The performance of the Australian cricket team on day one of the first test match of the
Australia vs. New Zealand Test Series was nothing to cheer about. Probably still smarting from the humiliation of having suffered a rout in India only recently, the Aussies seemed to be a mere shadow of their former swaggering, all conquering selves. The cricket news for day one at the Gabba was distinctly dismal if you were an Aussie supporter. The live cricket action remained firmly in favor of the visiting New Zealand cricket team as the Aussies collapsed to a fairly ignominious 214 all out on the first day, with only four Australian batsmen reaching double figures. The cricket update for the day showed that the visitors, on the other hand had a good day at the office, the pitch being bowler friendly.
Michael Clark was about the only saving grace for Australia in the live cricket action of the day with his respectable knock of 98. He was however extremely unlucky not to have got a century; not thru any mistake that he committed, since he remained not out. But in the end he simply ran out of partners, none of his teammates seeming up to the task of facing a lively looking New Zealand attack spearheaded by Tim Southee who scalped 4 Aussies. The cricket news coming from the Gabba indicated early on in the day’s play that this was not going to be Australia’s day, when the lost early wickets and the live cricket score stood at 23 for 3. The cricket news got progressively more dismal for the Aussie side, with seven batsmen back in the pavilion and only 152 on the board.
It fell to Clark and Michael Hussey to impart a semblance of respectability to the Aussie total when they added 73 runs for the fourth wicket partnership with Hussey being the second highest scorers for his team with just 35 runs. Giving a cricket update for the days’ play, Clark however remained positive and hoped that the Aussie camp would be able to give a spirited fight back on day two. He said "There was a bit of seam there, a bit more grass on the wicket than what we've been used to, but at the end of the day, 214 on the board is a pretty positive today….. There's some seam there and I think the new ball is going to be crucial for us tomorrow...."
So tomorrow’s another day and it will be interesting to see if the Aussies are able to gird their loins and give a good fight back!
