Australia collapse hands New Zealand cricket Test win in Hobart

by Administrator

Just when it seemed Michael Clarke's side was on course for victory, cruising at 2-159 in pursuit of the 241 needed to complete a series clean-sweep, the New Zealanders engineered one of the great fightbacks in Test cricket history to pull off a fabled seven-run win. It was Bracewell, identified by his captain Ross Taylor before the start of the series as a world-class all-rounder in the making, who triggered Australia's demise, capturing the prize wickets of Ricky Ponting (16), Clarke (0) and Mike Hussey (0) in the space of eight balls. Fittingly, it was Bracewell who struck the final blow, bowling brave number 11 batsman Nathan Lyon for nine to secure NZ's first victory on Australian soil since 1985 just as it seemed Lyon and Man of the Match David Warner might steal the win. The two had come together with Australia still needing 42 runs for victory. Improbably they almost pulled it off, even as two dramatic video referrals went Australia's way. Australia had closed to within 25 runs of the victory target when Lyon was struck on the pads off the bowling of Tim Southee, and when English umpire Nigel Long raised his finger, the Kiwis all rushed to celebrate. But Lyon immediately signalled he wanted a referral, apparently believing he had edged the ball onto his pads. The Hot Spot image was infuriatingly unclear but it didn't matter because it emerged that the ball pitched outside leg stump and the Australians lived to continue their fight. They had closed the gap to 18 runs when Lyon again was struck on the pads by Bracewell, but this time it was the New Zealanders who asked for the referral when umpire Asad Rauf turned down their prolonged appeal. It turned out to be a good decision, with the ball just missing leg stump and for a moment it seemed the cricketing deities were bringing Australia home. It would have been appropriate had Warner played the hero's role, after batting throughout the innings, showing a cool head in the growing crisis. As Bracewell began what turned out to be his final over, Warner was on strike and looking more than capable of finishing the contest with two hefty blows, even with eight Kiwi fieldsmen ringing the boundary. But the Twenty20 specialist could only get the first delivery away for a single to leave Australia eight runs short. That was as close as they would get, with Bracewell slipping his fourth delivery through Lyon's gritty defence to shatter the stumps. Lyon, too, was shattered, slumping to his haunches in despair as Warner came down the wicket to console him. Yet it wasn't Lyon to blame for the humiliating loss to the world's eighth-ranked cricketing nation. If the selectors were in the mood for change even when Australia was on track for victory, there is no question they will be looking long and hard at the make-up of this team ahead of the Boxing Day Test against India. Opener Phillip Hughes is gone after failing to add to his overnight 20 but Usman Khawaja and Ponting both must be on shaky ground. The only thing that might save one of them, Ponting most probably, would be the reluctance of John Inverarity and his co-selectors to make three changes to the Australian top order.

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