Adelaide: The opening day of the first day-night cricket Test was as lively as organisers could have wished for, with the pink ball swinging under lights and the crowd swelling to 47,441 as Australia struggled to stumps at 54-2 after bowling New Zealand out for 202 on Friday.
Australia skipper Steve Smith (24) and Adam Voges (9) were unbeaten after David Warner (1) was dismissed in the fourth over, and Joe Burns (14) was out in the 14th.
New Zealand started positively after Brendon McCullum won the toss, reaching 80-2 in the first session and Tom Latham posting a half century after play started at 2pm local time.
But Australia took five wickets in the second session and finished off New Zealand within eight overs of the first dinner interval in test cricket. Mitch Starc took 3-24 before limping off with an ankle injury. In a ringing endorsement for the pink ball concept, fans thronged the stands for the first day-night Test in its 138-year history.
It was the biggest international crowd at the Adelaide Oval since England’s headline-grabbing 1932-33 Bodyline series in Australia.
Mitchell Starc, the new leader of Australia’s pace attack, and new ball partner Josh Hazlewood claimed three wickets each before Starc was forced off the field with an ankle injury.
But the Kiwis fought back with two wickets, including the prolific-scoring Warner for just one, to have the home side battening down against the swinging pink ball under lights.
Starc put the skids under the Kiwis removing in-form Kane Williamson (22), skipper Brendon McCullum (4) and debutant Mitchell Santner (31) as the Black Caps succumbed in 65.2 overs.
But the left-arm speedster was forced from the field before the dinner break after limping on a troublesome right ankle and later went for scans.
The Kiwis never recovered from losing three wickets in 11 balls and were all out in the final night session with Hazlewood claimed two late wickets to finish with a three-wicket haul.
Tom Latham was out attempting to cut spinner Nathan Lyon and was caught behind by Peter Nevill for 50.
Ross Taylor, who amassed the highest score of 290 by a touring batsman in Australia in last week’s drawn Perth Test, followed seven balls later.
Taylor edged recalled Peter Siddle to Nevill for 21 and skipper Brendon McCullum’s miserable scoring series continued when he was out to an injudicious slash outside off-stump.
Starc’s delivery was wide but McCullum went after it and gave a healthy snick for Nevill’s third straight catch for just four.
Starc then bowled Santner for 31, reducing the Kiwis to 142 for six before leaving the field.
Mark Craig was bowled by a sharply turning Lyon delivery nearing the dinner break for 11.
The Australians mopped up the Kiwi tail with B.J. Watling caught in the slips off Hazlewood and Doug Bracewell spooning a catch to Joe Burns to give Siddle his 200th Test wicket. Hazlewood wrapped it up with Tim Southee caught in the deep off Hazlewood for 16.
New Zealand lost the key wicket of the in-form Williamson in the first session, after being trapped leg before wicket by Starc.
The Black Caps, needing a win to draw the three-Test series after losing the Brisbane opener, opted to bat after winning the toss in the much-anticipated Test match featuring a pink ball for the first time.
New Zealand, unbeaten in their last seven Test series since 2013, will have to win the historic Test to draw the series after Australia won the Brisbane opener by 208 runs and last week’s second Test in Perth finished in a high-scoring draw.
—AP
