Lyon spins it Australia’s way with 10-wicket match haul

Wellington, March 3

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Spinner Nathan Lyon took 6/65 as Australia dismissed New Zealand for 196 early on the fourth day of the first Test at the Basin Reserve to win the match by an emphatic 172 runs and go 1-0 up in the series.

New Zealand had started the day on 111/3 chasing a daunting victory target of 369 but Lyon sent back Rachin Ravindra for 59 and also removed Tom Blundell and Glenn Phillips inside the first hour to claim his 24th Test five-wicket haul.

Daryl Mitchell and Scott Kuggeleijn offered some resistance for the seventh wicket but all-rounder Cameron Green, whose 174 not out with the bat in the first innings was instrumental to Australia’s success, dismissed the latter for 26.

The defeat leaves New Zealand with only one win in 24 Tests against their neighbours this century ahead of the second and final match in the series in Christchurch starting on Friday. Although Lyon will be lauded for his 10/108 over the match, there was little doubt that Green’s brilliant knock in a 10th-wicket partnership of 116 runs with Josh Hazlewood set the platform for the victory. Green was named Player of the Match. — Reuters

Brief scores: Australia: 383 & 164; New Zealand: 179 & 196 (Ravindra 59; Lyon 6/65)

9 Number of countries where Nathan Lyon has bagged a five-wicket haul in Test cricket: Sri Lanka, West Indies, India, Australia, South Africa, Bangladesh, England, Pakistan and New Zealand. Muthiah Muralidaran and Shane Warne are the only other players to have achieved the feat