Rachin Ravindra leads Black Caps’ pursuit of 369 to win first test against Australia
Saturday, 2 March 2024
At the Basin Reserve, Wellington: Australia 383 & 164 all out in 51.1 overs (Nathan Lyon 41; Glenn Phillips 5-45) met the Black Caps 179 & 111-3 in 41 overs (Rachin Ravindra 56no). Click here for the full scorecard.
The Black Caps need 258 more runs to win the first cricket test against Australia.
Rachin Ravindra was unbeaten on 56 at stumps, alongside Daryl Mitchell on 12.
Glenn Phillips took a career-best 5-45 as Australia were dismissed for 164 in their second innings.
Rachin Ravindra led the way with a half-century and was joined by Daryl Mitchell in keeping Australia at bay for almost 90 minutes on the third evening of the first test on Saturday.
But they will have to bat for a lot longer than that if the Black Caps are to pull off a miracle win at the Basin Reserve.
As New Zealand walked off the field with their fourth-innings total at 111-3, a further 258 runs were still required in Wellington.
Ravindra was unbeaten on 56 off 94, having bounced back well from his first-innings duck and come through a tough examination to bring up his fifty.
Mitchell was not out on 12, having been in survival-first mode during his 63-ball stretch in the middle.
They will resume at 11am on Sunday, knowing their fourth-wicket partnership will be crucial to the Black Caps’ still-faint hopes of pulling off the 10th-highest run chase in the history of test cricket.
Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips are the next men up – the latter after taking a maiden five-wicket bag with his off-spin, which kept his side’s target within the 350 to 400 range he said they would have “a good go” at after day two.
Australia began the day at 13-2, leading by 217 runs. It could have been 13-3, had Tim Southee held on to a one-hander at third slip off the final ball of day two, bowled by Matt Henry.
Nathan Lyon was the batter given a reprieve and he went on to make 41 niggly runs – Australia’s highest score – before he was caught at mid-wicket by Will Young off Henry, a dismissal that meant he remained the highest test run scorer without a half-century.
Phillips was brought on at the Adelaide Rd end just before drinks in the morning session and proceeded to bowl 16 overs unchanged to take the first five-wicket bag of his first-class career, nevermind his test one.
Tom Blundell’s stumping of Usman Khawaja for 28 was a highlight, as were Young’s two catches at short leg – the first off Mitch Marsh giving Phillips a shot at a hat-trick, which he couldn’t take; the second off Cameron Green a stunner to give him five.
Scott Kuggeleijn and Henry Nicholls – on as a substitute for seamer Will O’Rourke, who departed with a tight left hamstring – both dropped catches that could have left Phillips even more ecstatic than he already was, describing his feat on TVNZ as a “dream come true”.
Henry wrapped up the tail to finish with 3-36 and 8-106 in the match, just reward for his efforts, which were easily the best of the Black Caps’ four seamers.
The Black Caps were left with a target of 369 and 44 overs to bat on the third afternoon, but lost Tom Latham when he was caught behind for eight trying to cut a short one from Lyon just before tea.
Kane Williamson survived four nervy balls – and a review for a caught behind – before the break, but inside edged to Steve Smith at leg slip for nine shortly after it.
Travis Head then became the third off-spinner to strike on Saturday, getting Will Young’s edge to send him on his way for 15, after Smith got down low to his left to complete the dismissal and leave the Black Caps 59-3.