New-Look Australia Held Up By Brownlie And Vettori

New-Look Australia Held Up By Brownlie And Vettori

Dark skies hover over Brisbane and rain would eventually curtail the opening day of the first Test between Australia and New Zealand

©REUTERS / Action Images

New Zealand 176-5 (Vettori 45no, Starc 2-25) v Australia
First Test, Brisbane, day one
Scorecard

Australia fielded three debutants on the first day of their international summer and promptly reduced New Zealand to 176 for five in the first Test in Brisbane before rain and a sixth-wicket partnership between Dean Brownlie and Daniel Vettori held them up.

David Warner, James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc were handed their first taste of Test cricket and all three were involved as Warner took two catches off the bowling of Starc and Pattinson bowled Ross Taylor as the tourists struggled.

They were 96 for five when Brownlie and Vettori came to the crease and the pair put on 80 together with Brownlie unbeaten on 32 and Vettori on 45.

Left-armer Starc had both Brendon McCullum (34) and Jesse Ryder (6) caught by Warner as both men played loose shots, as did Taylor, inside-edging onto his stumps, when faced with Pattinson, who finished the day with one for 50.

McCullum made a bright start, crashing six boundaries down the ground and edging one to third man but after being unsettled by an impressive first spell from Starc, who hit him on the helmet and chest - in a spell reminiscent of Peter Siddle's opening burst in Test cricket against Gautam Gambhir - he chopped the tall left-armer straight to Warner at point while Ryder went in almost identical fashion.

Siddle, the most experienced bowler in the line-up, struck first removed opener Martin Guptill for 13, driving loosely to be caught behind and Nathan Lyon had Kane Williamson caught by Usman Khawaja for 19 close to the bat as the off-spinner extracted turn and bounce as Australia went on their way to completing a good first day under new coach Mickey Arthur.

They were, however, thwarted by Brownlie and Vettori and as rain arrived to wash out the final session of play, it was New Zealand whose momentum was adversely affected.

Brownlie, dropped when on three by Michael Clarke at slip, faced 89 balls, hitting four fours and Vettori 66 balls, hitting three boundaries.

© Cricket World 2011