On the third day of the second Test, Australia struggled and New Zealand now has the advantage in winning against their rival team, potentially ending their losing streak.

In pursuit of 279 runs to win, Matt Henry and a new player, Ben Sears, quickly knocked out the first few Australian batters at Hagley Oval on Sunday, causing Australia to struggle at 34-4.

Travis Head and Mitch Marsh held strong against a powerful attack until the end of the day’s play, but with Australia at 77-4 and needing 203 runs to win, they have a difficult task ahead of them.

On the third day in Christchurch, New Zealand turned the tables on Australia’s long-standing dominance in the Trans-Tasman Test, taking advantage of a promising day.

After starting at 134-2 and with a narrow lead of only 40 runs, the Black Caps were aware that a solid score in their second innings would give them a good chance of achieving their first home Test victory against Australia in 31 years.

Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell scored half-centuries each, while Tom Latham and Kane Williamson also contributed with fifties on Saturday, setting a strong foundation for the team.

Scott Kuggeleijn also played a part in the game by scoring 44 runs off 49 balls, causing frustration for the Australian team.

The score of 372 that New Zealand achieved in their final match was more than twice their previous scores from the two-Test series.

The Australian bowling lacked effectiveness on a pitch that showed improvement with each session of the Test.

Pat Cummins gave the opportunity for eight of his team members to bowl, including Marnus Labuschagne who received a jeering response when he threw a poorly aimed short ball as his first delivery.

Cummins was the top performer, taking 4 wickets for 62 runs, which included dismissing half-centurions Williamson, Ravindra, and Latham.

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Nathan Lyon arrived at the event later than others and managed to secure three out of the last four victories, ending with a total of 3-49.

The majority of Australia’s wickets were taken through edges, and Alex Carey equaled Australia’s highest number of catches by a wicketkeeper with ten.

Ravindra propelled New Zealand onward, starting at 11 and swiftly increasing their lead to over a hundred by aggressively hitting Lyon’s bowling to the boundary at long-on.

The 24-year-old increased his rate of scoring and earned his half-century by hitting a straight drive off of Mitch Marsh.

Ravindra received negative feedback for his average dismissal in the first innings of two matches in this series. However, he was able to bounce back and score half-centuries in the second innings of both Tests.

Together with Mitchell, he formed a partnership of 123 runs, which was the highest in the series, and gave New Zealand a comfortable position of 278-3.

Soon after Australia took the new ball, both players were quickly caught behind.

Tom Blundell (9) followed when Marnus Labuschagne dived well at cover, only for the Australian No 3 to drop Kuggeleijn in the slips cordon when he was on two.

Kuggeleijn and Glenn Phillips added another half-century partnership, making Australia’s fourth-innings ask all the more difficult.

The flat pitching may have given the Australian batters some hope, but Henry and Sears quickly diminished it.

After taking 7 wickets for 67 runs in the first innings, Henry was unstoppable in a nine-over stint from the Botanical Gardens end, dismissing both of the opening batsmen.

The 32-year-old trapped Steve Smith (9) plumb in front, while Usman Khawaja (11) was brilliantly caught by Southee at third slip.

During his debut Test match, Sears successfully got Labuschagne out with a leading edge catch and bowled, only two balls after Mitchell missed a catch at second slip.

Cameron Green (5) was bowled by Sears with a fast delivery.

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Although Marsh and Head helped to stabilize the situation in the last 30 minutes, Australia is still far from reaching their goal.

Lyon mentioned that despite their batting depth, Australia remains confident.

He expressed strong determination and faith, stating that anything can be achieved.

If Australia loses, it will be their second consecutive tied series, following their disappointing performance at home against the West Indies.

For the country of New Zealand, this would result in a tied series and a long-awaited home victory for a generation of New Zealanders who have not yet experienced it.

Latham stated that it would be an impressive accomplishment.

“We welcome that tomorrow, but our focus is on facing each ball as it comes tomorrow.”

Source: theguardian.com