2nd Test vs New Zealand
New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat. CW brought in Hing for Corrin.
Winne's imperious form with the ball continued. Within the first six overs of the day he had already sent back Papps (10) and McMillan (6), both of them bowled. Dong taking out Oram's stumps for just 5 meant that NZ were in early trouble at 35/3.
Throughout this Fleming had remained serene at the other end, scoring 40 of his side's first 60 runs, and the left hander eased to his half century from 85 balls. But his team was falling apart around him. Sinclair was bowled through the gate by Dean, Vincent gloved a short ball from Capone through to the keeper, and McCullum hared down the track to Dean and missed one completely - perhaps not the best move on 1, with the team score on 80/5. They had fallen to 90/6 at the end of the first session.
The score passed three figures, but Hing came on after lunch and he got rid of Fleming for 58, turning it back into the left-hander and clipping the off peg. CW kept the spinners on to the tail, and with men crowding the bat, Hing dropped a tough chance at silly point that could have removed Gillespie for a duck.
The slow left armer made up for it when he got Franklin (caught at short leg for 22) and Gillespie (bowled for an annoyingly lengthy 14). Tuffey (34*) and O' Brien (18) showed up their middle order team mates by toughing it out for much of the afternoon session, and when Hing finally got O' Brien for his fourth, the New Zealanders had scraped up to 180 all out.
Heads resumed his battle with Franklin and was able to smack the left-armer's first ball away for four. It was the sign of a dominant day for the CWers as the two openers progressed without complications to 70/0 at stumps.
Heads brought up his 50 first the following morning. Narang soon followed, but an hour in the day had thrown away a good start, lazily lofting a drive to extra cover to break the opening stand of 150. CW took the lead, and Heads looked to be smashing his way back into form, but couldn't make it to the century as he was bowled shortly after lunch for 91.
O' Brien struck twice in the afternoon session, getting both Spark (lbw 5) and Riley (b 22), but it already looked to be a losing cause. Ballich was rock solid, and raised his half century from 121 deliveries. They were 251/4 at tea.
Ballich put on another 82 with Dharan before Franklin hit back for New Zealand in the evening. He had Dharan trapped plumb in front for 41, before Winne's defences were beaten first ball, bowled for a golden. Hing made 12 from 23 before losing his off stump for Franklin's fourth, leaving Ballich to shepherd the tail.
The no.3 didn't manage it, as shortly after Capone departed - edging Tuffey to slip - Ballich was lbw to O' Brien, having made 98 off 215 balls. From 323/4, the CWers had collapsed to 359/9, and let New Zealand back into the game.
Dong and Dean survived until the end of day two, and slowly enough both reached double figures in the morning. Franklin collected his 5th (Dean lbw) to end the innings, but CW had pushed the lead past 200, the score 386 all out.
That lead may have been disappointing after the collapse of the previous session, but it looked truly vast when Fleming was bowled for 5 - again, it was Winne with the early breakthrough. Papps and McMillan put on 34 either side of lunch, but the allrounder struck again to remove McMillan, hitting the stumps for the fourth time in the match.
Capone induced an edge from Oram soon after, but Ballich put down the regulation catch at slip. Presumably decided to cut out the third party, Capone rattled the stumps two overs later, Oram departing for 10. The Black Caps were 69/3, still 137 behind.
The resistance came from Papps and Sinclair, who both raised steady half centuries as they slowly erased the deficit through the afternoon and evening sessions. Both looked comfortable against the spinners, and the partnership had reached 126 when Dong came back for his second spell.
Dong broke through when Sinclair (67) edged him to slip, and Vincent got the second first-baller of the match, an edge taken brilliantly by Riley. New Zealand took the lead with five down as McCullum and Papps blocked out the final few overs of the day - Papps was still there, on 94 from 244.
The new ball was taken early on the fourth day. There was just time for Papps to reach his ton before Winne got his inevitable new-ball wicket - the opener trapped lbw for 104.
From there, Dong saw to it that the match wouldn't reach the final day with a fabulous display of fast bowling. McCullum (28) and Gillepsie were both clean bowled, and Dong's first ball to Tuffey was a bouncer that the tailender spooned straight up in the air for Dharan - the third golden duck of the match taking Dong to his five-for.
With the chance to end the innings, Dong overstepped on his hat-trick delivery. Capone finished off as he got O' Brien to nick one to Spark at gully, and CW would have a target of just 51.
Heads was not going to be part of it - the opener nicked O' Brien behind to collect a duck on the fourth ball of the innings. CW still cruised to victory, but with the fourth innings was composed by Narang, (who made 20 before edging Tuffey to slip with only 2 required), and Ballich, who hit the winning runs.
CW won by 8 wickets
MotM - SS Dong