McMillan bids to shield Kiwi tail v Australia

Craig McMillan has said he will try to build on his record fifth-wicket partnership of 97 with New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming on Monday to shield the lower order from a possible collapse against the second new ball.

McMillan (51 not out) and Fleming (71 not out) came together with New Zealand in trouble at 100 for four on the fourth day of the rain-interrupted second cricket Test against Australia at the Bellerive Oval on Sunday.

Their stand bettered the previous fifth-wicket record of 92 for the Kiwis in Tests against Australia which was set by Nathan Astle (66) and McMillan (45) in the first match of the three-Test series in Brisbane earlier this month.

The Kiwis still require a further 162 runs to avoid the follow-on with one day's play remaining.

IMPORTANT STAGE

"Tomorrow they'll have the new ball (three overs old) so that's an important stage for us," McMillan said.

"We want to get through this spell because we don't want to expose the lower order to the new ball.

"It was a tough start when we lost those early wickets (after resuming at 71 for two in reply to Australia's 558 for eight declared).

"When you're chasing a follow-on target of 360-odd you need some solid partnerships.

"I thought they bowled very well, they are very demanding bowling that channel just outside off stump and the ball was doing a bit so it made life tough.

"We realised that we had to put our heads down and we've still got a big job to do tomorrow."

The aggressive 25-year-old right-hander from Canterbury said the constant rain delays, which have washed out almost 10 hours of play in the Test including the entire evening session on Sunday, were unsettling for the batting side.

"Every time the covers go back on, it sweats up a bit so the ball's always doing something," he said.

Mail Cricket Editor