Oz kill Boxing Day contest on Day 3

Melbourne, December 28

Australia marched toward a dominant series victory over New Zealand after dismissing the visitors cheaply and building a mammoth 456-run lead on Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test. Leading 1-0 after thrashing the Black Caps in the Perth opener, Tim Paine’s Australia pushed to 137/4 in their second innings at stumps after routing the tourists for 148 in a firestorm of pace bowling at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Replying to Australia’s first innings 467, New Zealand were bowled out 120 runs short of forcing the hosts to bat again, but Paine sent his batsmen back out to pile on the agony.

At the close, Matthew Wade was 15 not out, with Travis Head, the first-innings centurion, on 12.

The equation is bleak for Kane Williamson’s men, who had hoped for a result in Melbourne to keep the series alive to the third and final match in Sydney next week.

No team has ever scored more than 417 runs in a fourth innings at the MCG, and none has ever chased down more than 332 to win at the venue.

Dominated by Australia’s batsmen in the opening two days, New Zealand crumbled in the face of formidable fast bowling. Pat Cummins led Australia’s bowling with 5/28 to continue a brilliant year. He was scarcely better than teammate James Pattinson, the fiery 29-year-old quick claiming 3/34 in his return to the side as replacement for the injured Josh Hazlewood.

Only opener Tom Latham scored more than 20 runs for New Zealand, but after raising a tough half-century, he promptly gave up his wicket for 50, one of Cummins’ four caught-behind victims.

Boult injured, heads home

New Zealand pace spearhead Trent Boult suffered a fracture in his hand when struck by a Mitchell Starc ball while batting after lunch. Having missed Perth with a rib injury, Boult will head home after Melbourne and miss the Sydney Test. — Reuters

Brief Scores: Australia: 467 and 137/4 (Wade 15*, Head 12*); New Zealand: 148 (Latham 50; Cummins 5/28)

2ND Fastest NZ bowler — Neil Wagner — to claim 200 Test wickets after Richard Hadlee. He achieved the feat after dismissing Steve Smith in Australia’s second innings. While Hadlee had taken 44 Tests to reach the 200-wickets milestone, 33-year-old Wagner achieved the feat in his 46th Test (86th innings), putting him in the top-20 fastest worldwide. Wagner is followed by Trent Boult, who had scalped 200 wickets from 52 games while Tim Southee and Chris Cairns had reached the milestone in their 56th and 58th match, respectively.