Late wickets negate Vincent, Fleming tons

A late burst of wickets by Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee saw honours approximately even, but Australia with all the momentum at the end of day one of the decisive third Test in Perth.

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming and debutant Lou Vincent registered fine hundreds to carry their side to a position of some authority but rather like Australia on day one of the first two Tests, lost the advantage with a middle order slump in the shadows of stumps.

Australia, made to struggle for much of the day after two early wickets thanks to a 199-run third-wicket partnership between Vincent and Fleming, hit back with five wickets in the last session.

If Stephen Fleming had trusted his batsmen instead of his bowlers to do the hard work at the start of the first and second Tests, one wonders how different the context of those matches would have been. Although New Zealand have not yet managed to bowl Australia out in the series so far, neither has Australia been able to take 10 New Zealand wickets in any innings of the rain-marred series. This time Fleming opted to bat first after winning the toss on a hard and true WACA wicket and what a difference it made.

Instead of being forced to chase the game after Australia’s openers rattled up 200-run first wicket partnerships against below average Kiwi bowling on day one of each the first two Tests, Fleming instead gave his resilient batting line-up the chance to set the pace and it was the Australians who found themselves behind for the first time in the series.

Lou Vincent, an ex-Australian, was selected to open in place of the struggling Matthew Bell while Chris Martin came in for the injured Tuffey. Australia, naturally enough, were unchanged. At the toss, Waugh felt that it looked like an excellent wicket, but that the morning held the key and “if we can take early wickets we’ll be in a good position.”

Although there were the regulation play-and-misses that are expected of openers coming to terms with the pacey conditions, there was little sideways movement for McGrath and Gillespie and initially they struggled for rhythm. That changed when Gillespie, the fuller of the two, bowled Mark Richardson for nine 25 minutes in. To a ball full and on middle, Richardson attempted to drive straight without really using his feet and getting forward, and was bowled through the gate.

Matthew Sinclair, who has failed to make an impression against the Australians in two series, was also dismissed not getting forward as New Zealand slipped to 19/2 early on. A McGrath delivery angling into him cut back sharply off the seam, trapping him on the crease dead in front.

Lou Vincent is reputedly a positive middle order player who was picked to open for his attitude more than anything, as Fleming wanted more positive starts than the out of form Bell had been providing. It took him half an hour to get off the mark but once he did he settled down nicely, looking fairly assured off front and back foot, which is no easy feat for a debutant batsman playing out of position in Perth against McGrath, Gillespie and friends.

McGrath was forced to leave the field after only five overs, sporting a noticeable limp. That brought Warne into the attack early and considering the WACA is his least successful Australian ground, bowled quite effectively. Fleming gave Vincent some instructions before facing the leg-spinner and although less comfortable against him, appearing a possible bat/pad candidate the way he tended to force the ball, did look like he belonged in the arena.

Fleming himself was positive and at ease with the conditions, driving Lee handsomely down the ground a couple of times. With the partnership building and no McGrath to call upon, Waugh pressed local boy Damien Martyn into service with his medium pacers, but he tried to bowl too fast and was expensive.

At lunch, New Zealand were 87/2 from 28 overs, with Vincent and Fleming both 33. With only two wickets in the pivotal first session, Australia were behind for the first time in the series and for once were the ones chasing the game early in the match.

That chase intensified in the second session as, sans McGrath who was off the field being treated for back spasms, the Aussies endured a rare fruitless session against the sensible batting of Vincent and Fleming. Waugh was forced to juggle his resources as Vincent and Fleming wore down the bowling in an intelligent batting display, taking no risks, exercising good judgement while all the while batting positively with the intent to score runs. On the beautiful batting wicket that the WACA is once batsmen are set, the Aussies were made to toil.

Only Gillespie really made an impression, as pace partner Lee was looser and could be driven. Fleming made his third fifty in succession while Vincent, a hidden gem who looked like a talented version of Nathan Astle, continued to grow in confidence. He was prepared to use his feet to Warne and hooked Lee for a six, but kept his head and had a purposeful air about his about his batting.

There was one incident of note just after lunch, when an appeal for a catch off Fleming at silly point was turned down. In what looked to be excessive appealing and intimidating the umpire, Warne charged across the pitch to the catcher Ponting, who along with Gilchrist and a couple of others ran out of their positions towards the umpire. Replays were inconclusive and there was no apparent "dissent", but by the standards used recently in South Africa, Warne’s appeal and the movement of the fielders could be construed as against the code of conduct. The umpire was Darrell Hair and it will be interesting to see whether he makes a report and if anything comes of it.

McGrath came back onto the field 45 minutes after lunch but, because of the time spent away, could not bowl again until ten minutes after tea. By tea, with Vincent (86*) and Fleming (79*) in command, New Zealand were 2/190.

Vincent’s debut hundred could not have been much sweeter for the 23-year-old, coming as it did against the Aussies, opening the innings for the first time in his first-class career. The handshake from Waugh was deserved.

It took a piece of exceptional fielding by Mark Waugh and an unfortunate umpiring decision to remove him. On 104 with the score 218/2, Warne tossed one up outside off, Vincent took a step down to drive and Waugh held a brilliant catch turning behind himself at slip from an apparent edge. Vincent looked quizzically at umpire Hair and replays revealed he had clipped only ground. Therefore it was truly was a chanceless innings.

McGrath was the catalyst behind Australia’s irrepressible revival. Returning after tea, McGrath delivered a spell of 8 overs for just 10 runs, building pressure from nothing in typical fashion and evidently inspiring his team mates.

First Fleming got to his hundred. After being tied down and enduring the nervous nineties, a Warne long hop got him to just his third Test century, undoubtedly a moment of considerable relief after so much comment on his inability to turn fifties into hundreds.

McGrath and Warne strived for wickets but Fleming and Astle carried New Zealand to 264/3 before the stunning late slide. It was the second new ball, in the expert hands of Gillespie and Lee, that did it. First it was Fleming, trapped for 105 by a full and swinging delivery from Lee that might just have taken leg stump. Next over it was Craig McMillan, victim of a dubious lbw call from the bowling of Gillespie, whose beseeching appeal was eventually rewarded by umpire Robinson though the ball looked to be just sliding down leg.

With the score 269/5 and the scent of wickets in their nostrils, Gillespie and Lee were extremely fired up as New Zealand, the hard work of Vincent and Fleming slipping away, suddenly found themselves under siege in the lengthening shadows. Vettori, coming in as night-watchman ahead of Cairns, was caught at gully off a defensive edge from Gillespie, Martyn diving to his right to hold the catch.

Australia had all the momentum and Lee was on the warpath, touching speeds in the 150s with a fastest delivery of 154.5kmp/h. He got Cairns in the same over as that missile, angling one in at the body to have him squared up and caught behind, the tactic of bowling at Cairns's body now having worked in the past two innings. Lee’s celebration seemed nearly to take him to the sightscreen.

At 281/7, New Zealand had suffered at middle order slump of 4/17, with Astle and Parore surviving the last couple of overs to see New Zealand close at 293/7.

Australia, then, has bowled itself out of a hole with a late revival in a day of contrasting fortunes. The New Zealanders will now need to find some similar inspiration when their turn comes with the ball.

Scorecard: New Zealand 1st innings