December 4, 2001	Tuesday	Ramazan 18, 1422

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)

PERTH, Dec 3: The series-deciding third cricket Test is poised for a classic finish on the final day Tuesday after New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming set Australia a victory target of 440 runs at a rate of just over four runs an over.

Fleming delayed his second innings declaration until late on the fourth day Monday, leaving Australia to weather 17 overs to stumps.

In that time, the home country — unofficial world Test champions — made good progress, scoring at almost the required rate, but losing two key wickets.

At stumps they were 69 for two wickets, still needing 371 to win from a minimum of 90 overs.

The two casualties were little left-hander Justin Langer and hard-hitting number three Ricky Ponting.

Langer was trapped in the third over by paceman Shane Bond for a duck having made centuries in his previous three Tests and 75 in the first innings of this one.

Daniel Vettori scooped up a splendid low catch at third slip to seal Langer’s fate.

Ponting (26) fell when he was beaten and bowled by a viciously cutting ball from veteran speedster Chris Cairns.

Opener Matthew Hayden finished not out on 31 together with Mark Waugh, who held fast in the 18 minutes to the close, to remain unbeaten on eight.

Australia will have to break the world record for the most successful fourth innings chase to win the match.

The previous best fourth innings by a winning team in the 124 years of Test cricket was the 406 for four wickets by India against the West Indies in Port-of-Spain in the 1975-76 series.

While Fleming showed no charity in delaying his second innings closure until the Black Caps were 256 for nine, he was obviously taking into account the excellent condition of the pitch and the capacity of the Australian batting line-up, regarded as the best in the world.

Even so, the Kiwis must fancy their chances of snatching back the Trans-Tasman Trophy they last held 16 years ago.

For their part, Australia are staring at the possibility of a first home Test series defeat since 1992-93 when they were beaten by the West Indies.

That would be anything but the outcome they are seeking three days after the arrival of Shaun Pollock’s South Africans, with whom they lock horns for the unofficial world Test title in less than two weeks.

Vettori, New Zealand’s champion left-arm spinner who grabbed six first innings wickets, threatens to be a thorn in Australia’s side.

The 22-year-old did not figure among the wicket-takers Monday, but baffled the batsmen with his cunniing finger spin into the “Fremantle Doctor” — the south-westerly breeze so named because of its cooling qualities on hot days.

As New Zealand moved towards their declaration, Test newcomer Lou Vincent starred again with a lightning half-century.

Vincent followed up his history-making first innings century with a brutal 54 from as many balls in 88 minutes as the Black Caps forged to a lead of 271 runs by lunch.

Vincent, who made 104 in his first knock, thrashed seven boundaries in a second aggressive assault on the Australian attack.

The 23-year-old right-hander became only the second New Zealander to start a Test career with a century and a half century in the same match.

He joined Rodney Redmond, who made 107 and 56 against Pakistan in Auckland in the 1972-73 series.

However, his dreams of becoming only the only the second player in Test history to make two centuries on debut were halted when he edged a delivery from fiery paceman Brett Lee to Mark Waugh in the slips.

The only man to accompany that feat was West Indian Lawrence Rowe, who made 214 and 100 not out against New Zealand in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1971-72.