Dylan Cleaver: Seamers fall apart

COMMENT

The pre-tour pop-gun jibes might have stung, but yesterday they were entirely apt as the seamers failed to impose any authority, or accuracy, on the Australians.

A record 10th-wicket partnership between Jason Gillespie and the one-time rabbit's rabbit Glenn McGrath had the Black Caps wearing red faces.

By stumps Australia had cruised to 564-9, a lead of 211.

New Zealand is now staring at the prospect of having to bat at least four, probably five, more sessions to save the test.

This will be a massive examination of New Zealand's batting resources. With the heart of the middle order comprising of Scott Styris, Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan, you'd fancy your chances more of chasing down a total than batting for time.

On day two the seamers had bowled to plan, allowing Stephen Fleming to set fields that constricted the free-flowing Australians.

The skipper was given no such luxuries on day three, as Kyle Mills, Chris Martin (despite his four wickets) and Jacob Oram bowled too many lines and too many lengths.

The same couldn't be said of Daniel Vettori. The left-arm spinner looked as if he was returning to form on the subcontinent, but using the Bangladeshis as a guide is unreliable at best.

Yesterday, he bowled as well as he has for two years.

"I feel comfortable with where it's at," Vettori said. "I would have liked one or two more wickets."

Vettori, who still believes the pitch is good enough for New Zealand to bat themselves out of trouble, said the Black Caps failed to bowl in partnerships.

"While we were working well at one end, we were letting it go at the other. To beat the Aussies you need 11 guys going at once."

Vettori bowled the superb Michael Clarke and trapped Shane Warne in front to complement the wickets of Justin Langer and Darren Lehmann he collected on day two.

Martin claimed four scalps, but it wouldn't be one of the more memorable hauls of his career. Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist and Michael Kasprowicz were caught on the boundary, while Ricky Ponting pulled a half-tracker into Nathan Astle's hands.

Jason Gillespie and Glenn McGrath combining for an Australian record tenth-wicket partnership against New Zealand demonstrated the lack of teeth in the attack.

McGrath reached the rarefied air of the 40s for the first time in test cricket. Then the unthinkable: 50. No doubt Steve Waugh will be the first to ring in congratulations, having bet once that McGrath would never achieve the feat.

"When I hit that ball and knew it was going for four it was a pretty good feeling," McGrath said.

Sloppy fielding ably assisted them. In one Jacob Oram over, Brendon McCullum and Mark Richardson missed straightforward chances off McGrath, sending Oram into apoplectic fits.

McGrath's innings will be the talk of pubs and clubs around Australia today, particularly the swept six off Vettori.

So impressed was he by the shot he held the pose as his team-mates laughed themselves silly in the players' area.

McGrath said he first thought of a 50 when he got to 34 and there's now talk off aiming for a 100.

Some will find that funny, but to New Zealand, it's a bad joke.

- THE HERALD ON SUNDAY