1st Test: Pattinson set victory for Australia

Brisbane: Australia have taken the first Test at the Gabba by a whopping nine wickets after bowling New Zealand out for 150 in their second innings and chasing down the 19 needed for Victory inside of three overs.

James Pattinson took a five-for on debut © AFP

Short Scores:

New Zealand 1st Innings: 295/10 in 82.5 overs.
Australia 1st Innings: 427/10 in 129.2 overs.
New Zealand 2nd Innings: 150/10 in 49.4 overs.
Australia 2nd Innings: 19/1 in 2.2 overs.

The Kiwis had been a step behind the pace from the start and when James Pattinson had a triple-wicket maiden in the second over on day four to send the visitors to 5-28, the match was as good as over.

New Zealand had been 7-121 at lunch and managed to nick and slog another 29 to avoid an innings defeat. Chris Martin was the last wicket to fall, holing out to Starc for his 31st career duck.

Australian opener Phil Hughes (seven) was the only wicket to fall in the miniscule chase, caught by Martin Guptill at gully off the bowling of Martin after he’d been dropped by Brendon McCullum from the previous delivery.

David Warner (12 not out) creamed his first delivery between gully and point for four and then finished things up with well-struck boundaries from the first two balls of the third over.

Pattinson, who at one point had 4-1, finished the second bowling innings with tremendous debut figures of 5-27, eclipsing his previous best first-class haul of 4-52, which had come in Sheffield Shield match for Victoria.

Nathan Lyon chipped in with 3-19 to help roll the Black Caps tail, taking his match figures to 7-85.

While Pattinson landed the killer blow, it was an accumulation of punches that brought the baggy greens an unassailable 1-0 lead heading to Hobart for the final leg of the two-game series.

Australia’s first innings 427 was the product of exceptional batting from the experienced middle order, with skipper Michael Clarke notching a team-best 139 and under-pressure veterans Ricky Ponting (78) and Brad Haddin (80) chipping in handily.

Lyon had 4-66 in the first bowling innings for the hosts, giving him the best innings figures by an Australian finger-spinner at the Gabba in 80 years and helping Australia restrict the first-innings chase to a surmountable target.

For the Kiwis, only Daniel Vettori and Dean Brownlie will head to Hobart with their heads held high, having put on a record 158-run sixth-wicket stand to lead New Zealand to 295 in the first dig. Their 52 runs for the eighth wicket in the second innings was another team-high.

Kiwi skipper Ross Taylor had a nightmare match, twice falling with sponge-soft effort to finish with 14 runs for the match -including a golden duck in the second dig – and a dropped catch.

Result: Australia won by 9 wickets.

Man Of The Match: James Pattinson (Australia).

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