been ruled out of the first Test against Australia, captain Tim Southee said Wednesday.

Conway will miss Thursday’s opener in Wellington after hurting his left thumb in a Twenty20 defeat to Australia on Friday in Auckland.

Experienced batsman Henry Nicholls has been recalled as cover for the two-Test series with Will Young moving up the order to open with Tom Latham, Southee told reporters.

“Injuries are part of cricket and present an opportunity for others,” Southee said.

“It’s disappointing for Devon [Conway] to be ruled out on the eve of an important match,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead said.

“He’s a class player batting at the top of the order for us and I know he was really looking forward to this series.”

Young scored an unbeaten 60 batting at number five in New Zealand’s second Test victory against South Africa earlier this month to help them a 2-0 series sweep.

It is not known if Conway will be fit for the second Test in Christchurch beginning March 8.

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Southee said he would look at the weather and the pitch conditions before deciding whether to go with an all-seam attack in Wellington, meaning the 32-year-old Scott Kuggeleijn could be in line for a second Test cap.

Southee also paid tribute to left-arm pace bowler Neil Wagner, 37, who announced his retirement on Tuesday after being told he would not be in the Test side against Australia.

“He’s a special guy to have in the dressing room, a man who made things happen,” said Southee of the South Africa-born Wagner, who took 260 wickets in 64 Tests.

“You speak to any team-mate and they love him to bits for what he does on the field and as a person. He’ll be missed.”

Australia captain Pat Cummins named the same team that lost the second Test at home to the West Indies in the drawn 1-1 series in January.

New Zealand are seeking a first Test victory over the top-ranked Australia team since 2011.

Australia enjoyed a 3-0 sweep when they hosted the most recent Test series against New Zealand, four years ago.

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AUCKLAND: A “clinical” Australia beat New Zealand by 27 runs in the rain-shortened third T20I on Sunday to complete a clean sweep of the series.

Responding to Australia’s 118-4 from 10.4 overs, New Zealand scored 98-3, falling short of a target adjusted to 126 off 10 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method.

The required run rate grew quickly after the home side lost two quick wickets before Glenn Phillips posted their top score for the second straight game, finishing on 40 not out off 24 balls.

Australian pace bowler Spencer Johnson impressed in his first appearance of the series taking 1-10 off his two overs.

Three rain stoppages curtailed Australia’s innings after they were asked to bat first at Eden Park.

Opener Travis Head top scored with 33 off 30 balls but the most punishing batting was player of the match Matthew Short’s 27 off 11 balls and Glenn Maxwell’s 20 off nine.

Australia dominated the series, winning the opener by six wickets in Wellington on Wednesday, followed by a 72-run victory in game two in Auckland on Friday.

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Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, promoted to Australian captain after Mitch Marsh was rested for the final game, said the series was ideal preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup in June.

“We wanted to have a look at the depth in our squad and we were lucky enough to do that today with Spencer and Matty Short,” Wade said.

“Our bowlers were unbelievable today, the way they came out and executed. It was as clinical a bowling effort as I’ve seen from an Australian outfit.

“For Matthew Short to come out and bat the way he did is really exciting for the future.”

New Zealand were not helped by injuries, which ruled out key batsmen Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway at different stages of the series while veteran Kane Williamson was absent because of the birth of his child.

Captain Mitchell Santner would not use that as an excuse, saying Australia were simply too good.

“They’re obviously a quality side,” Santner said. “The first game was a close one but we were obviously outplayed in the last two.”

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AUCKLAND: Australia sliced through a reckless New Zealand batting effort on Friday to win the second T20I by 72 runs and clinch the three-match series at Eden Park.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa knocked over the middle order to finish with 4-34 as the home side were skittled for 102 in 17 overs.

New Zealand lost early wickets and always looked unlikely to match the visitors, who were dismissed for 174 in the final over.

Only Glenn Phillips provided resistance with 42 but New Zealand’s hopes were buried when he was caught at long-on off Zampa in the 14th over.

The Black Caps’ cause wasn’t helped by a thumb injury suffered in the field by Devon Conway, which prevented the opener from batting.

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The injury, sustained while he was wicket-keeping, may place Conway in doubt for Sunday’s third match in Auckland, along with the two-Test series starting next week in Wellington.

Captain Mitchell Santner promoted himself up the order but that experiment failed when he departed for five, one of eight New Zealand batsmen who failed to go past 10 as they fell to a succession of loose shots.

Earlier, opener Travis Head blazed 45 runs off 22 balls after Australia were sent in but they stumbled through the middle stages in the face of brilliant bowling from paceman Lockie Ferguson.

Ferguson claimed 4-12 from 3.5 overs as Head’s dismissal sparked the loss of five quick wickets after they had been 84-1 in the seventh over.

The other notable scores were 26 from captain Mitchell Marsh and a late 28 from Pat Cummins.

Santner, Adam Milne and Ben Sears all took two wickets each for the hosts.

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PERTH: Australia thumped South Africa by an innings and 284 runs Saturday in the first-ever women’s Test between the two countries, which saw records tumble at Perth’s WACA Ground.

Having beaten Australia for the first time in ODIs and T20s during their tour, South Africa were hoping to go out on a high with a momentous Test win.

But they were rocked by star player Marizanne Kapp being ruled out ill before the match started and Australia emphatically showed who was boss.

“I’m very proud. It’s been an amazing series,” said Australia skipper Alyssa Healy.

“The white ball series was really hard fought at times and we were really tested but the way we continued to bounce back right throughout was really impressive.

“To come here to the WACA and finish like we did really caps off the Aussie summer for us, which is cool.”

It was only South Africa’s second Test match in a decade and captain Laura Wolvaardt admitted it had been a learning experience.

“All credit to Australia, we were pretty much outplayed in all facets of the game,” she said. “But a great experience for us and we enjoyed the opportunity.

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“I personally would love to,” she added of wanting to play more red-ball cricket. “It was a huge challenge, but I think the girls really enjoyed themselves out there.”

South Africa were bundled out for just 76 in 31.2 overs on a searing hot opening day after Healy won the toss and sent them into bat — South Africa’s lowest Test score.

Speedster Darcie Brown took 5-21 and allrounder Annabel Sutherland 3-19.

In reply, the hosts racked up a massive 575-9 before declaring with the highest total by a women’s Test side.

The ominous score was spearheaded by an imperious 210 from 22-year-old Sutherland — the fourth biggest women’s score in Test cricket and at 248 balls the fastest double century.

South Africa put up stiffer resistance in their second innings with Delmi Tucker and Chloe Tryon both hitting 64, before the tail folded and they were out for 215 on day three.

Brown took 2-47 to claim seven for the game while player-of-the-match Sutherland picked up another two.

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Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis ruled out of the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand owing to his back injury which he suffered during the West Indies series.

Allrounder Aaron Hardie has been called as Stoinis’ replacement for the New Zealand tour, commencing next week.

Stoinis got his back twisted ahead of the second T20I against West Indies, but he managed to partake in the match.

He scored 16 off 15 and was involved in a one-sided partnership of 80 runs with Glenn Maxwell, followed by three wickets with the ball.

However, he complained of back issues after reaching Perth, due to which he could not participate in the third T20I against West Indies and was then ruled out of the New Zealand tour.

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His replacement Hardie will join the squad in New Zealand ahead of the first T20I, scheduled to be played in Wellington on February 21.

Hardie has featured in seven T20Is for Australia since making his debut against South Africa last year.

He failed to impress so far as he scored a meagre 69 runs in six outings and picked three wickets.

However, he has a chance to prove himself and make a strong case for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup as the New Zealand series is the last for Australia before the mega-event.

Meanwhile, Marcus Stoinis is expected to achieve full fitness before the IPL, which will be key to his ICC T20 World Cup preparations.

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