Steven Smith went on to score his 14th Test ton, despite receiving a blow on his helmet prior to tea, a break that helped "let the shock settle"

A consistent Joe Burns has always been overshadowed in Australia's power-packed batting line-up and he needed a century like the one in Christchurch to confirm his credentials

Nathan Lyon backed James Pattinson, who, on the umpire's review, had overstepped when Brendon McCullum was caught brilliantly by Mitchell Marsh on 39

Brendon McCullum has insisted that he was not aware of breaking the record for the fastest Test century until it had been announced over the Hagley Oval loudspeaker and flashed up on the big screen

For a batsman whose Test hundreds had got incrementally faster and faster, there was a sense of inevitability to Brendon McCullum's 54-ball century in Christchurch

Brendon McCullum has blasted the fastest century in Test history, a 54-ball effort that broke the record jointly held by Viv Richards and Misbah-ul-Haq

Hagley Oval is a permanent reminder of the earthquake that devastated Christchurch in 2011, but such reminders will only be intensified over the course of the upcoming Test between New Zealand and Australia

In his final Test, in a series New Zealand cannot win, Brendon McCullum has floated the possibility of playing an all-pace attack on a pitch he deemed 'not pleasant' for the batsmen

John Hastings has said that the dressing room environment under Australia's current captain Steven Smith is more relaxed than it was under Michael Clarke; that seems to be helping the team on the field even as it bids for the top ranking

James Pattinson is licking his lips at the prospect of returning to Australia's Test team on a pitch that should offer him - and his sore shins - some assistance

Henry Nicholls, who made 59 on Test debut in Wellington, has called the Test-match intensity a step up

Peter Siddle has been ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch due to back pain

Australia's prolific top five have scored so freely that Mitchell Marsh has had to wait long periods to bat and he has not utilised those opportunities

Brendon McCullum's farewell to international cricket at the second Test in Christchurch will be a "pretty sad" moment, according to fast bowler Trent Boult

He took only one, but what a wicket to take

Peter Siddle is in danger of missing the Christchurch Test after Darren Lehmann declared he would "have to bowl pretty well in the days leading up" to the match to convince the selectors of his fitness

New Zealand's coach Mike Hesson has expressed his disappointment that the Basin Reserve pitch offered little seam movement for the fast men after the first session

Umpire Richard Illingworth was "distraught" when he discovered that he had incorrectly called a no-ball that reprieved Adam Voges on the first day in Wellington, according to match referee Chris Broad

New Zealand might have been unlucky with the Adam Voges reprieve on day one, but for the rest of the Test, Australia and New Zealand made their own luck

Australia's innings victory in Wellington ensured they will retain the Trans-Tasman Trophy, and placed them tantalisingly close to the No. 1 Test ranking