Lunch Australia 5 for 353 (Labuschagne 181*, Smith 63, de Grandhomme 2-68) v New Zealand
Marnus Labuschagne passed 800 runs for the home Test summer as he continued to build Australia’s first innings against a New Zealand side that was reduced to dressing up assistant coach Peter Fulton as a substitute fielder as illness stretched further across the squad.
Matthew Wade and Travis Head were tempted into errors in the morning session, but Labuschagne was content to take his time as only 71 runs were compiled by the hosts before lunch, with the promise for more to come afterwards – captain Tim Paine was unbeaten on 10.
New Zealand’s stocks were thinned even further by the news that Jeet Raval was now struggling with flu-like symptoms, forcing Fulton into the whites to augment the touring team’s options for fielding and running drinks out to the middle.
However, their diligence in the field and with the ball was laudable in not allowing the Australians to get away, even as Labuschagne found the occasional boundary. There was one DRS referral by the tourists against Paine, but the wristspinner Todd Astle’s suspicion of some pad before bat was proven a long way from reality by replays.
Wade had suggested he might be the one to push the game forward on the first evening, but the day was not yet an over old when he knelt down to sweep William Somerville, misjudged the flight and was bowled, and angrily swatted his bat into the ground once he heard the sound of the off stump knocked back.
Head was a little more patient, corralled steadily by New Zealand from around the wicket, but he had made only 10 from 42 balls by the time he tried to cut a Matt Henry cross-seam delivery that was too close to his body and offered a thin edge behind to BJ Watling.
Labuschagne, though, was not deterred, cruising through to his third 150 plus score of the Test season, and looking good for plenty more. He had one nervous moment near lunch when he inside-edged Astle just past the off stump but otherwise radiated an air of security that has been rare for Australian cricket in recent years.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo