Kiwis end 26 year victory drought in Australia

Time seems to pass very fast and one cannot believe that it has been 26 years and 18 attempts since the Black Caps last defeated Australia in a test match. But, no better way to end this painful 26 years long wait for New Zealand than by finally winning a test match on Australian soil.

Although, the current New Zealand team might be the most fragile of all those teams that had ever played test cricket in the last 26 years in Australian, but they have done something which the great New Zealand teams of the past failed to do. Forget about the odds for a win, for New Zealand to even snatch a draw in the 2nd test match after a big defeat in the 1st match and without the services of their savior Daniel Vettori would have been bleak. But, history and records are always created against the odds.

Stop the clock, wait is over.

After getting bowled out on 150 on 1st day of the match, mainly because of a brilliant bowling spell by Pattinson, not even the most ardent Kiwi supporter would have dreamt of a New Zealand win. But that’s test cricket at its best for you. It gives you the opportunity to give it back and NZ did gave it back to Australia heavily the very next day. But the pendulum again swung back in favour of Australia on third day of the match with Australian openers puting on an unbeaten stand of 72 runs after bowling out NZ for 226 earlier in their 2nd innings. It swung again on the fourth day as the Kiwi bowlers swung the ball both ways to knock the Australian batsmen back to the pavilion.

From the hands of victory, Australia found themselves staring at defeat as they lost 7 wickets for just 40 runs (from 159/2 to 199/9), but the man who was written off as slogger stood still at the other end from the very first over, only to see his heroic maiden test century going in vain. Fittingly the only man(Bracewell) in the team whose family member was a part of last Kiwi team to taste a victory at Australian soil, took the last wicket and finished with the superb match figures of 9/60. It was New Zealand’s first test win against Australia in 18 years and first in 26 years in their soil.

What a year New Zealand had, after being whitewashed by Bangladesh and India in ODI’s last year, they managed to qualify for yet another cricket World Cup semi-final, a test match win against Austraia, ended their another 24 year wait and their second Rugby world cup win.

The year 2011 seems to have smiled at the Kiwis. Will 2012 also be a happy one? Only time will tell. Till then, its time for Hakka Hakka!

Edited by Sambhav Khetarpal