New Zealand v Australia: first Test, day two – live

88th over: Australia 285-9 (Green 107, Hazlewood 2) Henry to Hazlewood. Although he bats No 11, the Bendemeer Bullet isn’t bad with the bat. He averages 11 and has a highest score of 39. He’s playing circumspectly this morning, setting himself for a big innings perhaps. Maybe he wants a good look at this pitch before he starts bowling on it later today. He eases Henry’s fifth ball past gully for two and then strokes the last through covers. But, in a bizarre moment, the batters stop halfway down the pitch and then return to their marks realising it was only a single and Green would evade strike. Weird!

87th over: Australia 283-9 (Green 107, Hazlewood 0) Southee’s figures (0-68) don’t show it but he bowled pretty well yesterday. He copped some welly from Mitch Marsh in that whirlwind 40 and some late stick from Green as he accelerated to three figures. And he’s on target today to Green. The fourth ball rears off a length and hits Green on the piint of the left hip, buckling the big man for a moment. He exacts revenge on the next ball, taking a giant stride to the leg side and thwacking it to the boundary.

86th over: Australia 279-9 (Green 103, Hazlewood 0) And we’re away! Matt Henry, the day one star for New Zealand with 4-43, zings in a fast-medium yorker first up but Hazlewood digs it out nicely and sees out the over. Will Green pick up where he left off and open the shoulders in pursuit of 300? Tim Southee is about to find out…

We’re taking a look at the day two wicket. It’s a paler shade of eucalyptus green with a few cracks opening up, which bodes well for Australia’s pace bowling cartel and ominously for the home side’s formidable batting line up, although Kane Williamson is in the form of his life with four consecutive centuries and could probably score tons anywhere.

Although the Black Caps have become one of the most admired teams in world cricket, their recent record against Australia is fairly dire. They have just one win over Australia since 1993! And yet for children of the 1980s, their superiority over Allan Border’s woebegone side is a wound still salty. It’s been 39 years but this 1985 defeat lingers long in the memory, not only for the pain of the innings defeat but also for the first Test century by another allrounder Greg Matthews, one of the game’s truly original characters and an underrated cricketer in a tough era for the boys in the baggy green.

This series marks the first time since 2016 that Australia’s Test side has toured New Zealand. Given the Wallabies invite the All Blacks over the ditch for a trouncing EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR it’s a tad inhospitable of the Kiwis. Maybe Tanya Aldred has the answers as to why these brothers in arms and best of frenemies have been on ice for so long…

For those who came in late… here’s how day one played out.

Greetings cricket fans and welcome to Wellington for day two of the first Test pitting Australia against New Zealand for the Trans-Tasman trophy

Day one was a beaut, with both teams enjoying periods of superiority. New Zealand won the toss and sent the visitors in but Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja were able to combat the Basin Reserve’s tricky green-top pitch and eke their way to 60 without loss.

But the loss of Smith for 31 just before lunch triggered a collapse and after the break, Tim Southee’s Black Caps tore into the Australian top order. At one stage Australia lost four 28 in 17 overs, with the wretched recent runs of No 3 Marnus Labuschagne and No 5 Travis Head continuing, both dismissed for one. Matt Henry was the chief destroyer and the inswinger that cracked Khawaja’s middle stump was one for the ages.

It took the two allrounders from West Australia to arrest the slide. With the halo of his Allan Border medal still glowing, Mitch Marsh strode out amidst the tumult, thundered his first ball to the boundary and started the Australian counter-attack. At the other end No 4 Cameron Green had hung tough and survived. But when Marsh departed for 40, the young man took charge, upping the ante and shepherding the tail beyond 200.

Green’s innings was superb. After plodding to tea, he accelerated in the final session, eventually notching his second Test century from the final over of the day and stealing the ascendency from the home side. He resumes today on 103 and Australia nine for 279.