New Zealand vs Australia, 1st Test | Day 1
Tim Southee's choice to bowl first turned out to be a brilliant one as the New Zealand bowling attack, spearheaded by Southee and Trent Boult, took full advantage of the green pitch. They caused seam movement and swing, which made things tough for the Australian batters. Together with some excellent defensive catches from Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell, the Blackcaps' disciplined bowling effort put the visitors on the back foot early on, limiting their pace of production and regularly taking key wickets. With their impressive performance, New Zealand has taken full control of the first Test, and Australia will face an uphill task on Day 2 to rebuild their innings. Australia, who had just won the Twenty20 International series, had a new task in store in the red-ball format. After being moved up to open for the second time in a row, Steve Smith struggled for 31 runs until Matt Henry's ball reached the boundary and Tom Blundell made an incredible diving catch. Usman Khawaja