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Australia vs. New Zealand 1st Test Day 1: Cam Green scores superb century

Aussie youngster Cameron Green has scored a superb century to silence his doubters and give Australia the edge against New Zealand.

James McKern and Matthew Sullivan
8 min read
February 29, 2024 - 6:53PM
Cameron Green's HEROIC century in New Zealand!

Cameron Green has given Australia the upper hand with a superb century on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand.

The Aussies were sent in to bat on a green pitch in Wellington and Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith deserve credit for surviving almost the entire first session.

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But Australia’s battling line-up collapsed before Mitch Marsh (40 off 39 balls) rescued the innings with a counterattacking knock.

Green plodded away but exploded in the final session, reaching his century in the last over of the day to take Australia to 9/279 at stumps. He is 103 not out off 155 balls.

Green showed plenty of class, striking boundaries down the ground and bringing up his century with a blistering cut shot.

His two Test centuries have both come away from home and this one will go a long way to cementing his spot at No. 4 in Australia’s batting order.

New Zealand haven’t beaten Australia in a Test series since 1993, and a competitive first innings total has given the visitors the early edge.

“Just one of those days someone needed to bat through and I’m glad it was me,” Green said.

Cameron Green’s century was pure class. (Photo by Marty MELVILLE / AFP)
Cameron Green’s century was pure class. (Photo by Marty MELVILLE / AFP)

4.26pm – Green scores superb century

Cam Green has played a lone hand for Australia and has silenced the doubters with a superb century late in the day in Wellington.

He blasted through the nervous nineties and bludgeoned a cut shot to bring up the century.

It’s Green’s second Test century after his maiden ton in India last year, and his first hundred batting at No. 4.

3.29pm – Test evenly poised, Aussies pass 200

Cameron Green is plodding along nicely in the final session of the day.

Green brought up his seventh Test half century with a lofted drive down the ground that flew through Tim Southee’s hands.

3.13pm – Marnus run verging on ‘terminal’

After a scratchy summer against Pakistan and the West Indies, the pressure is on Australia’s batting line-up to score runs in the last two Tests before a blockbuster series against India next summer.

Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head in particular are struggling for runs, putting pressure on all-rounders Mitch Marsh and Cam Green to rescue the innings.

Labuschagne looked shaky in a 27-ball knock of 1 run, feathering an edge to first slip in the first innings against New Zealand.

Australia's Marnus Labuschagne is in a serious form slump. (Photo by Marty MELVILLE / AFP)
Australia's Marnus Labuschagne is in a serious form slump. (Photo by Marty MELVILLE / AFP)

Since scoring 111 against England in Manchester last year, Labuschagne has scores of 9, 13, 16, 2, 63, 4, 60, 62*, 10, 1*, 3, 5 and 1.

Cricket stats guru Ric Finlay wrote on X the Aussie No. 3 is “skating on thin ice” and such a decline in form could well be “terminal”.

Labuschagne averaged 59.43 at the end of 2022. It has now dropped to 50.20 and will likely soon dip below 50.

2.43pm – Aussie collapse continues

Alex Carey is gone for 10 after he whacked a ball from Scott Kuggeleijn straight to New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson at cover.

Australia are in trouble and will need some rearguard action from the tail to get the score beyond a competitive 250. The visitors are 6/176 after losing six wickets for 115 runs.

2.07pm – Marsh gone

Mitch Marsh is gone for 40 off 39 balls after he top edged a delivery from Matt Henry up in the air to keeper Tom Blundell. Marsh could have been on for a big score had it not been for the false shot.

Brendon Julian said on Fox Cricket: “The length wasn’t quite there. It just wasn’t short enough. That is big for New Zealand.”

Alex Carey joins Cam Green at the crease with the score 5/156.

1.42pm – Aussies fight back at tea

Australia are 4/147 after Mitch Marsh (39 off 36 balls) and Cam Green (23) fought back following the loss of three wickets soon after lunch.

Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and Travis Head all departed in quick succession, but Marsh made batting look easy on the green pitch at the Basin Reserve.

The pair of Aussie all-rounders will look to take the total beyond 250 in the final session.

Mitch Marsh is the Allan Border Medallist for a reason. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)
Mitch Marsh is the Allan Border Medallist for a reason. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

1.24pm – Marsh goes on the aggressive

Mitch Marsh has steadied the ship for Australia after the mini-collapse, racing to a run-a-ball 31 from 30 balls.

He’s taken Australia’s total past 100 in a 50-run partnership with Cam Green and the Allan Border Medallist looks in ominous touch.

The Kiwis are yet to bowl an over of spin, sticking to pace on the green pitch in Wellington.

12.49 – Head gone, Aussies in trouble

Travis Head came to the crease with the score 3/88 — the scoreline that Head has ate for breakfast over the past two years.

But the Aussie danger man came unstuck with he edged an awkward delivery from Will O’Rouke to wicketkeeper Tom Blundell.

Head was gone for 1 and the Aussies are in all sorts of trouble at 4/99. Mitch Marsh joins Cam Green at the crease.

12.40pm – Khawaja bowled by a beauty

The Kiwi pacemen have bowled a superb line and length since the lunch break, and they’ve got themselves back in the game.

Matt Henry clean bowled Usman Khawaja with a peach of an inswinger that sent the opener’s bails flying. Khawaja scored 33 off 118 balls.

Matt Henry bowled Usman Khawaja with a beauty.
Matt Henry bowled Usman Khawaja with a beauty.

12pm – Early delight for Kiwis after lunch

Scott Kuggeleijn has claimed the second wicket for the locals after sending Marnus Labuschagne on his way.

The Aussie number three looked extremely tentative under the conditions and was stuck to his crease like glue.

A fuller delivery from Kuggeleijn left him trapped and a slight deviation caught the edge and sent the ball flying into the hands of Daryl Mitchell at first slip.

Labuschagne managed to make only 1 run from 27 deliveries.

11am – Lunch on day one

No real winner from the opening session on day one with the Aussies slowly ticking the scoreboard over.

New Zealand had a few opportunities and even more close calls but nothing was going there way.

Usman Khawaja survived multiple shouts and saw a few nicks fall just short of the slip cordon while Steve Smith was sent on his way just ahead of the first break.

After 27 overs the umpires flicked off the bails with Australia sitting at 1/62.

10.47am – Smith sent packing

New Zealand have their first wicket of the Test with Matt Henry sending Steve Smith on his way after a gem of a delivery.

Henry trapped Smith on the back foot in his crease with a ball that just moved away and caught the outside edge.

Kiwi keeper Tom Blundell moved sharply to his right and hauled in the diving catch to get the home nation rolling just before the lunch break.

Smith made a slow-going 31 runs from 71 deliveries after a 61 run opening partnership with Usman Khawaja.

Smith has now had five innings as Australia’s opener following the retirement of David Warner.

In those innings he has scored 12, 11, 6, 91 and now 31. Two of those he finished not out which gives him an average of 50.33 so far as an opener.

10.30am – Khawaja survives first review

A late swinging around the wicket delivery from Scott Kuggeleijn thundered into the front pad of Usman Khawaja.

As one the Kiwis went up but Marais Erasmus wasn’t having it and forced the locals to send it upstairs for review.

Unfortunately for New Zealand fans the ball was doing too much and was missing leg stump by a decent margin as Khawaja breathed a sigh of relief.

10am – Smith lucky to survive

What were you thinking Steve Smith? A clip off the pads on Usman Khawaja trickled onto the leg side and for reasons unknown, Smith took off from the nonstrikers end.

Khawaja didn’t budge and Smith stopped on a dime to retreat back to his crease, but his footing was taken from him on the dewy grass.

His only saving grace was the fact the Kiwi fielders weren’t on the ball and the slight fielding delay gave him enough time to scramble back safely.

9.45am – Slow going in the early stages

Steve Smith has been the more aggressive man at the crease while Usman Khawaja has continually left balls that have come within a whisker of clipping the stumps.

Only 25 runs were scored through the opening 10 overs as the Aussie openers look to get their eye in and see off the opening onslaught.

There’s been a few chances here and there with the wicket doing a lot. Runs aren’t going to come easy here.

9.05am – Smith gets the first boundary

The wicket is barely visible with how green it is and the ball, as you’d expect, is hooping around.

Tim Southee sailed a gem of a delivery past the edge of Usman Khawaja in the opening over before Matt Henry caught the edge of Steve Smith.

Thankfully for the new Aussie opener it sailed quickly through the slip cordon and raced away to the boundary rope.

8.30am – Kiwis win the toss and bowl

The decision was always going to be bowl first, but it was the Kiwis who got the first victory of the day with the coin toss going there way.

Tim Southee made the quick call to take the red ball with Pat Cummins confirming he would have made the exact same call if things had of fallen his way.

8am – ‘Terror and dread’ strikes Kiwis

New Zealand are already feeling the pressure of facing Australia on home soil.

The Kiwis haven’t beaten Australia on their own turf since before Travis Head was born.

In that time Australia has a 21-1 head to head Test record against their little brothers.

It’s why the Kiwis are already dreading another mental capitulation.

Kiwi cricket commentator Dan McHardy described the mood on Wednesday.

“It (the Australia series) is a wonderful test for New Zealand and the whole NZ cricketing fan base is on edge full of excitement and optimism,” McHardy said on SEN radio.

“But there’ll be a fair bit of terror and dread in there because Australia really has dominated New Zealand.

Steve Smith could be the boogee man in New Zealand. Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images.
Steve Smith could be the boogee man in New Zealand. Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images.

“Unfortunately, New Zealand infrequently have played near capacity, and they need to if they want to beat the world champions.

“If New Zealand play near their best and lose, I think we can stomach it but if we get a repeat of 2019 where we seemingly almost had stage fright in Australia, I think New Zealand fans will take it rather poorly.”

He went on to say: “I think back in the previous series when New Zealand just hardly fired a shot and the way they sort of unravelled in 2019. It was on the back of a very good patch of form, and they still had some very fine cricketers, some all-time greats as far as NZ cricket is concerned (but were smashed).

“It does seem maybe those top few inches is what’s costing them.

“I’ll repeat if they can just show Australia their best, I think we’re in for a very, very good series.”

Australia enjoyed a 3-0 sweep when they hosted the most recent Test series against New Zealand, four years ago.

7am – Kiwis suffer another big blow

Black Caps opening batsman Devon Conway has been ruled out of the first Test with a thumb injury, New Zealand Cricket said on Wednesday.

Conway will miss the match after hurting his thumb in a Twenty20 defeat to Australia last Friday in Auckland. New Zealand went on to lose the T20 series 3-0.

He has been sidelined for the first Test after scans showed damage to his left thumb, New Zealand Cricket said.

Experienced batsman Henry Nicholls has been called up as cover.

“It’s disappointing for Devon to be ruled out on the eve of an important match,” said New Zealand head coach Gary Stead.

“He’s a class player batting at the top of the order for us and I know he was really looking forward to this series.” But Stead welcomed the return of Nicholls, who was originally left out of the squad.

The teams will look like this.

Australia: Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

New Zealand (from): Tim Southee (capt), Will Young, Tom Latham, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, William O’Rourke, Scott Kuggeleijn, Mitchell Santner, Henry Nicholls

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Originally published as Australia vs. New Zealand 1st Test Day 1: Cam Green scores superb century

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