Australia captain Tim Paine has been impressive both with the bat and the gloves in the last few games and it was evident in the first Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) as well.
After a brilliant knock of 79 in the first innings, Paine did an exceptional job behind the wicket. It was his brilliant hand-eye coordination which gave Australia the much-needed wicket of Henry Nicholls. Australia’s main spinner Nathan Lyon brought the breakthrough, but half of the credit can be given to the Australian captain for his outstanding reflex.
Lyon, who tossed up slower and on the off-stump which dragged Nicholls forward on the defensive push and then got the ball to rip past the outside edge. Nicholls had lunged so far ahead, that he literally dragged himself out of the crease and Paine did rest of the job with the blink an eye, something which was regularly done by the Indian wicket-keeper MS Dhoni week in week out.
Meanwhile, Australia won the first Test comprehensively by 247 runs courtesy of some exceptional bowling from the hosts in the second innings. After putting up a mammoth score of 467 runs in the first innings, Australia were in course to take the full advantage of it.
Travis Head picked up a hundred while the skipper scored 79, which was the second highest-score of the innings. New Zealand were dominated right throughout their first innings as they bowled out for only 148 runs. Pat Cummins created havoc with the ball as he picked up 5/28 while James Pattinson picked up 3 wickets as well.
With a mammoth lead, the hosts needed only some more runs on the board to increase the target for the visitors. They declared their innings after adding 168 runs more.
New Zealand came to bat with a mountain to climb as Australia set a huge target of 488 runs. Opener Tom Blundell scored a brilliant hundred, but it was the only good effort from the visitors in the second innings with the bat. Nathan Lyon (4/81) and James Pattinson (3/35) wrapped things up for the hosts to ensure a huge victory by 247 runs.
Watch Tim Paine’s brilliant stumping here:
Sharp work from the skipper to send back Henry Nicholls ?
Australia are six wickets away from a win. #AUSvNZpic.twitter.com/0mOvRP6vlY
— ICC (@ICC) December 29, 2019
