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Brilliant Brendon McCullum nears triple century against India | Brilliant Brendon McCullum nears triple century against India |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Brendon | |
McCullum is 19 runs away from scoring New Zealand’s first triple century in | |
Tests after steering his team out of danger against India in Wellington. | |
The | |
New Zealand skipper played one of his country’s great innings to reach 281 not | |
out at stumps on day four of the second Test, having commandeered a colossal | |
momentum shift after the Black Caps were staring at defeat midway through day | |
three. | |
Trailing | |
by 246 runs on the first innings, New Zealand are now 571-6 and hold a 325-run | |
lead. | |
They | |
could yet declare on Tuesday and push for a victory although holding a 1-0 lead | |
in the two-Test series may influence McCullum to some extent. | |
The | |
fourth day was a statistician’s dream as McCullum built a world record | |
sixth-wicket stand of 352 with BJ Watling. | |
The | |
skipper ploughed on after wicketkeeper Watling’s dismissal for 124, compiling | |
another 125 with debutant all-rounder James Neesham, who made an aggressive 67. | |
McCullum’s | |
score is the second-highest in New Zealand Test history and 18 runs short of | |
Martin Crowe’s 299, scored at the same venue in 1991. Having arrived at the | |
crease in the second over of day three, McCullum has batted 726 minutes, which | |
is the longest stay at the crease by a Black Cap. It is the 16th-longest | |
innings in Test history. | |
The | |
32-year-old needed regular attention between overs from team physiotherapist | |
Paul Close, particularly late in the day. Leg and back stretches between | |
deliveries became a regular sight for a man who has battled injury problems in | |
recent years. He struck 28 fours and four sixes and faced 525 balls. | |
McCullum | |
and Watling, who came together after lunch on day three, batted nearly four | |
full sessions in a partnership which usurped the previous highest sixth-wicket | |
stand of 351 between Sri Lanka’s Mahela and Prasanna Jayawardene, against India | |
in Ahmedabad five years ago. The pair finished third on the New Zealand list | |
for all Test partnerships. | |
They | |
barely offered a half-chance through the first two sessions after resuming at 252-5, scoring in compact fashion against an attack that tired noticeably in | |
unhelpful conditions. | |
Seamer | |
Mohammed Shami (2-136) took the only wicket of the day when he trapped Watling | |
lbw in the first over with the third new ball. All four specialist Indian | |
bowlers conceded more than 100 runs in hot, unforgiving conditions. | |
Captain | |
MS Dhoni’s early fields were surprisingly defensive, particularly to McCullum, | |
allowing both batsmen to ease comfortably into the day. |