Australia is limited to 164 by Glenn Phillips’ first test fence, and New Zealand needs 369 to win

On the third day of the first test in Wellington on Saturday, spinner Glenn Phillips achieved his first fifer as New Zealand destroyed Australia for 164 in their second innings before to lunch, setting the hosts an intimidating mark of 369 to win.

With their current score of 50 for 2, New Zealand still needs to score an astounding 311 runs to win. But offspinner Nathan Lyon handed two serious blows to their chances when he dismissed Tom Latham and Kane Williamson.

Notably, Australia’s failed review prolonged former captain Kane Williamson’s anxious start at the bat, even though he escaped a near caught-behind appeal from Lyon.

After lunch, Australia, on the other hand, collapsed spectacularly, losing six wickets for a just 37 runs. With statistics of 5 for 45 from 16 overs, New Zealand’s Phillips proved to be a very potent off-spinner, being the first Kiwi bowler to do so in a home Test match since Jeetan Patel in 2008.

The domination of the Kiwi bowlers was evident in Australia’s second innings score of 164, which was their sixth lowest in Test cricket against New Zealand. New Zealand’s greatest successful fourth-inning chase at Wellington’s Basin Reserve was 285 against Sri Lanka last year, while their highest against Pakistan in Christchurch in 1994 was 324 as they chased what would out to be a historic run chase.