Rain delays Australia’s victory push in Brisbane Test

Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor were the unbeaten batsmen at stumps and as seniors they’ll hope to lead by example. However, rain ensured that New Zealand get a preventing probability to escaping the Gabba.

While Day 4 was decimated by weather, Australia took overall honours, picking up the wicket of the Kiwis’ top-order batsman who is being compared to Sir Donald Bradman, Kane Williamson. Rain played its part too with only 53 overs bowled in the day.

No Kiwi has ever scored 2000 global runs across the three formats in a calendar year.

Opener Tom Latham was confident his captain could produce a match-defining innings.

“They’ve played in heavier rain than this in this Test match”.

These wickets came about largely through the desire of the Australians to attack, and a little from a few wear in the pitch.

Yet the prospect of McCullum teeing off at the Gabba does not faze Lyon.

“We’ve got to bowl well”. “Those two boys that are in at the moment can set a platform for us”. “But I would like to say that the odds are more in Australia’s favour, that’s for sure”.

New Zealand players rushed to congratulate Joe Burns.

Williamson reviewed the decision but ball-tracking technology suggested it was “umpire’s call” by the barest of margins. It wasn’t a howler but on height, Williamson could have received the benefit of the doubt.

New Zealand’s highest successful run chase remains its 324 against Pakistan in Christchurch in 1994.

Notably, the Black Caps’ longest fourth innings in Australia lasted 82.3 overs in Adelaide in 2004.

“It sounds ridiculous but he seems to treat Mitchell Johnson like a slow-medium bowler”. His knock featured zero boundaries and continued an odd sequence of test scores: 70, 0, 0, 70, 23 and 23.

Martin Guptill was dropped on zero and seven on Sunday, Smith slapping his hands in frustration after the second life. Until then, he’d been untroubled by the Australian pacemen, and cruised to his half century from 55 balls.

Anzac mateship and the age-old trans-Tasman rivalry were the themes leading into the first Test. But they were based on the expectation that New Zealand would bring their customary feistiness to the contest.

Fall: 44 (Latham), 98 (Guptill), 136 (Williamson).

Lyon had figures of two for 33 in 11 overs and one suspects that he will be the key on day five while Starc took one for 24 in 13 overs.