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Ponting rates Kiwi humiliation as 'awesome'Skipper Ricky Ponting hailed his team's "awesome" performance in the first Test here Sunday, as Australia bounced back to complete a simple nine-wicket win over New Zealand in an amazing change of fortune. Shane Warne spun his magic with a five wicket bag as Australia took the honours with a day to spare in the first cricket Test against a demoralised New Zealand. It was a stunning turn around after Australia were in trouble in the first innings at six for 201 chasing New Zealand's 433 before Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich staged a 212-run partnership to haul them back into the game. At the end of the first innings, New Zealand held a one-run lead but they offered meek resistance in the second innings to be all out for 131 with world recordholder Shane Warne taking five for 39 for his 29th five-wicket bag among 573 Test wickets. Three of the dismissals were leg before wicket among a world record-equalling seven lbw decisions in the innings. "It's a big win. After day one and probably day two to fight back the way we have and win as comprehensively as we have has been an awesome effort, and Gilchrist and Katich yesterday was really the turning point of the game," Ponting said. A disappointed New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming had no excuses for the second innings failure. "It was a bad batting performance. The top order needed to get a platform ... and we succumbed all the way through," he said. "It's a skill factor and a pressure factor that we've succumbed to again on the fourth day of a Test." Set a second innings target of 133, Australia lost Matthew Hayden early for 15 while Justin Langer set forth to be 72 not out off 85 balls at the close with Ponting on 47. A Langer boundary sealed the game just before the scheduled close on the fourth day. New Zealand had started the day at nine without loss and were all out inside two sessions for 131. Glenn McGrath, fresh from his six-wicket haul in the first innings, sparked the collapse when his third leg before wicket appeal of the day against Fleming, on 17, was granted by umpire David Shepherd. Jason Gillespie then took over with a six-over spell of two for 14, trapping Craig Cumming and Lou Vincent lbw for seven and four respectively. First innings century-maker Hamish Marshall made 22 after putting on a 37-run partnership with Nathan Astle. Astle was out for 21 after cracking Michael Kasprowicz for consecutive boundaries and then leaving a delivery that clipped his bat and uprooted leg stump. New Zealand were then four for 71 and lost the last six wickets for an additional 60, including 24 from top scorer Brendon McCullum, while Warne took the last two wickets with successive balls as he worked to a carefully orchestrated plan. NEW ZEALAND - 1ST INNINGS 433 (H. Marshall 146, G. McGrath 6-115) AUSTRALIA - 1ST INNINGS 432
(A. Gilchrist 121, S. Katich 118, D. Vettori 5-106)
NEW ZEALAND - 2ND INNINGS
(overnight 9-0)
C. Cumming lbw b Gillespie 7
S. Fleming lbw b McGrath 17
H. Marshall b Warne 22
L. Vincent lbw b Gillespie 4
N. Astle b Kasprowicz 21
C. McMillan c Katich b Warne 5
B. McCullum lbw b Gillespie 24
D. Vettori lbw b Warne 23
J. Franklin not out 5
I. O'Brien lbw b Warne 0
C. Martin lbw b Warne 0
Extras (B-1, LB-1, NB-1) 3
TOTAL (all out, 50 overs) 131
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-20, 2-30, 3-34, 4-71, 5-78,
6-87, 7-121, 8-127, 9-131.
BOWLING: McGrath 14-7-19-1, Gillespie 12-2-38-3,
Kasprowicz 10-3-33-1 (nb-1), Warne 14-3-39-5.
AUSTRALIA - 2ND INNINGS
J. Langer not out 72
M. Hayden c Cumming b Vettori 15
R. Ponting not out 47
Extras (nb-1) 1
TOTAL (for one wicket, 31.3 overs) 135
FALL OF WICKET: 1-25
BOWLING: Martin 8-0-27-0, Franklin 5-1-26-0 (nb-1),
Vettori 13.3-0-55-1, O'Brien 5-0-27-0.
Man of the match: Adam Gilchrist (Australia)
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