New Zealand’s star batsman Kane Williamson experienced a disastrous outing on the second day of the first Test match against Australia. Glenn Phillips and Josh Hazlewood had contrasting views on Kane Williamson’s dismissal during New Zealand’s first innings of the match.
Williamson attempted to take a quick single after hitting the ball towards mid-off, but collided with teammate Will Young. Marnus Labuschagne took advantage of the situation by hitting directly into the non-striker’s side, causing Williamson to leave without scoring.
Williamson’s wicket turned out to be a significant breakthrough for Australia, considering their form in the recent series against South Africa. The home team managed to score 179 runs at Basin Reserve in Wellington, conceding a substantial lead of 204 runs to the rival team.
A bit of a strange accident: Glenn Phillips on Kane Williamson’s escape
Speaking to reporters after the end of Day 2 play, Glenn Phillips blamed the collision between Kane Williamson and Will Young to Mitchell Starc’s position. Phillips said if Starc had been positioned differently, the collision could have been avoided.
The pressure is on New Zealand after Kane Williamson was left without a team, the first time in a Test match since 2012.
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“At the end of the day, it was a bit of a freak accident. If Mitch (Starc) was on a slightly different line, obviously he wasn’t in the way on purpose, but if he’s on a slightly different line, Kane runs around Youngy, Youngy goes through his normal line and nothing happens. . “It was just one of those moments where everything turned into a perfect storm and unfortunately Marnus hit (stumps).” Phillips said.
Glenn Phillips emerged as the home team’s leading scorer in the first inning. The right-handed batsman scored 71 runs off 70 deliveries with the help of 13 boundaries. Nathan Lyon claimed four wickets, while Josh Hazlewood contributed with two crucial dismissals.
Departures play an important role in Test cricket – Josh Hazlewood
Josh Hazlewood praised Marnus Labuschagne for his exceptional skills on the field. Hazlewood stated that Labuschagne would have been left without Kane Williamson even without the collision with Will Young.
“Marnus in particular has been exceptional in recent years. I know he works very hard in training all the time. I think he would have gotten out even if they hadn’t crashed. Outs play a very important role in Test cricket. He’s been really good for us wherever he’s played.” Hazlewood told reporters.
On Day 2, Australia resumed their innings at 277-9 with Cameron Green and Josh Hazlewood at the crease. The duo added a record partnership of 116 runs for the 10th wicket. The visiting team posted a total of 383 runs in their first innings of the ongoing match.
Hazlewood scored 22 runs off 62 deliveries before being dismissed by Matt Henry. Cameron Green remained unbeaten on 174 runs, with the help of 23 boundaries and five sixes. The team led by Pat Cummins finished the day in a dominant position in the match.
The Australian team lost early wickets in their second innings in five overs, with Black Caps captain Tim Southee dismissing Steve Smith (0) and Marnus Labuschagne (2). Australia have a commanding lead of 217 runs with eight wickets in hand.
Also Read: Watch: Kane Williamson loses his ground due to unfortunate mix-up with Will Young