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regular-article-logo Tuesday, 30 April 2024

Nathan Lyon takes ten wickets, brings New Zealand’s attempted fightback in first Test to shuddering halt

NZ resumed at 111/3 on fourth day in their second innings and collapsed in face of some superb spin bowling from Lyon (6/64) to be all out for 196 few minutes after scheduled lunch break

AP/PTI Wellington Published 04.03.24, 10:13 AM
Nathan Lyon celebrates a wicket in Wellington on Sunday

Nathan Lyon celebrates a wicket in Wellington on Sunday Getty Images

Nathan Lyon took ten wickets for the match and brought New Zealand’s attempted fightback in the first Test to a shuddering halt as Australia completed a 172-run win on Sunday and took a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.

New Zealand resumed at 111/3 on the fourth day in their second innings and collapsed in the face of some superb spin bowling from Lyon (6/64) to be all out for 196 a few minutes after the scheduled lunch break. Lyon completed match figures of 10/108, his fifth 10-wicket match haul, which went along with his 41 as a nightwatchman in Australia’s second innings.

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The Black Caps were unable to sustain the stubborn fightback they had begun to produce on Day III when Australia were bowled out for 164 in their second innings for an overall lead of 368.

Glenn Phillips took 5/43 to limit Australia as they tried to build on their first innings lead of 204. Rachin Ravindra’s unbeaten 56 before stumps on Saturday fanned New Zealand's faint hope that it might be able to head off defeat.

But Ravindra was out for 59 in only the seventh over of the morning and with his departure New Zealand’s resistance appeared to falter, then break.

Ravindra was Lyon’s first victim on the final day, tempted into the cut shot at a ball turning away from off stump. With the extra bounce, he was unable to keep the shot down and was caught by Cameron Green.

“I think it was a brilliant bowling innings from us and (Lyon) bowled beautifully,” first-innings centurion Green said. “He’s always under pressure in the fourth innings and he always seems to be able to stand up and perform.”

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