Langer leads Aussie run rampage

After a close finish to the first Test that did not reflect Australia’s control over much of the contest, the Aussies would undoubtedly have been keen to emphasise the gap in quality between themselves and New Zealand in the second Test in Hobart. This they did on day one, as Justin Langer led a run rampage against a reshuffled Kiwi attack that yielded a massive 6/411.

The toss made for an interesting start when it appeared Steve Waugh conceded it. After tossing the coin, match referee Jackie Hendriks declared “heads it is”, meaning New Zealand had won the toss, before becoming unsure of himself and asking Waugh which side was showing. Waugh simply said “that’s fine” and let Fleming decide. It seems Mike Denness is not the only match referee who doesn’t know heads from tails.

It was soon evident why Waugh was happy to lose the toss as Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden brutalised a wayward attack for their third century partnership in their last three Tests. Langer is making a habit of surviving an early reprieve before making the opposition pay. Here, with just one run on the board, Langer was dropped off the first ball of Daryl Tuffey’s first over when a slashing square cut burst through the hands of Matthew Bell at point. It was a difficult chance that nevertheless should have been taken.

Whereas Hayden dominated the opening session of day one in the first Test, here it was all Justin Langer as he clearly came out in a positive and confident frame of mind. Tuffey, one of two changes to the New Zealand side after the injuries to Nash and O’Connor, is a strong and broad-shouldered bowler with a loping stride, more of a pounder than a skidder. Langer went after both he and Chris Cairns, and while there were few a streaky edges and play-and-misses, many came right off the middle, including two consecutive cracking cover drives off Tuffey.

The name of New Zealand’s newest bowler is Bond, Shane Bond, and he is not a secret agent but a policeman – and reputedly the quickest bowler in New Zealand, striking Langer on the shoulder with his first delivery in Test cricket. Langer reached his fifty, off 49 balls in 44 minutes with 10 fours, in the tenth over out of an Australian total of 0/55, highlighting his extraordinary predominance of the strike and the scoring. Hayden had just one run at that time, to which he did not add until 53 minutes into play.

All New Zealand’s seamers frequently pitched too short, which allowed the ball to sit up on the easy-paced wicket to be smashed. Any advantage that might have been attained by exploiting moisture in the pitch was quickly discarded.

A despairing Stephen Fleming turned to Vettori after an hour, but after inducing a couple of mis-hits, Hayden advanced to him and boldly lofted the ball over the man stationed at long on for just such a shot. Langer also blazed the spinner through the covers before repeating Hayden’s stroke for four as 17 was taken from the over.

The openers raised their third hundred partnership in their last three Tests from only 22 overs. The run rampage was a virtual replica of the first two sessions at the Gabba, only with Hayden and Langer’s roles reversed. 0/126 at lunch, with Langer (comparatively restricted in the second hour) on 78 and Hayden 38 at a rate of 4.5 per over, represented a comprehensive run spree and, in hindsight, a major blunder at the toss.

The fact New Zealand, after inserting Australia, opened the bowling in the second session with Bond and Craig McMillan showed just how quickly they had lost control of the game. On the other hand, Bond, as the quickest on display, was the best of the main strikers and anything was worth trying at the other end.

After his career seemed over when dropped at the start of the Ashes series this year, Justin Langer now has three hundreds in his last three matches since returning as an opening batsman. His hundred at Bellerive was his second at the ground after the memorable one two years when he and Gilchrist chased down the third-highest fourth innings target to defeat Pakistan, and his 10th in all Tests. It came from 123 balls and featured an abnormally high 18 boundaries, most of which were driven through cover, cut behind square or pulled to square leg, highlighting the number of loose balls the Kiwis bowled, particularly by Cairns and Tuffey, and the inconsistent length of deliveries.

Throughout most of the second session, Langer and Hayden continued to feast on half-volleys or short-pitched deliveries, with Hayden especially fluid. Their 200 run partnership was another reward for the excellent communication and running between wickets of the pair.

Langer, generally better at playing forcing pulls or cuts, was notably impressive driving through covers until one such shot brought his downfall. With the stand having reached 223, Langer did not quite get to the pitch of the ball in hitting a scorching drive on the up off Cairns, picking out Vettori at extra cover. It came as a surprise, since a mistake like that from one of the batsmen seemed the only way New Zealand would manage a breakthrough.

The parallels with the first Test continued as the wicket sparked a loss of 3/30 in half an hour in which it seemed Australia would again needlessly squander some of its dominance. With another century beckoning, Hayden holed out to Vettori at long for 91 only 13 minutes after Langer’s departure. Hayden had just lofted Vettori for a straight boundary and, attempting a similar stroke, was deceived in flight and dragged the ball to the man on the rope.

Mark Waugh was casual from the moment he arrived at the crease. First playing an airy swish outside off and then a couple of chancy airborne cuts, Waugh batted as if he felt the hard work had already been done and all he had to do was throw the bat around to cash in. On 12, he stepped down the wicket to Vettori, was beaten in flight as he drove, and lost off stump as the ball slipped under the bat. Australia were 3/253.

When they have the opposition under pressure with the ball, the Aussies are ruthless. But when they are totally dominant with the bat, there are times when they have a tendency to lose wickets carelessly instead of grinding home the advantage as one would expect. It cannot be much of a concern if a position of such strength is being reached in the first place but it’s something John Buchanan must have noted. With the bowling at their mercy, both openers could have batted on and reached greater heights.

Cairns attempted to dismiss Ponting in the same manner as in the first Test by bowling short outside off, but instead of attempting to slice the ball over slips, this time Ponting carved it along the ground through cover. Bond almost had him via a bottom edge just before tea when he seamed one back dramatically and, proving the value of a bowler above the regulation medium-fast, came close to dislodging Waugh without scoring when he fended a rising ball from glove and body just out of reach of short leg.

That was a prelude to Waugh’s dismissal after the break. Forced onto the back foot by Bond, Waugh was made to defend uncomfortably, with Bond’s pressure precipitating a wicket when Waugh shouldered arms to one that seamed back and struck him high on the pad. It would have passed over the top, but Waugh was gone for a duck and Australia were 4/266.

It seemed that Australia truly was repeating its middle order collapse from the first Test when Vettori trapped Martyn leg-before without scoring. If New Zealand has one genuinely match-winning bowler, it is Daniel Vettori, as the left-arm tweaker appeared to have benefited from his tour match outing in Adelaide with a class display that provided New Zealand’s only bright spots amidst the run blitz.

Bowling with tempting flight and good turn considering it was a first day wicket, Vettori drifted one onto line of middle and off to trap Martyn playing with bat behind pad on the half-volley, a half-step forward. At 5/267, with Australia having lost 5/43, that brought Gilchrist to the wicket. Together with Ponting, he did not exactly steady the ship, for Australia’s supremacy and rate of scoring was more interrupted than derailed by the loss of wickets, but rather exercised caution where appropriate before continuing the counter-attack.

On his home ground, Ponting was in supreme touch, flicking the ball away with sumptuous ease or driving assuredly. He was the top order batsman who kept the momentum going while Vettori and to a lesser extent Bond sporadically threatened to pull New Zealand back into the contest.

New Zealand received a blow when, with the score 5/301 and Gilchrist 20, Gilchrist was caught behind off a Tuffey no-ball. He was also dropped at mid wicket in a tough chance from the bowling off McMillan but, when looking increasingly likely to surge away, was undone for 39 by Vettori. Gilchrist stepped down the wicket to hit to leg and was beaten by an excellent delivery that drifted in and turned back to bowl him.

From 6/336, Ponting and Shane Warne kept the leather flying to the rope with an unbroken partnership of 75, also surviving the second new ball. Ponting, on 92, will have to wait till tomorrow for a prospective hundred on his home ground.

Despite the loss of wickets that kept New Zealand interested, ultimately Australia inflicted a belting on a pitch that should stay true before taking more turn. By bowling first and seeing the opposition take full command, New Zealand have already placed themselves under immense pressure.