Third Test: Friday, November 27, 2015, Adelaide Oval, watch on Nine Network
THE sledge “it’s round and it’s red” no longer applies for the first time ever in Test cricket.
The Australians ($1.57 with WilliamHill.com.au) and New Zealand’s ($4.25 with WilliamHill.com.au) (Draw is $5.25 with WilliamHill.com.au) will be pretty in pink with the new pink rock they’ll be using under lights at the Adelaide Oval for the first ever night Test.
And the Aussies, who retained the Trans Tasman Trophy thanks to their 1-0 lead after the meandering draw in Perth, have only history to play for, with the Kiwis still hunting their first Test win on Aussie soil since Sir Richard Hadlee was firing down his seamers.
This series has copped criticism for its batsman friendly wickets that have yielded no less than 11 centuries, including scores of over 250 to individual batsmen David Warner and Ross Taylor.
The critics aren’t happy.
But never fear. A pink ball, dewy night cricket and a green, seaming wicket await in Adelaide.
And the batsman have apparently struggled to see the ball, if the three Sheffield Shield matches under lights are anything to go by.
This is music to the ears of spinner Nathan Lyon.
“It’s perfect,” Lyon said.
“Batters can’t see the seam.
“It’s going to be pretty interesting.
“It will be a big challenge for me, but definitely, having minimal vision of the seam will help my cause.
”The big thing is bowling in the nets and out in the game, (and) having the feedback from the best batters in the world about not being able to pick the seam up, and not seeing how many revs are on the ball.
“I’ve been working hard with Steve Smith, Davey Warner and the guys who are facing me in the nets and getting a lot of feedback off them.”
In the second Test, the Aussies looked to have batted the Kiwis out of the game with a mammoth 9 (declared)/559, only for the Kiwis to fire back with 624.
Warner was remarkable for the Australians, spanking 253, his highest ever score, while Usman Khawaja backed up his first Test ton with 121 in a 302 run partnership with Warner – he had earlier enjoyed a century stand with Joe Burns (40).
Under fire Kiwis’ spinner Martin Craig picked up three wickets, but, as you can imagine, the bowlers copped some stick, three going for over 100 runs.
Not to be outdone, the Kiwis put the Aussie bowlers to the sword, with Ross Taylor falling an agonising 10 runs short of a triple century.
He was joined by the man many are claiming could be the best batsman in the world in Kane Williamson, who whacked 166 in a 265 run stand with the peerless Taylor.
His 290 included 43 boundaries.
Aussie spearhead Mitchell Starc bagged 4/119 to be the best of the Aussie bowlers, while Lyon snared 3/107.
The writing was on the wall for Mitchell Johnson, who announce his retirement from international cricket after going for 157 runs off 28 overs for just one wicket.
The Aussies replied with 7 (declared)/385, Both Warner and Burns failing for the first time in the series.
it was left to captain Steve Smith (138) and Adam Voges (119) to steer the Aussies to an insurmountable total. Those two put on 224 between them, while Tim Southee ripped through with 4/97 to be the best Kiwi bowler in the innings.
With a mountain to chase and just 28 overs to do it in, it was never going to happen, the Kiwis finishing on 2/104 when play ceased.
Fittingly, it was first innings heroes Williamson and Taylor still at the crease when stumps were pulled, the former with an unbeaten 32 and the latter with 36 not out, giving him 326 runs for the match.
Even more fitting, Johnson was the only man to take wicket for the Aussies, removing both openers to finish with 2/20 in his last ever innings as an Australian cricketer.
It left the series effectively over, but the Kiwis won’t be looking at it that way.
And, with dual series centurion Khawaja out for the Aussies, they have been weakened.
Shaun Marsh gets yet another chance to improve on his less than satisfactoryTest record, while the Aussies have a couple of selection quandaries to address with the ball.
With Johnson retired, they have to decide whether they bring in one of Peter Siddle and James Pattinson, entrust “pink ball specialist” spinner Steve O’Keefe to form a spin twin partnership with Lyon, or perhaps rest Hazlewood and play either Siddle or Pattinson in his stead.
Do they even play five bowlers? It will be interesting to see what way they go.
The New Zealanders, meanwhile, look well set and primed to give this one a shake, with the news injured seamer Trent Boult should play.
McCullum and his crew have maintained their Mr Nice Guy image throughout this series, a disposition he says has developed “organically”.
“We never set out to be the nice guys of world cricket, and we certainly never refer to ourselves as the nice guys of world cricket,” McCullum said.
”I guess others have bestowed a tag on us but we just go about our work.
“We’re just a group of mates representing our country, trying to be as good as we can on the international stage, fiercely competitive but incredibly respectful of both our opposition and also the game.
”I think that has developed over a period of time, and if people want to call us evangelical then that’s fine, and if they want to call us nice guys that’s fine as well.
“We don’t expect other people to play the same way we do.
“Everyone’s entitled to play whatever way they want – Australia obviously plays a lot more fiercely than we do, in terms of their emotions and their verbals that they entertain and that’s fine.
”So everyone’s entitled to play their own way and we’re certainly not righteous in our stance that the game needs to be played in this manner, but it works for us.“
3rd test betting predictions
Match result: New Zealand wins ($4.25 with WilliamHill.com.au)
Highest opening partnership: Australia ($1.60 with WilliamHill.com.au)
Dare we say it – and we know it’s a little unpatriotic – but the Aussies have an air of vulnerability about them. Spearhead Johnson is gone, the new gun number three Khawaja is out, forcing the batsmen to go up a notch in the order to accommodate the mediocre Marsh at six. They still have the likes of master blaster Warner, gun captain Smith and the exciting Burns, but the Kiwis have already shown they have the talent to match it with the Aussies on their home turf. Williamson is obviously the ace in the hole, but the two openers, Taylor and McCullum are all fearsome competitors with the bat. It looks as though Boult will play in the third Test, further increasing their chances of bowling the Aussies out. The under lights situation will be relatively new to both teams, so it could come down to who adapts to the new conditions better. We’re going to stick with the Australian opening pair to do the business again with the highest opening stand, they have a class and form edge there. We said from the start we reckon New Zealand have it in them to win a Test on Australian soil and we think it may just happen in this historic Test. Have fun with the pink ball boys.
Top run scorer tips
Australia
David Warner ($3 with sportsbet.com.au)
Yeah, we left him out of our last lot of tips and that was just plain silly. This guy is in the form of his life and seeing it like a beach ball. How many Test tons in a row is he going to get? The guy seems to whack centuries for fun, backing up twin tons in the opening Test with a brilliant 250 in the first innings in Perth. The master blaster himself could well be Australia’s best batsman and has finally made the transition from destructive bully who sometimes made big scores to one of the most consistent and devastating batsmen in the world. Stick with this guy. He always gives you a chance in this market.
New Zealand
Kane Williamson ($2.88 with sportsbet.com.au)
Yep, we left Williamson out last time too. But we didn’t have Taylor. This guy is a little like Warner at the moment. He’s finding it difficult not to make tons. He has the endorsement of many cricketing greats as the heir apparent, the world’s next great batsman, including Allan Border, who reckons he’d pick Williamson to bat for his life. Make no mistake, Williamson is the most talented batsman n the Kiwis’ line up and, if he gets going, he gives them a chance. He already has a century in each of the Tests he’s played here this campaign. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who wouldn’t back him to make it three from three.
Top wicket taker tips
Australia
Nathan Lyon ($5 with sportsbet.com.au)
This is a hard market, because we don’t know who is going to get the nod yet. But we’re going with the staple Lyon. Guaranteed a spot and guaranteed to get plenty of overs, Lyon could torment the Kiwis with the pink ball. He’s confident that the difficulty in seeing the ball gives him a distinct advantage and we’re backing him to make good on that confidence. Took three wickets in the first dig in Perth and has quietly made himself into one of the best off spinners in Australian Test history. Tip your cap to him and back him in to make good on his promise under lights.
New Zealand
Tim Southee ($3.25 with Sportsbet.com.au)
Fit and firing, Southee is one of the best bowlers in the world. But he has been below par in the series – as have most bowlers with the batsman friendly wickets. He will be champing at the bit to get a crack at the Aussies on a deck that most believe will be nice and green with plenty of swing. Southee is the Kiwis’ spearhead and will need to take it upon himself to have a big Test if New Zealand wants to be chance of squaring up this series. We reckon his four wickets in the second dig in Perth is evidence enough he’s beginning to find form at the right time and he will be able to make an impact in Adelaide.
