Australia vs New Zealand, 2019: 1st Test – Australia’s 100% win record, Labuschagne’s hat-trick, Smith’s worst streak and more stats

Australia put an end to New Zealand’s dream run in Test cricket as they took a 1-0 lead in the 3-match Test series with a huge 296-run in the Perth Test match. Marnus Labuschagne was the star with the bat for the Aussies once again as they posted 416 in their first innings.

The home team took a 250-run first-innings lead as they bundled out the Kiwis to just 166 out of which Ross Taylor alone scored 80. New Zealand were set a target of 468 after Australia declared their 2nd essay on 217/9. Mitchell Starc took a 4-fer going along with his first-innings 5-wicket haul as the Blackcaps were bowled out for 171 before the stumps on day 4.

All the statistical highlights from Australia’s big win against New Zealand in the Perth Test match:

A record win for Australia:

296 – Australia’s 296-run win in this Test is their 2nd biggest win in terms of runs against New Zealand in Test cricket. The Aussies won the 1974 Auckland Test by 297 runs. Overall, this is the 5th biggest Test defeat for New Zealand in terms of runs.

7 – Australia have won  all the seven day/night Test matches they have played till date. Prior to this Test, they won four D/N Tests at the Adelaide and two at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Yet another big ton for Labuschagne:

3 – Marnus Labuschagne is only the 3rd player to score 140+ runs in three consecutive Test innings. Zaheer Abbas and Mudassar Nazar had three successive innings of 150+ scores during the 5-match home Test series against India in 1982/83 season.

9 – Labuschagne is the 9th player to have scored his first three Test hundreds in consecutive innings. He is the 4th Australian with this feat after Warren Bardsley, Jack Fingleton and Arthur Morris.

Warner @ 7000:

7009 – David Warner became the 12th player to amass 7000 runs in Test cricket for Australia. The left-hander needed 53 runs ahead of this match to complete 7000 Test runs but scored 43 and 19.

Grandhomme @ 1000:

1140 – Colin de Grandhomme completed 1000 runs in Test cricket facing 1140 balls making him the fastest to 1000 Test runs in terms of balls faced (Where known). Grandhomme broke the record held by Tim Southee with 1167 deliveries.

A first for Smith:

1 – For the first time in his Test career, Steve Smith has failed to record at least one fifty-plus score in three consecutive matches. He scored 16 and 43 in the Perth Test and had scores of 36 and 4 during the Adelaide and Brisbane Tests respectively.

A game for the opening bowlers:

4 – Players who bowled the first over ended up taking a 4-wicket haul or better in all four innings of this Test match. Tim Southee and Mitchell Starc bowled the first over for respective teams in both innings. In the first innings, Southee took a 4-fer while Starc claimed 5-wicket haul. In the second essay, it was Southee who picked up a 5-wicket haul while the left-arm pacer bagged four wickets.

This is the 7th Test match in the history where the opening bowler of an innings took 4+ wickets in all four innings. The last of the previous six instances was the 1988 Lord’s Test between England and West Indies.

Hazlewood’s rare feat:

15 – Before walking off the field in the first innings, Josh Hazlewood bowled 1.2 overs without conceding a run and took a wicket. He thus became only the 15th player to pick up a wicket in a Test match without conceding a run. Hazlewood is one of the two specialist bowlers to achieve this feat. Pat Symcox is other to do so as he took 1/0 in his two overs against Pakistan during the Sheikhupura Test match. The South African was considered as a specialist spinner by his team despite making runs.