Australian wicket-keeper-batsman Alex Carey fell agonizingly short of a century during the successful fourth innings chase of 279 against New Zealand in the second and final Test of the series. Carey’s missed opportunity to reach triple figures can be attributed to his captain, Pat Cummins, who secured the winning runs in a memorable three-wicket victory at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

This remarkable comeback victory was orchestrated by the reigning Test and ODI champions, who initially found themselves trailing in the match but managed to claw their way back into contention. Australia, tasked with chasing down 279 for victory, relied heavily on the contributions from their middle and lower-middle order. Captain Pat Cummins, in particular, stepped up with a crucial 32-run innings off 44 balls to steer his team to triumph.

Carey chuckles after Pat Cummins prevents him from reaching a century

It’s a rarity to witness Alex Carey achieving a century from the lower-middle-order position. Despite facing uncertainty in white-ball formats, his red-ball career presents an opportunity for resurgence. In order to solidify his place in the Test side, Carey had to deliver from the number 7 position in the fourth innings, aiming to wrest victory from the grasp of his Trans-Tasman adversaries.

He was genuinely content to forgo his second Test century in favor of securing the win, recognizing that nothing surpasses the satisfaction of being instrumental in a comeback victory. Following the exhilarating triumph, during Pat Cummins’ discussion of the thrilling second Test win, he admitted to being unaware that Carey was just two runs shy of a century.

“I had no idea he was on 98. That would have been embarrassing if he was celebrating (his century) and I wasn’t looking,” Pat Cummins remarked during the post-match presentation.

Later, during the press conference at Hagley Oval stadium, Alex Carey was asked about his reaction to Pat Cummins preventing him from reaching a century. Carey expressed contentment with the situation, indicating that he preferred not to be on strike again.”I was happy with that. I didn’t want to get on strike again,” Carey conveyed to reporters.

“Cummins expresses his affection for Test cricket” following a hard-fought and thoroughly earned victory in Christchurch

Australia entered the second Test buoyed by their convincing 172-run victory over the hosts in the first match. Pat Cummins’ men carried momentum and a clear winning mindset, yet New Zealand mounted a brief resurgence. Despite being bowled out for 165, the Kiwi bowling attack, spearheaded by Matt Henry’s impressive 7-wicket haul, managed to restrict the Australians to 256.

In the third innings, New Zealand showcased classic Test batting with contributions from Tom Latham (73), Kane Williamson (51), Rachin Ravindra (82), Daryl Mitchell (58), along with valuable innings from Glenn Phillips (16), Scott Kuggeleijn (44), and Henry (16), ultimately setting a target of 279 for Australia.

Australia’s reply was dismal as their top-order batsmen, including Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, and Travis Head, could only muster 49 runs collectively. With five wickets down for just 80 runs, Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey steadied the innings with a 140-run partnership before Marsh departed for 80.

SEE ALSO: Rohit Sharma to join CSK in IPL 2025? Rayudu reveals

Carey then partnered with Pat Cummins to further solidify Australia’s position until the victory was secured. Although not without challenges, Australia’s experience in such situations proved crucial. Cummins emphasized the importance of maintaining momentum and pressure on the opposition.

“I just told the boys to keep the scoreboard moving, stay busy, and put the pressure on the opposition. We’ve got an experienced side; the story of this series has been guys standing up in crunch moments. Love playing Test matches, the best format of cricket, and it pays off on days like this,” Pat Cummins concluded.

Australia secured a close victory against New Zealand in the second Test match in Christchurch. Despite a shaky start at 80/5, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, and Pat Cummins staged a remarkable comeback to chase down 279 runs.

Paine’s critique on Australia’s batting form

However, former Australia captain Tim Paine expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s performance despite the series sweep against New Zealand. He said, “I’m disappointed. We’re a better team than them (New Zealand) and it was the same against the West Indies, there seems to be a bit of a pattern. Not scoring enough runsâ€æ you can’t always believe what they’re telling you but the leadership and coaching and captain and selectors say, ‘we have no concerns with our batters’. Well, I do now.”

Paine highlights worries about facing England and India

Paine criticized the inconsistency of the top-order batsmen, pointing out their struggles since the West Indies Test series. He strongly questioned the team’s ability to compete against England and India later in 2024, especially with concerns regarding the form of players like Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, and Marnus Labuschagne. He added, “There are more questions coming out of the last three or four Tests than answers, and we need to find some answers pretty quickly.” 

See Also: “He’s worked incredibly hard on his body and his fitness” – Ricky Ponting on Rishabh Pant

Paine particularly highlighted worries about facing India’s formidable fast bowling lineup featuring Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami. He said some more in this and added, “We might not beat New Zealand, we’ve lost a Test to West Indies, we wouldn’t beat England if they were playing well with a full-strength sideâ€æ India are certainly going to trouble us with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, so there are some concerns.” 

Despite Australia’s rise to the second spot in the World Test Championship standings, with 8 wins, 3 losses, and 1 draw from 12 matches, Paine emphasized the need for improvement to maintain competitiveness against top-ranked teams.

Australia once again shows their dominance against their neighbors. With a Test match to go, they remain favorites as they look for some away WTC points.

NZ vs AUS Match Details

Date: February 28th, 2024

Time:  3:30 AM IST

Venue: Basin River, Wellington

NZ vs AUS Weather Report

Clear weather is expected throughout the game.

NZ vs AUS Pitch Report

A green track is expected with the pitch likely to get better as the game progresses. Batting second will be a better option with early moisture around.

NZ vs AUS Head-to-Head

NZ vs AUS Predicted Playing XI

AUS Playing XI

Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

NZ Playing XI

Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, William O’Rourke

See Also: Today’s Cricket Match Predictions – Cricket Winner

NZ vs AUS Key Players

Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson has been scoring centuries for fun in his last few Tests. The question though is if he can do so against Australia, a side that has had the better of him throughout his career.

Steve Smith

Steve Smith loves challenges. Opening in New Zealand though is a massive challenge and will be even bigger a challenge for someone who is a new opener. He had a tough time against West Indies until the Final innings of the series when he carried his bat and that is where he will be eager to move forward.

NZ vs AUS Match Tips

Australia generally plays pretty well against New Zealand and could start favorites despite being away from home.

Match Prediction: Australia Will Win The Match

Australia visit New Zealand for the Trans-Tasman battle, one they have dominated well. While New Zealand are a really good side at home they have always found ways to make things tough for themselves against Australia. Both sides are near full strength though with Devon Conway a big miss while there remains some form of transition with David Warner’s retirement for the Australian side.

NZ vs AUS Match Details

Date: February 28th, 2024

Time:  3:30 AM IST

Venue: Basin River, Wellington

NZ vs AUS Weather Report

Clear weather is expected throughout the game.

NZ vs AUS Pitch Report

A green track is expected with the pitch likely to get better as the game progresses. Batting second will be a better option with early moisture around.

NZ vs AUS Head-to-Head

NZ vs AUS Predicted Playing XI

AUS Playing XI

Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

NZ Playing XI

Tom Latham, Will Young, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, William O’Rourke

See Also: Today’s Cricket Match Predictions – Cricket Winner

NZ vs AUS Key Players

Kane Williamson

Kane Williamson has been scoring centuries for fun in his last few Tests. The question though is if he can do so against Australia, a side that has had the better of him throughout his career.

Steve Smith

Steve Smith loves challenges. Opening in New Zealand though is a massive challenge and will be even bigger a challenge for someone who is a new opener. He had a tough time against West Indies until the Final innings of the series when he carried his bat and that is where he will be eager to move forward.

NZ vs AUS Match Tips

Australia generally plays pretty well against New Zealand and could start favorites despite being away from home.

Match Prediction: Australia Will Win The Favorite

Australia take the series after two high-scoring performances. New Zealand are hit and miss at the moment, and felt the heat in a high-pressure chase as they lose out on Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra for the upcoming game.

NZ vs AUS Match Details

Date: February 25th, 2024

Time:  5:30 AM IST

Venue: Eden Park, Auckland

NZ vs AUS Weather Report

Clear weather is expected throughout the game.

NZ vs AUS Pitch Report

Eden Park is known to provide run fests with really small boundaries allowing for a lot more boundaries. Batting second is a better option with no target safe.

NZ vs AUS Head-to-Head

NZ vs AUS Predicted Playing XI

AUS Playing XI

David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, Tim David, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa

NZ Playing XI

Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Josh Clarkson, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears

See Also: Today’s Cricket Match Predictions – Cricket Winner

NZ vs AUS Key Players

Devon Conway

Devon Conway’s form is starting to get to a worrying stage. Runs have been missing for him and New Zealand will be hoping for him to come good soon with issues at the top.

Travis Head

With good form in the other formats and the ability to play the aggressive game, Travis Head knows that he has what it takes to make a mark in the shortest format. He is a fine batter at the top and his ability under pressure is very well known making him a dangerous player at the big stage.

NZ vs AUS Match Tips

Australia generally plays pretty well against New Zealand and could start favorites despite being away from home.

Match Prediction: Australia Will Win The Match

The first T20 turned out to be a thriller with the crowd getting fired up as well as Australia sealed a last ball win. The Australian line-up though looks very strong here with a deep batting line-up full of explosive hitters down the order. For New Zealand though, the top order, in particular Devon Conway got runs which is something they could be happy about.

NZ vs AUS Match Details

Date: February 23rd, 2024

Time:  11:40 AM IST

Venue: Eden Park, Auckland

NZ vs AUS Weather Report

Clear weather is expected throughout the game.

NZ vs AUS Pitch Report

Eden Park is known to provide run fests with really small boundaries allowing for a lot more boundaries. Batting second is a better option with no target safe.

NZ vs AUS Head-to-Head

NZ vs AUS Predicted Playing XI

AUS Playing XI

David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, Tim David, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa

NZ Playing XI

Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Josh Clarkson, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears

See Also: Today’s Cricket Match Predictions – Cricket Winner

NZ vs AUS Key Players

Devon Conway

Devon Conway’s form is starting to get to a worrying stage. Runs have been missing for him and New Zealand will be hoping for him to come good soon with issues at the top.

Travis Head

With good form in the other formats and the ability to play the aggressive game, Travis Head knows that he has what it takes to make a mark in the shortest format. He is a fine batter at the top and his ability under pressure is very well known making him a dangerous player at the big stage.

NZ vs AUS Match Tips

Australia generally plays pretty well against New Zealand and could start favorites despite being away from home.

Match Prediction: Australia Will Win

The Chappell Hadlee trophy is back with New Zealand and Australia fine-tuning their sides once more before the World Cup. Both sides are at near full strength here with Steve Smith and Nathan Ellis in focus from Australia.

NZ vs AUS Match Details

Date: February 21st, 2024

Time:  11:40 AM IST

Venue: Sky Stadium, Wellington

NZ vs AUS Weather Report

Clear weather is expected throughout the game.

NZ vs AUS Pitch Report

Turn is likely in the second half with batting first a better option in Sri Lanka.

NZ vs AUS Head-to-Head

NZ vs AUS Predicted Playing XI

AUS Playing XI

David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, Tim David, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa

NZ Playing XI

Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Josh Clarkson, Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears

See Also: Today’s Cricket Match Predictions – Cricket Winner

NZ vs AUS Key Players

Devon Conway

Devon Conway’s form is starting to get to a worrying stage. Runs have been missing for him and New Zealand will be hoping for him to come good soon with issues at the top.

Travis Head

With good form in the other formats and the ability to play the aggressive game, Travis Head knows that he has what it takes to make a mark in the shortest format. He is a fine batter at the top and his ability under pressure is very well known making him a dangerous player at the big stage.

NZ vs AUS Match Tips

Australia generally plays pretty well against New Zealand and could start favorites despite being away from home.

Match Prediction: Australia Will Win The Match