By Matt Henry’s 7-wicket haul and Tom Latham’s gritty half-century have revived New Zealand’s hopes in the second Test against Australia in Christchurch. At stumps, New Zealand held a lead of 40 runs, thanks to their improved performance on the second day.
Australia started the day positively with Marnus Labuschagne and Nathan Lyon scoring boundaries. Labuschagne reached his fifty, but Lyon fell after a dropped catch, managing 20 runs before Henry dismissed him. Labuschagne’s resistance ended at 90 with an outstanding catch by Glenn Phillips. Henry’s fifer and crucial breakthroughs by other bowlers restricted Australia, but Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins added vital runs to extend the lead to 94.
New Zealand faced an early setback in their innings when Will Young was dismissed by Starc. However, a resilient partnership between Kane Williamson and Latham turned the tide. Williamson, cautious at the start, accelerated with boundaries off Starc and Cummins. Latham, initially quiet, attacked Lyon for boundaries. The duo’s century stand, the highest of the series for New Zealand, took them into the lead. Williamson reached his fifty in his 100th Test, but Cummins ended his innings. Latham remains unbeaten, and with solid batting depth, New Zealand aims to set a challenging target.
Brief scores: New Zealand162 & 134/2 (Tom Latham 65*, Kane Williamson 51) lead Australia 256 (Marnus Labuschagne 90; Matt Henry 7/67) by 40 runs
