March, 28 2005	Monday	17 Safar 1426

AUCKLAND, March 27: A dashing century by captain Ricky Ponting helped Australia to race to 219 for four on the second day of the third and final Test against New Zealand on Sunday.

Ponting smacked 105 off 110 balls as the Australians closed to within 73 runs of New Zealand with six first innings wickets in hand and three days to go at Eden Park.

New Zealand, 1-0 down in the series, had been bowled out for 292 after resuming at 199 for five, losing their last five wickets for just 64 runs.

Paceman Glenn McGrath and leg spinner Shane Warne collected two wickets apiece to finish with three each while Daniel Vettori propped up the tail with an unbeaten 41 off 50 deliveries.

Australia made a shaky start to their reply, losing Justin Langer (six) and Matthew Hayden (38) before tea, but Ponting put them back in control with his 22nd Test century.

The skipper showed no mercy against the New Zealand bowlers, belting 13 boundaries and four sixes in a brilliant display that ended when he was caught down the leg-side by wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum off part-time spinner Nathan Astle.

The Australians were scoring at five runs at over when Ponting was in full swing but slowed down in the final hour.

Paul Wiseman captured a fourth wicket for New Zealand in the last session when he bowled Damien Martyn for 38 with a ball that turned sharply, leaving Michael Clarke (18 not out) and night-watchman Jason Gillespie (one not out) to battle through to the close.

New Zealand’s first innings ended right on lunch after McGrath once again did the early damage, getting rid of Astle and McCullum in the first hour.

Astle was caught by Langer at third slip for 19 and McCullum nicked one behind to Adam Gilchrist, who held a low catch to give McGrath his 495th test wicket.

Warne got rid of James Franklin for three when he presented Simon Katich with a simple catch at bat-pad. The spinner added the scalp of Wiseman for eight when he ran out of patience and skied the ball to Gillespie at mid-off.

The innings ended when Chris Martin, yet to reach double figures in 28 test innings, was caught by Clarke at cover point off Michael Kasprowicz for a second-ball duck.

Franklin gave New Zealand cause for optimism when he dismissed both Australian openers, with Langer departing in the second over when he played on.

Hayden and Ponting piled on 76 runs in the next 15 overs before Hayden was trapped lbw by Franklin with the total on 84.


 

Scoreboard
NEW ZEALAND (1st Innings, overnight 199-5):
C.D. Cumming lbw b Gillespie	5
J.A.H. Marshall c Hayden b McGrath	29
H.J.H. Marshall c Ponting b Warne	76
S.P. Fleming b Kasprowicz	65
N.J. Astle c Langer b McGrath	19
L. Vincent b Gillespie	2
B.B. McCullum c Gilchrist b McGrath	25
D.L. Vettori not out	41
J.E.C. Franklin c Katich b Warne	3
P.J. Wiseman c Gillespie b Warne	8
C.S. Martin c Clarke b Kasprowicz	0
EXTRAS (B-4, LB-13, NB-2)	19
TOTAL (all out, 116.2 overs)	292
FALL OF WKTS: 1-15, 2-53, 3-179, 4-183, 5-194, 6-228, 7-247, 8-262, 9-288.
BOWLING: McGrath 34-20-49-3; Gillespie 25-8-64-2; Kasprowicz 30.2-7-89-2 (1nb); Warne 23-4-63-3 (1nb); Ponting 4-1-10-0.
AUSTRALIA (1st Innings):
J.L. Langer b Franklin	6
M.L. Hayden lbw b Franklin	38
R.T. Ponting c McCullum b Astle	105
D.R. Martyn b Wiseman	38
M.J. Clarke not out	18
J.N. Gillespie not out	1
EXTRAS (B-2, LB-5, NB-6)	13
TOTAL (for four wkts, 65 overs)	219
FALL OF WKTS: 1-8, 2-84, 3-187, 4-215.
TO BAT: S.M. Katich, A.C. Gilchrist, S.K. Warne, M.S. Kasprowicz, G.D. McGrath.
BOWLING (to-date): Martin 11-3-53-0 (3nb); Franklin 10-1-49-2 (2nb); Astle 16-5-44-1; Vettori 12-3-31-0 (1nb); Wiseman 16-3-35-1.
NOTE: The official scorers amended Hamish Marshall’s dismissal in New Zealand’s first innings from lbw to caught.

—Reuters

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