“That day, yesterday, would have really tested him”.
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Steven Smith and Adam Voges combined for an important 82-run partnership that frustrated New Zealand after Ross Taylor earlier rewrote 111 years of cricket history by achieving the highest score by a visiting Test batsman in Australia.
New Zealand’s Ross Taylor (R) is hugged by team mate Kane Williamson as he celebrates reaching his century.
Even though he came up short, his innings, which featured 43 fours, will have given New Zealand confidence they can at least earn a draw to keep the three-match series alive going into the final Test in Adelaide.
“You’d have to rank it right up there as one of New Zealand’s best Test knocks, with the conditions, with the match situation, you throw all that into the mix and it’s one of the best”, said McMillan.
This will be the first time that a Day-Night Test is being played.
Mitchell Johnson’s disappointing performance in the Perth Test against New Zealand has raised plenty of eyebrows and speculation on his future.
Joe Burns went for a duck and David Warner (24) fell cheaply as Australia were reduced to 46-2 in response to Taylor’s show of endurance, but Smith (131 not out) needed only 140 balls to bring up his 12th Test hundred.
The 28-year-old, who has scored centuries in the two Tests against the Kiwis and made 121 on Friday, pulled up sharply after chasing a ball to the boundary and immediately left the field.
Warner started aggressively in his bid to compile a fourth consecutive century, as Australia plundered 10 boundaries in the first five overs after lunch.
It also eclipsed the 253 contributed by Warner to Australia’s first innings tally of 559-9 declared, which had looked nearly unassailable on day two. Much like the previous day, Taylor continued to play his shots with almost every run seemingly overtaking one record or another.
Former Australia cricket captain Mark Taylor says he wouldn’t be surprised if the ongoing second Test match here against New Zealand will become pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson’s last.
Taylor’s tired arms finally failed him when he skied a catch to sub fielder Jono Wells.
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Mitchell Starc produced a seriously quick spell of bowling with the new cherry for no reward 45 minutes before tea, delivering one ball at almost 100 miles per hour and also breaking the bottom of Brendon McCullum’s bat with a yorker.
