God On Holidays - NZ Left Undefended

In Brisbane, the only battle New Zealand won was over the anthems. No matter how proud an Aussie you are, when a barrel-chested Maori opera singer belts out "God Defend New Zealand" you don't need the English version to know the Aussie boy has little chance when his turn comes. He advanced Australia as fair as he could but it was like being a six stone number nine with the All Black pack bearing down on you.

I guess the same routine took place this morning but apparently God was kayaking at Lake Pedder and left New Zealand to their own devices. Even the Almighty thinks Test batsmen should be able to control their urges outside off stump.

Michael Clarke won his second toss in eight games and faced with a juicy, dark green pitch at Bellerive, he was laughing all the way to the pavilion to tell his team mates that they would be bowling. Usually, the TV pictures don't show what the commentators are drooling over when they wax lyrical about the green colour of a pitch but in this instance it looked like you hope the front lawn will in a late, wet January.

Peter Siddle 3-42

The Australians took no time at all to capitalise on the pitch and the cloudy conditions. Both James Pattinson and Peter Siddle soon had outswingers moving to the slips and and off cutters jagging back at the stumps. After eight overs, the Kiwis had lost 3-25: Siddle had Martin Guptil edging to Brad Haddin, Pattinson had Jessie Ryder lbw and then it was Siddle again, hitting Ross Taylor above the pads when he shouldered arms at a big off cutter but the DRS confirmed his fate. Ryder could consider himself unlucky as there was enough evidence to cast doubt over umpire Llong's original decision but Aleen Dar sent him  off. After being promoted to three, his duck was not what the skipper wanted. Siddle may end up speaking with the match referee after play, following a big send off given to Taylor, who responded in kind.

Dean Brownlie made 56

Kane Williamson added 31 with Brendan McCullum before Mitchell Starc bent one down the leg side and surprised by a loose ball, Williamson sent a regulation legside catch to Haddin. This was the first of three wickets in two overs. Pattinson from the other end, removed McCullum, who undid all of the restraint he had shown and swished at a ball he should have left outside the off stump and gave Haddin his third catch of the morning. Rees Young lasted four balls before aiming to leave a ball outside the off - as no doubt the team instructions were - but it struck the inside edge and then bowled him. New Zealand were 6-60 with a ball still left in the 20th over.

Pattinson and Siddle were superb and bowled exactly to Craig McDermott's plan. They kept it up and they made it talk. It's bowling that will arm us well for England in 2013.

James Pattinson 5-51
his second consecutive
five wicket haul

The Kiwis best batsman, Dean Brownlie was joined by Doug Bracewell and Brownlie in particular made it look like a different game. They added 45 before Bracewell drove at a lovely Siddle outswinger and found Clarke catching with great care at first slip. Brownlie then stage managed Tim Southee, normally a swing and a miss man, into an useful partnership of 41 before lashing at a wide ball from Starc and dragging it back on - one of several such dismissals on the day. After that, it all collapsed quickly. Pattinson returned at the other end and Brownlie, shaping to cut - a shot he has executed well - found the ball coming back at him and it went to the stumps via his inside edge. He has batted with such confidence that his surprise at getting out was justified. With Ryder moved to three to protect Williamson, Brownlie must go there next. No one else has shown signs of having the required technique and even batting at six, he's in inside twenty overs so he may as well ply his trade at first drop. Chris Martin's next ball dismissal was text book fast bowler stuff but not from the text book our fast bowlers have been using in the last few years. Last summer, we would have bowled three bouncers and then tried to get him swishing. Pattinson, a conservative man who likes to squash flies rather than pick their wings off, sent down a full off cutter and was hitting Martin's middle stump just as he thought about making a forward press. Irresistible force meets totally flimsy movable object.

Hughes slips again

There was a break for tea and a slight delay for rain before Phil Hughes came out to face what by now was a full symphony orchestra. He's been facing the music since Simon Katich was ruled out against the Poms last season and although he'd blame the media, its really him who's been adding instruments with every innings. The conditions weren't great, with Dave Warner looking tentative but with others wanting his spot, he had a job to do. His first from Martin, slid off an angled bat through the slips for four. He played the next one back off the middle of his stick and shouldered arms for the remaining two. Sigh of relief. The new over started and Hughes was nearly run out. He was backing up too far at the bowlers end, slipped and gave it the Ian Thorpe dive to get back. First ball of the third over was sent across Hughes, he played away from his body, bat angled and swivelled at 45 degrees and completed a trifecta where all the horses were the same at each running ... Hughes, c Guptil, b Martin. 5 balls, 11 minutes and one streaky scoring shot.

What viable excuses can the Australian senior players raise from their well spring of mateship now? Many of them have already been used for Ponting: he's hitting the ball well in the nets; he's working hard with Justin Langer; he has an outstanding record. The difference between the two is that technical faults or not, it was reasonable to believe that Ponting would return in good enough nick and he has. No one believes that Hughes can and he hasn't. Good form in the nets is worthless unless it transfers into the centre. When the opposition are calling for your inclusion things are about as crook as they get. Hughes has three times saved his bacon when doubts were circling like hungry ravens at a mud cracked waterhole. There can be no call for this little left handed Lazarus to come back a fourth time.

New Zealand had fallen down a deep, dark hole but they could hear Phil Hughes calling for help from further down.

The rain closed the day out. After all, God might defend New Zealand but he lives here.