Australia have won by 149 runs and that'll make them feel a lot better after a difficult tour of India. They were put in to bat in difficult conditions and things didn't look very rosy when they were bowled out for 214. However, they exploited the fragile batting of the visitors and got a handy first-innings lead. It was game on when Matt Hayden fell first ball but Katich's heroics made the difference. A target of 327 was always going to be tough for NZ despite the conditions easing out. The two late strikes last evening will bite for a while. New Zealand will have to capitalise on the better batting conditions at Adelaide.
Here's Vettori: "It's been a trend for a while now. We need one or two guys to stand up and score hundreds. There's some talented guys in the line-up. It's just a question of self belief.
Ponting: "We didn't have the best of games but it feels good to bounce back. We came to Brisbane after 6-7 weeks in India so out batsmen were a bit underprepared for the conditions. Hopefully our batsmen can get better in Adelaide. We're going to have to work a lot harder down there to get wickets. To get two late wickets last night was always a bonus."
Mitchell Johnson is the Man of the Match: "Good to get back on a nice and bouncy track. I felt pretty good back in India, I like to hit the deck hard. Me and Clark bowl well as a unit."
I would have given it to Katich, but Johnson was quite deadly with his pace and nip.
Thanks for your company though this Test. Thanks for the mails. I enjoyed bringing this interesting game to you. Join us for the second and final Test on Friday at the Adelaide Oval. On behalf of the crew, this is Kanishkaa signing off. Cheers!
CS Martin b Johnson 1 (5m 4b 0x4 0x6) SR: 25.00
END OF OVER:54 | 13 Runs 1 Wkt | NZ: 177/9
- Tim Southee12 (7b)
- Chris Martin1 (1b)
- Stuart Clark17-5-43-4
- Mitchell Johnson17-6-39-4
Chris Martin walks in, this should be over very soon, unless Southee plays a blinder like he did at Napier