Perfect 10 beckons Australians

Hamilton, April 2: Australia were 73 runs away from a clean sweep and their 10th consecutive Test victory after the third day of the third...

Hamilton, April 2: Australia were 73 runs away from a clean sweep and their 10th consecutive Test victory after the third day of the third and final cricket Test against New Zealand here on Sunday.

When bad light stopped play eight overs from the end, Australia, needing 210 runs to win, had sprinted to 137 for three off 28 overs with the Test at their mercy.

No 3 Justin Langer led the Australian assault with a brisk unbeaten 72 as the Australians scored at around five runs an over to all but end the Kiwis’ hopes of an upset victory.

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The last rites are expected to be performed early on Monday unless weather intervenes.

Australia have already claimed the series with wins in the Auckland and Wellington Tests and are bidding for Test win No 10, which would be just one short of the West Indies’ record of 11.

Any New Zealand hopes of an early tremor in the Australian innings ended after Michael Slater’s dismissal for nine in the fourth over were blown away by Langer and Matthew Hayden’s aggressive approach.

The pair put on 83 runs for the second wicket in 60 minutes to swing the odds of victory solidly towards Steve Waugh’s men.

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The Kiwis removed Hayden for 37 when he went to drive spinner Paul Wiseman and edged to Craig Spearman at slip. Mark Waugh was out to a dreadful decision by New Zealand umpire Steve Dunne, who ruled he was out to a bad-pad catch to Mathew Sinclair off Wiseman for 18 when television replays clearly showed that the ball had struck Waugh’s thrusting pad.

At close, Steve Waugh was on one with Langer.

Earlier, the Australians dismissed the Kiwis for 209 in their second innings. Chris Cairns again played another of his free-hitting knocks to push the Kiwi total past 200 after they were struggling at 130 for 6 at Lunch.

Cairns smashed 10 boundaries and two sixes in his 71 off 104 balls to revive the Kiwi innings through partnerships of 35 with Adam Parore (16) and 54 with Paul Wiseman (16).

Glenn McGrath grabbed the vital breakthrough when he deceived Cairns with a slower delivery and bowled him for the ninth wicket.

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It continued a marvellous series for Cairns who scored 35 and 20 in the first Test, 109 and 69 at Wellington and 37 and 71 in this Test for a series aggregate of 341 runs.

Brett Lee, who took Test best 5-77 in the first innings, finished with 3-46 off 18.4 overs while new ball bowling partner McGrath claimed the key wickets of Cairns and Parore.

SCOREBOARD

New Zealand 1st innings: 232

Australia 1st innings : 252

New Zealand (2nd innings; 58 for three overnight): M Horne run out 0, C Spearman c Gilchrist b Lee 35, M Sinclair lbw b Miller 24, S Fleming c Gilchrist b Miller 2, N Astle c Gilchrist b Warne 26, C McMillan c M Waugh b Warne 30, C Cairns b McGrath 71, A Parore c Gilchrist b McGrath 16, P Wiseman c Gilchrist b Lee 16, D Tuffey not out 1, S O’Conner lbw b Lee 0, Extras: (lb4, nb4) 8; Total (all out in 86.4 overs) 229

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-49, 3-53, 4-71, 5-111, 6-130, 7-165, 8-220, 9-228

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Bowling: McGrath 20-7-50-2, Lee 18.4-2-46-3, Miller 20-5-58-2, Warne 25-11-61-2, S Waugh 3-0-10-0.

Australia 2nd innings: M Slater lbw b O’Connor 9, M Hayden c Spearman b Wiseman 37, J Langer batting 72, M Waugh c Sinclair b Wiseman 18, S Waugh batting 1. Total (for 3 wkts in 28 overs) 137

Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-96, 3-124

Bowling: Cairns 7-1-41-0, O’Connor 5-1-22-1, Wiseman 9-1-42-2, Tuffey 7-1-32-0