Third Test, SCG, Australia v NZ, day three, SCG
First innings: Australia 4-322
Labuschagne 159, Head 10
Australia has passed 300 after New Zealand has broken through in the first over at the SCG, as the home side started day two aiming to push on towards a big total.
Matthew Wade was bowled by a slower ball from William Somerville without adding to his overnight score of 22.
Marnus Labuschagne resumed on Saturday at 130 with the Australians at 3-283.
Facing Black Caps bowler William Somerville in the opening oval in smashed a ball over mid on for four on only the third delivery of the day.
But soon after Wade missed the flight of the Sommerville ball and lost his leg stump.
Somerville gets his first Test wicket in Australia!
In the first over of the day, too…#AUSvNZ | https://t.co/rx14Qs3S0i pic.twitter.com/rQ5HBiSB4u
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 3, 2020
At the first drinks break Australian bowler Mitchell Starc told Channel Seven that he expected the pitch to conditions to favour Australia late in the match.
It is a bit slower than Melbourne in the last few Test matches,” Starc said. “We tend to see, all there was a Shield game that I played here, but with this heat, hopefully the wicket dries out a bit and it spins but you might see a bit of reverse spin as well.”
Friday’s century was Labuschagne’s fourth ton of the home summer – and if the right-hander finishes unbeaten this innings he needs only five more runs to overtake Steve Smith’s average of 62.84, while 68 more runs will ensure he rises above that mark if dismissed.
Smith’s numbers come from 131 innings, while Labuschagne is in the midst of his 22nd knock.
Tweet from @7Cricket
The pair shared a 156-run partnership on Friday’s opening day after the Australians won the toss and, for the third Test in a row,batted first.
Labuschagne has hit 752 Test runs this seasons, becoming the 10th Australian to post four tons in a home summer.
Smith, Sir Don Bradman and Neil Harvey are the only Australians to have scored more runs in a home summer of five or fewer Tests.
Australia is on the verge of their most dominant home summer in history if it wins a fifth consecutive Test.
Tim Paine’s side are yet to be pushed to a fifth day in any of their Test wins over Pakistan or the Black Caps this summer, winning all four in four days.
Australia have never swept aside opponents so fast so regularly before in a home season.
Since Test cricket began in 1877, they have clean-swept a summer of multiple matches nine times before but have been pushed to a fifth day in at least one of those games each time.
The only other instance that comes close is a top-end series against Bangladesh in 2003, however that was only a two-match series against the minnows played in the middle of winter.
Their 2019-20 record signifies a significant rise from the team that suffered their first ever Test series loss to India on these shores as they battled out of the ball-tampering saga.
-with AAP
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