News by “Sana Ullah”
CHRISTCHURCH: An undefeated 98 from Alex Carey propelled Australia to triumph over New Zealand by three wickets in an exhilarating second Test on Monday, securing a 2-0 sweep of the two-match series.
Carey and Mitchell Marsh had been struggling for form, but their impressive 140-run partnership rescued Australia at the Hagley Oval.
New Zealand’s quest for a first home Test victory against their rivals in over three decades remains unfulfilled.
Carey and Marsh stepped up when Australia found themselves at 80-5 in pursuit of 279 for victory.
With the score at 220-5, the tense Test took another twist when Black Caps seamer Ben Sears dismissed Marsh and Mitchell Starc in consecutive deliveries.
This left Australia needing 59 more runs with only three wickets in hand.
Captain Cummins joined Carey to steer the tourists to victory.
“I stuck to a solid game plan and adapted to the conditions and bowlers,” Carey remarked.
“Losing one wicket this morning was manageable. We made it through to lunch, and that’s when the game opened up a bit, and the partnership began to flow.”
The series sweep earned Australia crucial points in the World Test Championship standings.
New Zealand were left disheartened after entering the fourth day with hopes of securing their first home Test win against Australia in 31 years. When Australia resumed at 77-4 after a rain delay, Marsh was dropped on 28 by Rachin Ravindra in the second over, but Travis Head was dismissed on the next ball by Southee.
New Zealand remained optimistic, aware of Marsh and Carey’s struggles, especially with Marsh coming off back-to-back ducks.
However, the Australian duo found their rhythm when it mattered most.
Rather than playing cautiously, they attacked, scoring at more than five runs per over in the morning session as batting conditions improved with the older ball.
The breakthrough New Zealand desperately needed came after lunch when debutant Sears claimed two wickets in two balls.
Marsh, who scored 80 off 102 deliveries, was dismissed lbw, followed by Starc, who was caught at square leg by Will Young.
The hat-trick ball missed its mark, and the new batsman Cummins edged it for four runs.
Carey had a nervy moment when given out lbw to Matt Henry on 19, but a review showed the ball was outside leg stump.
He offered few other chances during his innings, which included 15 boundaries off 123 balls.
For New Zealand, Sears took 4-90, while Henry’s 2-94 gave him nine wickets in the Test.
