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Lee rattles New Zealand with five-wicket Test haul |
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April 1, 2000
Hamilton, New Zealand, March 31 - Australia's Brett Lee claimed his second five-wicket haul in his meteoric Test career to help bowl New Zealand out for 232 on the opening day of the third and final Test here on Friday - Australia hold an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series. The 23-year-old tear away strike bowler fought back from a 17-run mauling by Chris Cairns in one over to finish with 5-77 off 23 overs, the most used of the Australian bowlers.
At stumps, New Zealand got an early breakthrough when Matthew Hayden, resurrected to the opening position at the expense of Greg Blewett, was out for two in the five overs Australia had to survive in the twilight. At the close, Australia, who are chasing their 10th successive test victory, were four for one with Michael Slater on two and nightwatchman Shane Warne yet to score.
Lee has been a revelation since breaking into the Australian team for the second Test against India in Melbourne and halfway through his fifth Test has taken 28 wickets. Along with Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar, Lee is rated the fastest bowler in world cricket.
Lee returned to the ground where his cricket career began five years ago playing for the Australian Cricket Academy against their New Zealand counterparts. The young New South Welshman bowled with plenty of fire and enthusiasm in hot conditions to back up captain Steve Waugh's faith in him and fought back from a four-boundary mauling by Cairns, to gain revenge by dismissing the prodigious-hitting Kiwi for his fifth wicket.
Lee had rocked the New Zealand top order taking the wickets of Mathew Sinclair (19), Nathan Astle (0), Stephen Fleming (30) and topscorer Craig McMillan (79).
Lee's wholehearted performance prompted high praise from captain Steve Waugh. "He is pretty much together in the head, knows what he is doing and can work batsmen out pretty well," said Waugh."He's come on in leaps and bounds in the last 12 months. It was a great performance (today). He bowled nine or 10 overs straight which is a fair effort when you're running in that quick."
Australia's premier pace bowler Glenn McGrath grabbed 4-58 off 21.5 overs to take his career Test wicket haul to 286.
"Glenn McGrath was tremendous again but I thought, all round, it was probably our best day on tour in the field - bowling wise, energy wise and working hard," Waugh said.
"We had them 4-50 and, if things went our way, they could have been out for less than 230." Once again New Zealand's top order let down the side, after being sent into bat, with the Kiwis teetering at 53 for four after the opening 90 minutes.
In Auckland, New Zealand were 80-5 and 121-5 and in the second Wellington Test the Kiwis were 66-5 and 88-5.
On all occasions, except in the first innings of the opening Auckland Test, New Zealand's tail have recovered the innings.
Again healthy partnerships between Fleming and McMillan of 78 and Cairns and McMillan with 77 here got New Zealand back to 208 for six before the last four wickets fell cheaply for 24 runs.
McMillan looked in aggressive touch with 14 fours off 145 balls before he fell to Lee playing needlessly to a delivery purposefully wide of his off stump to be one of Gilchrist's five catches of the innings.
Cairns, who terrorized the Australian bowlers in the second Wellington Test with his first innings 109 and six sixes in a buccaneering 69 in his second time at bat, looked set to take up where he left off when he clouted Lee for 17 in one over.
But Waugh undaunted kept Lee in the bowling attack and he snared McMillan in his next over when he edged to Gilchrist.
Lee gained his revenge on Cairns 30 minutes later when the prodigious-hitting allrounder holed out to a diving Damien Martyn at third man for 37 off 92 balls with six fours.
It was all downhill after that for New Zealand with Paul Wiseman gloving a sweep shot onto his stumps off Warne for one and newcomer Daryl Tuffey and Shayne O'Connor falling to McGrath.
McGrath removed openers Craig Spearman (12) and Matthew Horne (12) to catches behind by Gilchrist.
Lee chipped in with the wickets of Sinclair and Astle, out second ball leg before wicket. The Australians had to negotiate five overs in fading light after the day's play went into overtime because of a slow Australian bowling rate.
Left-arm swing bowler O'Connor beat Hayden, playing his first Test in three years, several times with late movement off the pitch before he coaxed the big Queenslander to snick to Adam Parore.
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