Australia 463 for 6 (Voges 176*, Khawaja 140, Smith 71) lead New Zealand 183 by 280 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Usman Khawaja barely looked in any trouble while making his first overseas Test century © Getty Images
It was New Zealand’s acute misfortune to be confronted by two of Test cricket’s most prolific batsmen of the moment at a time when the Basin Reserve had flattened out from the early life that Australia’s bowlers had exploited so ably on day one.
Usman Khawaja‘s imperious fourth Test hundred in as many innings and Adam Voges‘ calm supporting hand helped Australia take command of the first Test, in a day of considered and relentless batting that Steven Smiths’ team will hope to replicate many times over on foreign assignments.
Finding an ideal offsider in Voges, Khawaja picked gaps regularly off both front and back foot to register his first Test century overseas. Given the opposition and the conditions he faced on day one it was arguably his finest, ending only when Trent Boult briefly found some life with the second new ball.
Voges was more reserved, but endured beyond the dismissals of Khawaja and a hard-handed Mitchell Marsh to forge on in the latest chapter of his extraordinary latter-day Test career. He was aided on his quest by a studied Peter Nevill and a helpful Peter Siddle – between them they helped Voges add 164. How Zealand must have cursed the “no-ball” on the first evening.
The pitch in Wellington eased into an ideal batting surface, and Brendon McCullum’s bowlers struggled to find a way past Australia’s in-form batting pair. Tim Southee and Boult found little movement to assist them, with pace and bounce reliably consistent for stroke play. The new ball brought more danger.
Full report to follow
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo