BRISBANE, Nov 1: Nathan Astle smashed an unbeaten 160 Thursday as New Zealand reached 332 for six at the close on the first day of their tour match against Queensland.
The tourists, who opted to bat first in the four-day game, lost their first three wickets for 34 runs before Astle, who was short of runs before Thursday, and captain Stephen Fleming shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 175.
Fleming was out for 69 but Astle remained unbeaten, hitting two sixes and 21 fours in his 272-ball knock. Adam Parore was six not out at the close.
Chris Cairns hit three fours and two sixes in his innings of 39 off 47 balls, sharing a sixth-wicket partnership of 96 with Astle.
NEW ZEALAND (1st Innings):
M.H. Richardson c Noffke b J’nson 11
M.D. Bell lbw b Bichel 1
M.S. Sinclair c Seccombe b Noffke 16
S.P. Fleming c Law b Perren 69
N.J. Astle not out 160
C.D. McMillan run out 0
C.L. Cairns c Perren b Bichel 39
A.C. Parore not out 6
EXTRAS (B-1, LB-10, W-1, NB-18) 30
TOTAL (for six wkts, 91 overs) 332
FALL OF WKTS: 1-10, 2-29, 3-34, 4-209, 5-214, 6-310.
TO BAT: G.P. Sulzberger, S.B. O’Connor, C.S. Martin.
BOWLING (to-date): Bichel 17-3-54-2 (2nb, 1w); Johnson 13-3-43-1 (9nb); Noffke 17-5-60-1 (1nb); Kasprowicz 16-0-92-0 (6nb); Symonds 14-2-57-0; Perren 14-7-15-1.
QUEENSLAND: M.L. Hayden, J.P. Maher, M.L. Love, S.G. Law (captain), C.T. Perren, A. Symonds, W.A. Seccombe, A.J. Bichel, A.A. Noffke, M.G. Johnson, M.S. Kasprowicz.—Reuters