Australia skipper Pat Cummins bowled Kane Williamson in the final hour of play on the second day of the second Test in Christchurch on Saturday, just as the master batsman threatened an innings that would put New Zealand on top.
After 14 wickets fell on day one and seven more before tea, Williamson and Tom Latham had hit the pause button on a frenetic match with a partnership of 105 that erased Australia’s first-innings lead and put the home side 17 runs ahead.
Cummins brought himself back on to bowl in the late afternoon gloom and struck with his first delivery, Williamson dragging the ball onto the stumps as he attempted a drive and departing, shaking his head, for 51.
Opener Latham was later dropped behind by Australia’s wicketkeeper Alex Carey but reached stumps on 65 not out and will resume on Sunday alongside Rachin Ravindra, who was unbeaten on 11, with New Zealand 40 runs ahead on 134 for two.
“It was nice to put together a little bit of a partnership and hopefully tomorrow we can put a few more on and have another go,” said Williamson. “It’s nice to have a lead at the moment and we just need to see how many we can get. There are no targets at the moment, it’s just batting and implementing plans.”
New Zealand, 1-0 down in the two-Test series after a thumping loss by 172 runs in Wellington last week, have not beaten Australia on home soil for 31 years.
Seamer Matt Henry had earlier kept the Black Caps in the contest with bowling figures of 7-67 as New Zealand dismissed Australia for 256 and restricted the visitors to a first-innings advantage of 94 runs.
Marnus Labuschagne rediscovered his batting touch with a fine innings of 90 to make up most of that lead but was denied a 12th test century by a peerless flying catch at gully from Glenn Phillips off the bowling of New Zealand captain Tim Southee.
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The dismissal sent the Australians, who skittled their hosts for 162 on Friday and resumed on 124-4, into lunch on 221-8, before Henry ended the typically stiff tailend resistance by removing Mitchell Starc (28) and Pat Cummins (23).
Nathan Lyon has been getting his tailend runs in early as a nightwatchman in this series but Henry limited him to 20 on Saturday as he nabbed a five-wicket haul for the second successive match.
Starc struck early for the Australians to remove Will Young for one with a delightful rising delivery that came off the shoulder of the opener’s bat and flew into the gloves of Alex Carey behind the stumps.
