TOPIC:

Pretty tough day on a slowish ,seaming green wicket.
Great stuff Cam Greene.Well done to the tail for helping Cam to the millstone.

Fantastic effort by Green, played that Steve Smith role to perfection yesterday.... definitely the glue to that Aust first innings. Labuschagne and Head have hit road blocks....and more worryingly against bowling attacks that aren't a patch on the one India is going to bring over in the summer. 

Uzzie and Smith battled, though painfully slow, but as gtr said', on a tough slow green seaming pitch. It was their class that kept them out there, but run rates like that are going to put pressure on Aust middle order to step up the pace.

Touch wood Green can eek Aus to 300, though Hazlewood would rather bowl then bat, so 280 might be it. Can only judge that Aust first innings after NZ bat I guess. Get Williamson early and that may put some angst in the NZ dressing room....though Mitchell is a worry for me.....like Marsh plays his shots, and of late has been a more than a decent run making for the Black Caps.

Green and Hazlewood take a bow. that was shit bowling today at the last wicket, but well done to Cam Green to take control of the wayward stuff and get the runs on the board.

I have concerns about Uzzie and Labuschagne. Both are looking to just survive not score runs and this is compounding the pressure on the middle order. As good as he has been the past 2 years, I'm not sure the aussies will win against India next summer if he is opening.

The way they want head to play he will have these slumps, his job is harder if he is coming out and the bowlers are not under pressure because of lack of intent above him. To be honest we looked very clueless on day 1 until M Marsh came out and hit a few to put pressure back on the kiwi's

Some of their first innings dismissals are laughable. Blokes would be dropped from third grade to fourths playing some of the shots they did, and i think the last time i saw a batter run out because he ran into his batting partner was in my junior days.

Right now there is only 1 side that can win with 3 and a bit days left

Apparently the weather looks a bit dicey for days 4 and 5 in Wellington so I am surprised that Cummins didnt enforce the follow on.
Brilliant by Green and the bowling attack. The only concern is the poor form of both Smith and Labuscagne

mikeh, Smith did make 30 odd on day 1 on a green seaming pitch as an opener, just getting out on the stroke of lunch ...yep 3rd ball ain't great.....but not the first or last opener to do that.....look at Bancroft.....5th ball duck for WA today....Labs is definitely a walking wicket.....will play in the next test....but if fails again....should be made to earn his spot v India.

Once again the batting has been atrocious in this Test only saved by 170 odd no by Green when no other in the top 7 made more than 40.
But no doubt beloved supercoach Ronnie is all over it as the last 12 months or so of batting woes are apparently just a temporary form lapse!!!
Sadly Labuschagne is only in the Test side for his fielding these days.
His form with the bat has been abysmal for over a year now with no end in sight.
I guess stats dont lie, he had a great run for a year or 2 where his average hovered around 60 but he has come back to the field now and to be honest his first class average was only in the 30s when he was picked from obscurity during the Smith/Warner/Bancroft bannings era so it should be no surprise really!

Considering both sides have struggled with the bat BH.....and apparently NZ batsmen have been filling their boots of late.......tell us who comes in for the Aust top 6 mate?

TBH if Bancroft had came in as an opener, Smith would be at 4 and Green wouldn't be even playing. Whilst agree Aust top order is really struggling of late.....look around the shield results currently.....WA 9/280 odd, SA 8/280 odd, Tas 240 all out, Vic 8/71.....not really inspiring reading......Bancroft out for a 5 ball duck, v a Qld attack that isn't test quality one bit ....bar Bartlett maybe.

How many times did Smith drag Aust top 6 out of the proverbial during Langer's tenure BH...like what Green did in Aust 1st innings? ....yet not a peep from you questioning Langers coaching nous from memory.

I get  it you hate Ronald because he is from the ES, but mate at least be consistent with your criticism, as JL is really no different to Ronald in his loyalty and stubbornness towards the  player's he coaches....eg Warner in the 2019 UK Ashes. Plus who was the  coach when Labs was picked from obscurity with a FC average of 30 odd?....
 

Maybe they should try Hazlewood as an opener. He did OK against the 2nd new ball
Seriously though that was a pretty shambolic effort by the Kiwis today given they had fought so hard to keep Australia under control on the first day. They just seemed to assume the last wicket would fall in the first 5 minutes then their attitude carried over into their batting. Williamsons run out was schoolboy stuff. Perfect day for Australia apart from the last half hour but they just need another 150 - 200 I reckon to put the game out of reach for NZ.

FMD what an absolute shitshow of batting by our supposed best top 7.
No doubt Langer will be blamed by the "Shaky Isle brigade" but seriously how much worse does it have to get before changes are made including those coaching them?
Name one Australian batsmen that has improved even 1% under the McDonalds clown coaching reign???
Part time off spinner Glen Phillips making them all look like kanga cricket nuffies (although to be fair we are coached by one)!!!

BH, I ain't disagreeing with you regarding Aust top 7 being flakey....but you keep banging on about it, without providing some replacement names.....you must be JL  relative mate, because I hear not one ounce of discord for the guy, despite him being no more loyal amd stubborn as Ronald is with Aust current team.....and less successful then Ronald too.

I ain't a Ronald fan, never have said I was, just always stated he won't be sacked until the team starts losing consistently. You are the one who made the statement re: Labs getting a test gig despite his FC ave being only 30 odd at the time...all I said was, he got the gig under your beloved JL's tenure.

So I ask again, who steps in for the misfiring Uzzie, Smith, Labs, Head and Carey?...humour me with an answer...instead of boring me with another one of your tedious anti Ronald rants.