New Zealand ended the first day of the first Test match against Australia at 176/5 at the Gabba in Brisbane. Rain got the better of the game, as only 51 overs were possible before the inclement weather ended the play early.
Australia V New Zealand 1st Day 1: New Zealand Struggle To 176/5 As Rain Hits
Australia took command of the first day of the Brisbane Test before New Zealand bounced back with an 80-run stand.
Watch the Australia-New Zealand first Test live at the Gabba on Channel Nine.
New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first, a decision very bold given the nature of the pitch. It looked like the Kiwis had got over the initial difficult period with a 44-run stand for the first wicket but the loss of one, led to a mini-collapse.
Martin Guptill was sucked into playing at an away-going delivery from Peter Siddle and that led to an edge that Brad Haddin comfortably took. 44/1 soon became 56/2 when Bredon McCullum (34) slashed a delivery from debutant Mitchell Starc straight to point. McCullum cursed his way back to the pavilion after giving up on an excellent start.
Soon after a brief resurrection, Kane Williamson was deceived by the bounce as he inside-edged a Nathan Lyon ball to the short-leg before Ross Taylor fell to another debutant – James Pattinson. At 93/4, one would have thought that patience was the need of the hour but Jesse Ryder repeated McCullum for audacity of his shot-making, only to be caught Warner, bowled Starc. New Zealand 96 on the board with half their side back.
It was only a sixth wicket stand between Dean Brownlie and Daniel Vettori that saved the rest of the truncated day for New Zealand. They added 80 for the sixth wicket unbeaten and although there were a couple of chances offered, on the whole they would be happy with their performance.
The first session should be crucial tomorrow given how the track flattens out in the second and third. If the Kiwis can survive and push their total towards 300, we could have an interesting game on our hand.
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