Australia cruised to a simple nine-wicket win with a day to spare on Sunday after New Zealand’s second innings was torn apart by a magical Shane Warne.
Justin Langer hit the winning runs just before the scheduled close on the fourth day, after the New Zealand batting line-up had conceded a world record seven batsmen to leg-before-wicket dismissals.
Set a target of 133, Australia lost Matthew Hayden early for 15 while Langer was 72 not out off 85 balls at the close with skipper Ricky Ponting on 47.
New Zealand compiled a composed 433 to lead by one run after the first innings, but in the second they collapsed to be 131 all-out with Warne, the world’s leading Test wicket-taker, taking five for 39 — his 29th five-wicket bag among 573 Test wickets.
The home side started the fourth day at nine without loss but they were all-out inside of two sessions.
Glenn McGrath, fresh from his six-wicket haul in the first innings, sparked the collapse when his third leg-before-wicket appeal of the day against captain Stephen Fleming, on 17, was granted by umpire David Shepherd.
Jason Gillespie then took over with a six-over spell of two for 14, trapping Craig Cumming and Lou Vincent lbw for seven and four respectively.
First-innings century-maker Hamish Marshall made 22 after putting on a 37-run partnership with Nathan Astle.
Astle was out for 21 after cracking Michael Kasprowicz for consecutive boundaries and then leaving alone a delivery which clipped his bat and uprooted leg stump.
New Zealand were then four for 71 and lost the last six wickets for an additional 60, including 24 from top-scorer Brendon McCullum, while Warne took the last two wickets with successive balls.
It was a familiar situation, with New Zealand suffering the fourth-day blues as Australia gathered momentum.
The defining moment had come midway through the third day with Adam Gilchrist’s man-of-the-match onslaught on Daniel Vettori, belting New Zealand’s senior bowler out of the attack on his way to 121.
There had been the outside possibility of Australia being forced to follow on until Gilchrist opened up, allowing the world champions to stage an audacious escape. – Sapa-AFP