2nd Test
Day-2 Highlights:
Matt Henry and Tom Latham’s performance has kept New Zealand team in the game
New Zealand scored 162/10 (1st Innings) & 134/2 (2nd Innings) where as Australia scored 256/10 (1st Innings) at the stumps of Day-2:
So, finally New Zealand lead by 40 runs
Matt Henry’s seven-wicket haul and Tom Latham’s resilient half-century have kept New Zealand in contention during the second Test against Australia in Christchurch.
Despite trailing by 40 runs at stumps, New Zealand’s improved performance on the second day has narrowed the gap, though the visitors still hold a slight advantage.
Australia started the day positively with Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan Lyon hitting boundaries.
Labuschagne reached fifty, while Lyon survived a dropped chance and added 20 runs before Henry dismissed him.
Labuschagne later scored a boundary off Scott Kuggeleijn to secure the lead, but New Zealand kept applying pressure.
Henry completed his five-wicket haul by dismissing Mitchell Marsh for a duck, and Glenn Phillips then removed Alex Carey.
Mitchell Starc then forged a stubborn partnership with Labuschagne, frustrating the home side.
However, just before the Tea break, New Zealand struck again.
Once more, it was Phillips who sparked the breakthrough, this time with an extraordinary one-handed diving catch to dismiss Labuschagne for 90.
After the break, Henry dismissed both Starc and Pat Cummins, who had made significant contributions to extend the lead to 94.
Under pressure, New Zealand faced an early setback with the bat as Starc’s delivery angled away, deceiving Will Young who edged it behind expecting it to come back.
However, New Zealand bounced back impressively, led by a century partnership between Kane Williamson and Latham.
Initially cautious, Williamson later took charge, hitting three boundaries off Starc, prompting a bowling change.
This didn’t deter the New Zealand No. 3, as Pat Cummins was also greeted with two boundaries in the same over.
Latham, relatively quiet for much of his innings, faced Lyon for a couple of boundaries, though New Zealand’s run rate remained just above two runs per over.
Nonetheless, the duo achieved the highest partnership of the series for New Zealand, propelling their side into the lead.
In his 100th Test, Williamson surpassed 50 but his aspirations of batting through the day were thwarted by Cummins, who eventually broke the century partnership.
Nevertheless, with Latham holding firm at one end and plenty of batting depth remaining, the hosts remain optimistic about setting a competitive target.
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