Australia 54/2 in reply to New Zealand’s 202 at stumps on Day 1 of first-ever day-night Test at Adelaide

Australia went to stumps on 54 for 2, trailing New Zealand by 148 runs on Day One of on the third and final Test — and also the first ever day-night Test — at Adelaide on Friday. Steven Smith was unbeaten on 24 with Adam Voges not out on 9 at the other end. The first day of the first-ever day-night Test saw as many as 12 wickets fall — incidentally the same number of wickets that fell on the first day of the heavily-criticised India vs South Africa Test at Nagpur — as the pink ball proved to have something in it for the pacers as well as the spinners. New Zealand were bowled out for just 202 as Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood took three wickets each and Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon took two each. Siddle also became the latest bowler in the 200-wicket club in Tests. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: Australia vs New Zealand, 3rd Test at Adelaide

Tom Latham top-scored for New Zealand with 50 while Mitchell Santner made 31, and BJ Watling scored 29. Most batsmen got in and reached double figures but failed to get going. There were a few late pyrotechnics from Tim Southee, but his 15-ball 16 included more misses than hits. Earlier, New Zealand struggled in the post-tea session against Australia going to dinner at 173 for 7. Australia started the session with a bang, taking out Tom Latham for 50, Ross Taylor for 21, and Brendon McCullum for 4 in a space of three overs. All three batsmen were out caught by the ‘keeper, with Latham falling to Nathan Lyon, Taylor to Peter Siddle, and McCullum to Mitchell Starc. Thereafter Mitchell Santner scored an umpressive 31 and put on 44 with BJ Watling (24 not out) but was bowled by Starc after looking virtually flawless. Mark Craig hit a couple of boundaries, but was bowled by Lyon for 11. Doug Bracewell was the other unbeaten batsman at the break. Australia will be hampered by the apparent injury Starc picked up as he had to leave the field limping. LIVE CRICKET UPDATES: Australia vs New Zealand, 3rd Test at Adelaide

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The session started off on a terrible note for the visitors, with both their set batsmen Latham and Taylor falling within a few balls of each other. To make matters worse, McCullum too fell in the next over. Thereafter the stage belonged to the debutant Santner, at least for a while. The left-handed all-rounder played some crisp drives and cuts to give an excellent account of himself. His 46-ball 31 included seven boundaries. READ: Peter Siddle takes 200th Test wicket during first-ever day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide

New Zealand got off to a decent start against Australia, going to tea (the three sessions will be tea, dinner, and stumps) at 80 for 2. Martin Guptill was out early, but thereafter Tom Latham and Kane Williamson added 52 for the second wicket. Mitchell Starc then struck a decisive blow when he got Williamson out LBW with a terrific in-swinging yorker. New Zealand were 59 for 2 at this stage, and in dire need of a big partnership. Ross Taylor came in at No. 4 to join Latham. The focus of the first-ever day-night Test was always going to be on the pink ball. Mitchell Starc got the ball to swing early on, and Nathan Lyon managed to get a bit of spin as well. Josh Hazlewood got the ball to move a bit as well, and Peter Siddle got awkward bounce. The colour of the ball seemed quite distinct, but that was never in question for the first 50-odd overs.

Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat first. Mitchell Santner made his Test debut as the Black Caps chose to go in with two spinners and three seamers in Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Doug Bracewell. As for Australia, the recently-retired Mitchell Johnson was replaced by Peter Siddle, while Shaun Marsh came in to replace the injured Usman Khawaja. READ: Australia vs New Zealand 2015, 3rd Test at Adelaide: Will the bowlers get their due in first-ever day-night Test?

Brief scores:

New Zealand 202 (Tom Latham 50, Mitchell Santner 31; Mitchell Starc 3 for 24, Josh Hazlewood 3 for 66) lead Australia 54 for 2 (Steven Smith 24*; Doug Bracewell 1 for 6) by 148 runs.

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(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek who loves cricket more than cricketers. His Twitter handle is @ShiamakUnwalla)