BRISBANE, Nov 12: Australia hung on for a dramatic draw as gallant New Zealand came within 10 runs of a famous victory in the first cricket Test at the Gabba here Monday.

The tense finish was contrived after bold declarations by the rival captains, Steve Waugh and Stephen Fleming, which set New Zealand with the task of scoring 284 runs to win off 57 overs.

The Gabba Test had looked consigned to a humdrum draw after 10 hours’ play had been lost through rain over the previous three days.

Yet in a gripping finish, as 11 wickets fell for 459 throughout the long day, the Kiwis looked set to pull off an extrordinary victory — only their second against their trans-Tasman rivals in eight years.

But pressure Australian bowling and fielding and the vital dismissal of bazooka-hitting Chris Cairns in the second-last over enabled Waugh’s team to hang on for a draw in the first of the three-match series.

It was Australia’s first draw in 24 Tests. They’ve won 20 and lost three of their previous 23 Tests and last had a draw against Sri Lanka in Colombo in September 1999.

New Zealand had visions of their first Test win over Australia since their five-wicket triumph in Auckland in 1993, with the compelling finish a tribute to the progressive-thinking captains.

“I want to play Test cricket like any other game and because the rain prevented both teams from the opportunity of traditionally winning the game, you have to look at other means,” said Fleming.

“And if we had batted well enough to beat that target you would be hearing me from the dressingroom, it would have been fantastic and I think Steve (Waugh) wants to play the same way.

“It’s about breaking new moulds, and if you can create entertainment, then I’m for it, we felt one presented itself today and while we’re disappointed not to win we are just exhilarated by the afternoon’s cricket.”

Waugh said: “We played some pretty good cricket and realistically if it didn’t rain we would have won the Test.”

Australia almost lost their second Test in four months following a last-day declaration. Last August stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist set England 315 runs to win the fourth Test at Headingley which they achieved by six wickets.

Heading into the final hour of play here, New Zealand were on course for a memorable win, requiring 97 runs off 15 overs.

Shane Warne struck getting Nathan Astle (49) to spoon a catch to Jason Gillespie at mid-off ending a valuable 100-run partnership with Fleming.

Astle made way for the explosive hitting of Cairns with 13 overs remaining and 93 runs to win as Waugh stacked the boundary ropes with fieldsmen.

Waugh resorted to his two premier bowlers, Warne and Glenn McGrath, to strangle the ballooning Kiwi scoring rate.

The floodlights were switched on as Fleming reached his half-century, his 30th in Tests, off 65 balls, but he was run out for 57 after a Steve Waugh direct throw left the Kiwis 69 short of victory with eight overs left.

Cairns straight-hit Warne into the top deck of the grandstand for six, but he had a life minutes later when he was dropped by Steve Waugh when on 19 off McGrath.

Cairns and McMillan plundered 14 off McGrath’s 16th over to take their team to within 38 runs of winning with four overs left.

The prodigious hitting continued. Cairns smashed Warne in the next over for another meaty six and McMillan clouted Warne for his second six bringing up the 50-run partnership in 23 withering minutes and 22 runs from triumph.

McGrath stemmed the run flow in his decisive 19th over leaving the equation: 20 runs off the final two overs.

Brett Lee came on for the penultimate over and with his second ball dismissed Cairns, who skied to Ricky Ponting just a few metres inside the boundary rope at long-on to be out for 43 off 38 balls.

“If that had gone for six they would have won the game,” said Waugh.

That was effectively the ball game for the gutsy Kiwis, who needed 13 runs off the last four balls.

Opener Mark Richardson, who needed a runner after straining a right hamstring, batted positively to set the Kiwis on their way.

The 30-year-old left-hander raised his seventh Test half-century before he was trapped lbw for 57 attempting to sweep Warne.

Earlier, Fleming set things in motion by declaring his team’s first innings at lunch upon passing the follow-on mark of 286.

That left the New Zealanders 199 runs behind Australia with 59 overs left including 15 in the last hour.

The extended morning session was a triumph for Lee, who finished with 5-67 off 23 overs, his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests.

Astle (66), Cairns (61) and Adam Parore (11) all fell to Lee, who captured 3-22 in a 10-over spell.

Dion Nash got his team past the target with some lusty late hitting in his unbeaten 25.

Waugh accepted the challenge and declared his team’s second innings at 84 for two — 283 runs ahead with a minimum of 57 overs to play. Little did he realise how close the Kiwis would come to an euphoric victory.