Little stands between Australia and victory

BY MARK GEENTY

Coach Mark Greatbatch called on his remaining batsmen to go down fighting as New Zealand stare at a heavy first cricket test defeat inside four days against Australia.

Senior men Daniel Vettori, on 18, and Brendon McCullum, four, will resume on the fourth day tomorrow with New Zealand 187 for five, following on in their second innings, still 115 short of making the tourists bat again.

On a horror day for the hosts under sunny skies and on an excellent pitch at the Basin Reserve, 11 New Zealand wickets fell as they were skittled for 157 in 59.1 overs before being asked to follow on 302 runs behind.

"We've been outplayed. The Australians bowled particularly well in both innings, hit the deck hard and we haven't quite adjusted to that attack," Greatbatch said.

"But funny things happen in cricket. We're on the back foot, (Vettori and McCullum) are positive players so we've got to be positive going into tomorrow and fight every ball and keep going in the test match."

Greatbatch labelled some of the dismissals soft, and said his batsmen hadn't judged the bowlers' lines well and weren't positive enough to break the shackles.

Left-arm paceman Doug Bollinger provided the nightmares for New Zealand, with a test-best five for 28 in the first innings and two more in the second.

"I felt really, really good today. I didn't try and overdo everything. I just feel like the ball is coming out of my hand well at the moment and I'm really, really enjoying my cricket," Bollinger said.

"I'm trying to (intimidate). That's just how I bowl. I try to bowl aggressive and be in the batsman's face and try and make them as uncomfortable as I can."

Only opener Tim McIntosh provided lengthy resistance in the second innings, but his determined knock of 83 ended three overs before bad light forced an early finish to the day.

Having blunted the Australian attack for 272 minutes and 220 deliveries, hitting 10 fours and a six, he prodded forward at spinner Nathan Hauritz and Simon Katich held a sharp chance.

McIntosh and BJ Watling put on 70, the second-highest New Zealand opening stand of the home summer, behind the pair's unbroken 90 against Pakistan in Napier.

Watling dug in for 131 minutes for 33 before Bollinger's fast inswinger produced a carbon copy of the young opener's lbw dismissal yesterday. He challenged umpire Ian Gould's decision but replays offered no reprieve.

Peter Ingram's unhappy test - an aggregate of six runs and an unlucky run out - was ended when Bollinger enticed an edge then vice-captain Ross Taylor departed for 25 after another promising start.

Having smashed spinner Nathan Hauritz onto the embankment, Taylor offered no shot and the ball spun viciously. Umpire Asad Rauf said no, but the Australians challenged and replays showed it hitting the stumps.

After Martin Guptill, six, perished to a familiar uppish drive to short cover, it seemed McIntosh and Vettori would bat out the day but the opener fell in sight of the finish line.

An expectant Sunday crowd turned up to cheer on a New Zealand fightback but instead they witnessed a meek collapse of six for 49 in the first hour.

The rot started in the day's first over, when New Zealand's big overnight hope Vettori drove Ryan Harris for four then tried to repeat on 46 and edged to second slip.

McCullum was fired lbw for nought but got a reprieve from the review system when replays showed Gould missed a Harris no ball. He scored a brisk 24 before a loose hook shot at Bollinger was well taken by a diving Harris.

Guptill, after a 156-minute vigil for 30, followed two balls later as Bollinger's pace again proved too much.

The final five wickets fell for nine runs in three bizarre overs, including Daryl Tuffey's run out from a Hauritz direct hit when he forgot to slide his bat - which Greatbatch described as a "schoolboy error".

Scoreboard at stumps on the third day of the first cricket test between New Zealand and Australia at the Basin Reserve in Wellington today:

AUSTRALIA

First innings 459-5 dec

NEW ZEALAND

First innings (108-4 overnight)

T McIntosh c Hussey b Harris 9
B Watling lbw b Bollinger 0
P Ingram run out 5
R Taylor c North b Bollinger 21
M Guptill c Haddin b Bollinger 30
D Vettori c Ponting b Harris 46
B McCullum c Harris b Bollinger 24
D Tuffey run out 0
T Southee c Haddin b Johnson 5
B Arnel c Ponting b Bollinger 0
C Martin not out 0
Extras (4lb, 2w, 11nb) 17

Total (59.1 overs) 157

Fall: 3 (Watling), 14 (Ingram), 31 (McIntosh), 43 (Taylor), 112 (Vettori), 148 (McCullum), 148 (Guptill), 154 (Tuffey), 156 (Arnel), 157 (Southee).

Bowling: D Bollinger 13-4-28-5 (1w, 3nb), R Harris 17-4-42-2 (1w, 2nb), M Johnson 11.1-5-38-1, N Hauritz 14-4-39-0 (6nb), M North 4-1-6-0.

Second innings

Watling lbw b Bollinger 33
McIntosh c Katich b Hauritz 83
Ingram c Haddin b Bollinger 1
Taylor lbw b Hauritz 25
Guptill c North b Harris 6
Vettori not out 18
McCullum not out 4
Extras (8lb, 9nb) 17

Total (for 5 wkts, 72 overs) 187

Fall: 70 (Watling), 78 (Ingram), 115 (Taylor), 136 (Guptill), 183 (McIntosh).

Bowling: D Bollinger 13-3-30-2 (2nb), R Harris 12-2-32-1, M Johnson 16-7-35-0, N Hauritz 26-6-73-2 (7nb), M North 5-2-9-0.

- NZPA