The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : New Zealand crumbles to innings defeat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 22, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

New Zealand crumbles to innings defeat

BRISBANE, NOV. 21. Glenn McGrath tormented New Zealand with bat and ball, and Shane Warne took four wickets as Australia secured an innings and 156-run win to take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.

McGrath (61) posted his highest Test score to boost Australia to 585 — a lead of 232 — and then took the first three New Zealand wickets to set the host on course for a massive win.

Warne chimed in with four for 15 as the Kiwis crumbled for 76 in their second innings with almost five sessions to spare.

Australia resumed at 564 for nine and McGrath and Jason Gillespie (54 not out) batted for 29 more minutes to extend their last-wicket partnership to 114 and totally demoralised the New Zealanders.

Both tailenders completed their maiden Test half-centuries before McGrath hooked Chris Martin to Nathan Astle at midwicket.

McGrath returned minutes later to rip through the Kiwi top-order, removing Mark Richardson (4), Mathew Sinclair (0) and skipper Stephen Fleming (11) to have New Zealand reeling at 19 for three.

He had figures of three for 19 from eight overs while Gillespie took two for 19 from 10 overs as the Kiwi resistance lasted just two hours and 45 minutes.

Decisive stand

Skipper Ricky Ponting said the McGrath-Gillespie partnership swung the momentum Australia's way. ``We got our noses a long way in front, and knew if we bowled well today there was a chance we could finish things off — it all happened a bit easier than we thought,'' Ponting said.

New Zealand coach John Bracewell said his team didn't make the most of its chances against the world's top-ranked nation. Warne had Scott Styris (7) adjudged lbw in the over before lunch and, in the second over after the break, held a catch at first slip — his 100th in Tests — to remove Nathan Astle off Michael Kasprowicz as the Kiwis slumped to 44 for five.

Warne then removed Oram with the total at 55, triggering a lower-order collapse in which New Zealand lost its last five wickets for 21 runs.

Doubtful decisions

In two controversial umpiring decisions, Brendon McCullum (8) was given out caught behind off Gillespie when TV replays clearly showed he missed the ball by inches, then Craig McMillan got the benefit of the doubt off a suspected inside edge.

McMillan, however, ran out of luck off the very next ball from Gillespie and was adjudged lbw to make it 72 for eight. Warne dismissed the two remaining tailenders to take his tally to 549 Test wickets.

Earlier, Gillespie reached his first Test 50 with an inside edge to the long-leg boundary and celebrated by jumping around with his bat between his legs as if it was a toy horse.

McGrath added seven to his overnight 54 before getting out, giving New Zealand fast bowler Chris Martin a five-wicket haul. In 114 previous Test innings, McGrath had averaged 6.93 and had a highest of 39. McGrath now has the third-highest score by a No. 11 batsman behind New Zealand's Richard Collinge, who scored an unbeaten 68 against Pakistan in 1973.

Michael Clarke was voted player of the match. — AP

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