Australia v New Zealand 2nd Test day 5 Review: Teams play out a draw on Johnson’s swansong

Australia v New Zealand 2nd Test day 5 Review: Teams play out a draw on Johnson’s swansong: A match which was headed for a certain draw suddenly gained international limelight, as Mitchell Johnson, just ahead of the final day’s proceedings, declared his international retirement. The news, albeit not surprising, marks the end to the Michael Clarke era. The final day, meanwhile, played out as the fans and critics expected, and the match ended as a draw. Smith delaying the third innings declaration, along with persistent rain interruptions, denied any chance of victory for either of the teams.

Australians were expected to last through at least one and a half sessions while their batsmen were quite laid back with the proceedings. While the lead was about 230 both skipper Steven Smith and Mitchell Marsh were sent back to the hut in quick succession, thanks to some inspired bowling from the Black Caps and it brought some interest into the game. But a gritty partnership of 15 runs in 13 overs between Phil Nevill and Adam Voges virtually sealed the fate of the match.

Voges’ dismissal brought the largest cheer of the day, with Mitchell Johnson getting a final go with the bat. The spirit of cricket, which was talked about heavily after the Australians refused to congratulate Ross Taylor, was still preserved, and the Black Caps gave Johnson a guard of honor. Johnson’s arrival at the crease accelerated the scoring to an extent, and the lead soared towards 300. The Nevill-Johnson duo managed to score some quick runs, before being dismissed in quick succession. A lusty cameo from Mitchell Starc drove Australia to 385 for the loss of 7 wickets, which prompted Steven Smith to declare the innings. New Zealand had a near-impossible target of 321 to be achieved in 48 overs.

The New Zealand batsmen started off patiently, and that effectively sealed the fate of the match. Johnson, who was given a guard of honor by his teammates before the start of the New Zealand innings, bowled just one over before the rain interruption, forcing the teams to take in early tea. But the rains subsided after the tea session, and Johnson breathed fire for one last time. With a couple of his trademark short deliveries, he removed both the openers in short intervals, bringing the crowd back to life. While Latham perished trying to pull, Guptill faced the famous Johnson chin music, as he managed to pop one right to the forward short leg fielder.

But with the looming clouds the excitement gradually died down. Ross Taylor helped himself with a brisk knock featuring some sublime shots. The in-form Kane Williamson was more interested in negotiating the overs than anything. With about 17 overs left in the innings, Johnson came back to bowl one final time when the Rain gods intervened, and effectively ending the match. An entertaining draw comes to an end, along with it ends the career of one of the greatest fast bowlers of this generation.

Summary

Mitchell Johnson, on his final day in international cricket, hogged all the limelight in what eventually became a draw filled with runs. Steven Smith was questionably criticized for being defensive, by delaying the declaration. But the match’s result was a foregone conclusion, especially with the rain interruptions.

Brief Scores:

Australia – 559/9 decl & 385/7 (Steven Smith 138, Voges 119; Southee 4-97)

New Zealand – 624 & 102/2 (Ross Taylor 36*, Kane Williamson 32*; Johnson 2-20)