Australia tour of Newzealand First Test Match Wellington

Green's masterful century lifts Australia in challenging conditions.

Newzealand won the toss and chose to bowl first. This is a long tradition where captains choose to bowl at Basin Reserve. Southee was no exception when he sent Australia in under heavy skies. Australia did not make any changes in the side that suffered an unexpected defeat of eight runs by West Indies at Gabba last month, maintaining the same attack for their sixth consecutive test.

Newzealand new fast bowling quartet, in their first game without Neil Wagner, who incidentally came back as a substitute fielder later on, hoped to break through Australia top order, which had just lost David Warner and was still settling down.

Smith began his first Test innings as an opener away from home with nerves before finding comfort in a trademark cover drive for four off a rare loose one from Southee. This was Smith third game after becoming the opener, and he got out after scoring 31 runs. Khawaja also got out after scoring 33 runs. The worst form of Head and Marnus continued.

In Wellington, on the first day of the first Test, Cameron Green played an innings full of brilliance to neutralize Newzealand all-out quick attack on a challenging surface that left him no alternative but to demonstrate his worth as Australia’s Number Four.

As Green grew bolder after settling down nervously, in the beginning, he became creative while tamely defending deliveries. Moreover, he cleverly moved down the pitch ahead of Henry to nullify some prodigious swinging deliveries.

He had cramps, he was struggling; however, he still managed to make it through and hit his second test century with a backward point boundary off the penultimate delivery before stumps. Australia had begun to collapse by then with Green smashing 103 unbeaten runs from 155 balls in one last effort against a flagging New Zealand bowling lineup.