Miracle needed as Australia close in on test victory

BY JONATHAN MILLMOW

New Zealand coach Mark Greatbatch once saved a test against Australia by batting for 11 hours with the tail, but don't expect any cricketing miracles of the sort today.

Judging by New Zealand's batting over the weekend, they will be flushed away before lunch on the fourth day, an unacceptable outcome on a terrific Basin Reserve pitch.

They trail by 115 runs with five wickets in hand, their hopes of restoring some credibility resting on the shoulders of Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum because, of the bowlers that follow, only Tuffey can hold a bat.

New Zealand have been undone by the bounce of Doug Bollinger, with many of the wickets falling to steep, bouncing deliveries that need not have been played at.

"We are disappointed in ourselves," Greatbatch said.

"Aussie have worked hard, they've hit the deck hard but Mac [Tim McIntosh] showed the courage and attitude to succeed at this level, but we need two or three in an innings to do that."

New Zealand lost 11 wickets yesterday, the most parlous that of Tuffey, who was run out in the first innings through not sliding his bat.

But Martin Guptill will be embarrassed at being caught at short cover for the third time in a fortnight, and Ross Taylor will be unhappy at not playing a shot to a ball from Nathan Hauritz that turned sharply out of the rough.

"That [Tuffey] is schoolboy stuff really, and he's disappointed and he'll probably learn from it because you don't tend to do those things more than once," Greatbatch said.

If a high point can be found, it was the batting of McIntosh. An ugly duckling, he scrapped for four hours then showed an expansive side late in the final session. He moved to 83 before the no-ball-riddled Hauritz secured an inside edge and Simon Katich pulled off a corker of a catch at short leg.

"It would be nice to see him keep going," Greatbatch said. "He batted nearly five hours [276 minutes] – if two or three other guys did that we'd still be well in the test match.

"He has great focus, he learns quick and battled hard against a bloody good attack."

Twenty-one years ago in Perth, Greatbatch earned himself cult status when he batted New Zealand to a draw with a knock of 146 not out in 655 minutes.

Little wonder, then, that he refuses to give up the ghost.

"There are two days left and funny things happen in cricket," Greatbatch said.

"It is little targets in this position. You have to achieve small targets and hope that builds into something big."

Everyone knows it is a wing and a prayer and, to make matters worse, Vettori is a bad starter and McCullum is suited to pursuing success rather than denying it.

Greatbatch said McCullum would be left to his own devices today.

"Brendon is an instinctive player. You have to give him that rein and hope he makes good decisions with that instinctive nature."

On the other side of the table is a hard-working pack of Australian pace bowlers that will be buoyed by the second new ball just eight overs away.

Bollinger, Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson bowl with heat and seldom stray, and now Hauritz has parked up at one end and is coming into play. He bowled 22 overs unchanged and has the wickets of Taylor and McIntosh to show for it.

Bollinger has match figures of 7-58 from 26 overs and one senses the 28-year-old New South Wales left-armer is not done yet.

- © Fairfax NZ News