Australia vs New Zealand: Tim Paine pulls off a Dhoni behind the stumps

The Aussies claimed another commanding win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The Kiwi batting unit continued to flounder on the fourth day at the cauldron of Test cricket -MCG. Chasing 447 to win in the final innings, none of the Blackcaps batsmen barring Tom Blundell, who scored [121 off 21o] almost 50 percent of his team runs, could apply themselves and were eventually bowled out for 240 to hand the home side, not only the Test match by 247 runs but also an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match Trans-Tasman series.

It turned out to be a great Test match for not only Tim Paine- the captain- but also for Tim Paine as a wicketkeeper-batsman. On a track where accomplished batsmen like Steve  Smith, David Warner, Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor found it tough, the Aussie captain scored counterattacking 79 in the first innings and along with the centurion Travis Head, laid the cornerstone for the home side’s formidable total of 467 in the first innings.

Tim Paine’s brilliant stumping caps off a memorable Test for the Aussie captain

And, if his exploits with the bat were not enough, the Australian captain once again gave account as to why he is one of the wicketkeepers going around in contemporary cricket. It all happened on the fourth day. After having lost the cream of their batting unit- Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor- at the score of 35 within the first 12 overs, Tom Blundell and Henry Nicholls [33] were looking to rebuild the fledgling innings before Tim Paine proceeded to do an MS Dhoni-esque type of stumping.

It was an excellent delivery from off-spinner Nathan Lyon, to start with. Lyon tossed the ball up to invite Nicholls for a drive. The southpaw lunged forward, only to see Tim Paine beautifully gather the ball and dislodge the stumps in a jiffy.

Post the dismissal of Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling [33] and Mitchell Santner [22] hung around with Tom Blundell for a bit, before Nathan Lyon accounted for both of them to not only claim a four-wicket haul but also help Australia to an imperious 247-run-win and a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Watch:

Sharp work from the skipper to send back Henry Nicholls 👌

Australia are six wickets away from a win. #AUSvNZpic.twitter.com/0mOvRP6vlY

— ICC (@ICC) December 29, 2019