Mike's blog: Australia tour week 2
It’s exciting any time you head into day five of a Test match with all three outcomes a possibility. While admittedly it would have been nice to push on and win the second Test in Perth it was a brilliant contest and one we’ll certainly take confidence from.
With Australia 1-0 up already, we no longer have the chance to win the series, but we have given ourselves a chance to continue our proud record of not losing a series since England 2013. At the end of day one at the WACA with Australia 416-2, we were in danger of heading to Adelaide with an unassailable deficit.
It’s fair to say there were some stern words at stumps on day one. The bowlers were far from pleased with the way they had executed, but the way the team responded over the next four days was superb.
To fight and scrap our way back into a position to win showed the resolve of this team and that’s something we’ve prided ourselves on over the last two years. It started with the bowlers’ performance on day two and was continued by New Zealand’s most successful batting pair ever in Kane and Ross.
Ross’s innings was particularly special. His knock of 290 was a classy innings, took on a quality attack and was certainly one of the finest I’ve seen. To come in and play like he did in such a tough situation shows what a leader he is within our group. The skill Ross and Kane showed during the whole match certainly played a huge part in us saving the match.
The right to head to Adelaide with the hope of levelling the series is hugely motivating. We know if we play as well as we can we’ve got a great chance of putting Australia under pressure and being in with a chance of pressing for a result at the back end of the Test.
Being the inaugural Day-Night pink ball Test adds another element and it's exciting to be a part of history.
After such an intense week however the boys all deserve a couple of days away from cricket to recharge the batteries, some fishing and golf could be on the cards before getting back to work to prepare for the weekends practice match in Perth under lights. We'll use the match to gather further information about the Pink ball and confidence heading into Adelaide. It's a new experience and an intriguing one, but we're very much looking forward to it.
Lastly, on behalf of the team I want to pass on our thoughts to the family and friends of Jonah Lomu. It’s incredibly sad to see him go so young and leave behind such a young family. He'll be remembered throughout the world as one of New Zealand's greatest ever athletes.
Mike H
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