Riding on an unbeaten knock of 130 runs from Marnus Labuschagne, Australia finished Day 1 with 283 for 3 against New Zealand in the third and final Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Labuschagne, who was the lone batsman in 2019 to score over 1,000 runs in Test cricket, continued with his brilliant run as he scored yet another century to put Australia in a strong position after the first day’s play.
Matthew Wade was batting on 22, along with Labuschagne at the end of the day. Before this, Labuschagne had added 156 runs for third wicket with Steve Smith, who departed after scoring 63 runs. Meanwhile, David Warner was the third-highest scorer for Australia with 45 runs.
Colin de Grandhomme finished with the figures of 2 for 63, whereas Neil Wagner took the wicket of Warner.
Earlier, Tim Paine elected to bat on a placid Sydney wicket which doesn’t seem to have much for the bowlers. The match started with tributes to the firefighters battling catastrophic firestorms around the country. The crowd at the SCG rose to its feet to join both the teams in a minute of applause to honour the volunteer firefighters before the start of play and players wore black armbands.
The hazardous fires have affected thousands of people in New South Wales, with the state declaring an emergency for the third time in as many months. Cricket Australia have declared that if the smoke from the fire reaches SCG, they will pull the players out of the field.
Brief Scores: Australia 283 for 3 (Marnus Labuschagne 130*, Steve Smith 63; Colin de Grandhomme 2 for 63)