Hughes out cheaply after New Zealand rout
Pressure mounted on Phil Hughes after he again failed with the bat as
Australia chased New Zealand’s modest 150 on an eventful opening day of
the second Test at Bellerive Oval on Friday.
The under-fire opener lasted just five balls before he was again
caught in the slips off Chris Martin for four, as Australia reached 12
for one before rain ended play early.
For the third straight time in the series Hughes was caught by Martin
Guptill off Martin’s bowling, scoring just 21 runs in the process,
heaping pressure on his Test place ahead of this month’s series with
India.
A total of 11 wickets tumbled in 50 overs on a bowler-friendly
Bellerive wicket with Michael Clarke winning perhaps the most crucial
toss of his eight Tests as Australian captain and sending the Black Caps
into bat.
At the close, David Warner was on seven and Usman Khawaja, who had
lived dangerously, was on one. Martin had 1-12 off 2.2 overs.
Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor set three slips and three gullys for Hughes,
who now has been caught behind the wicket in 20 of his 30 Test
dismissals, raising questions over his technique.
Pace newcomer James Pattinson earlier starred with five wickets for
the second consecutive innings as New Zealand were skittled out in 45.4
overs.
“I think 150 on any wicket is under par, I don’t think it’s enough,
but saying that if they bowl really well you don’t know what could
happen,” Pattinson said.
“We’ve definitely got the talent in our batting to get a big score,
so hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow and this wicket does change
when the sun’s on it so hopefully that can happen and we can cash in on
it.”
Pattinson followed up his man-of-the-match five for 27 in last
weekend’s nine-wicket win in the first Gabba Test to snare five for 51
and will be on a hat-trick with his first delivery in the Kiwis’ second
innings here.
Dean Brownlie was the only Black Cap batsman to offer resistance with
56 off 85 balls as the Kiwis rolled over for 150, the same score they
posted in the second innings in Brisbane.
It was Brownlie’s second half-century of the series following his
unbeaten 77 at the Gabba.
“We felt the pitch was doing quite a bit so we feel we’ve got the
runs on the board. To get that early breakthrough was excellent,”
Bronwlie said.
HOBART, Australia,
Friday AFP
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