A crucial drop from Alex Carey could prove costly for Australia as an unbeaten 65 from opener Tom Latham helped New Zealand to a 40-run lead at stumps on day two of the second Test in Christchurch.
The hosts looked to be in trouble after losing Will Young for just one run before Latham and Kane Williamson combined for a 105-run partnership to steady the ship.
Williamson brought up a half-century before he edged a Pat Cummins delivery onto his middle stump, leaving Rachin Ravindra (11*) alongside Latham at the day’s close.
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MATCH CENTRE: New Zealand vs Australia second Test scorecard
NZ v AUS: Test 2, Day 2 Highlights | 08:23
“We’re in the positives,” Williamson said.
“There’s still plenty of hard work to do but the wicket is good. There’s a lot of time left in this game and from our perspective it’s about getting as many as we can.”
Elsewhere, Marnus Labuschagne responded after his lean run of form with a critical 90 that saw Australia finish with 256 runs in the first innings.
Speaking to reporters after Saturday’s action, Labuschagne said the confidence of his teammates helped him maintain his focus amid all the external noise.
“Pressure? I mean obviously, to score runs for my team, yeah, absolutely,” Labuschagne said.
“I want to score runs. I want us to be winning games. I want us when we’re on top, to stay on top.
“If you asked me did I feel like I was going to lose my spot, I’d say no.
“That’s what the confidence of this team has done.
“The coaches, selectors, the captain, they’re very clear with trusting in the players and trusting that, yes, we do have the best six, seven batters in the country here.
“If you’re going through a rough patch, what we’ve been able (to do) over a period of time, everyone’s picking up each other’s slack when someone’s not doing well, someone else picks it up.”
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Australia XI: Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
New Zealand XI: Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Scott Kuggeleijn, Matt Henry, Tim Southee (c), Ben Sears
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