Clarke and Gilchrist flay sorry New Zealand

Australia 9 for 564 (Clarke 141, Gilchrist 126, Martyn 70, McGrath 54*, Ponting 51, Gillespie 43*, Martin 4-141, Vettori 4-154) lead New Zealand 353 by 211 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Two hundreds: Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist celebrate © Getty Images

After two days where neither side took control of this match, Australia finally grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and by the close on the third day at Brisbane were in a commanding position. Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist, who both cracked excellent hundreds, revived the innings and then, improbable as it might seem, the batting of Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie left New Zealand on the ropes. Australia closed on 9 for 564, a lead of 211 runs

The morning belonged to Clarke. He made a hundred on debut at Bangalore last month, and registered a glorious double on his home debut with a fierce pull off the final ball before lunch to bring up his century. His innings was on the whole sublime, with drives and pulls of precocious class - there were also the odd moments to forget, as when inside edge off a leaden-footed drive sneaked past his off stump. But they were rare, and he showed more than enough aggression to keep a small crowd entertained. To Stephen Fleming's clear frustration, New Zealand's bowlers fed his strengths time after time, and even the introduction of the new ball shortly before lunch just brought about a spate of boundaries.

Gilchrist in contrast, struggled for a good hour, his initial attempts to assert dominance over Daniel Vettori failing dismally. Vettori recently picked up 20 wickets in two Tests in Bangladesh. Today he had to wait until the kettle had started to boil for tea before he got any reward, but bowled far better. Exploiting a cracked pitch, he used flight and turn to great effect but it just wasn't to be. He had a supremely confident leg-before shout against Gilchrist turned down (the all intrusive replays showed the ball hitting middle and leg) and a pad-glove chance from Clarke, then on 74, evaded the grasp of Mark Richardson at silly point.

Gilchrist, who limped to 9 off 39 balls, eventually found his touch, and after the break really cut loose with some thrilling strokeplay as New Zealand wilted. Their bowlers failed to find a consistent line and length, banging the ball in too short. More than once Fleming had cause to jog up to the offender and remind him of the value of pitching it up. Fleming's face remained placid throughout, but inside he must have been fuming.

Glenn McGrath on his way to his Test-best score © Getty Images

Clarke finally fell to the deserving Vettori for 141, giving him the charge and playing all round a straight one, and Gilchrist followed in the next over for 126, flaying Martin for three successive leg-side fours before he was well held by Scott Styris in the deep going for a fourth. Between them, Gilchrist and Clarke, who came together with Australia wobbling on 5 for 222, added 216 at more than a run-a-minute. Vettori got his fourth wicket soon after when Shane Warne fell leg-before for 10.

New Zealand's evaporating morale was almost totally extinguished by an unbeaten last-wicket stand of 93 between Gillespie and McGrath. Ricky Ponting allowed his rabbits their moment with bat in the knowledge that the fading light meant they wouldn't be allowed a chance with the ball.

McGrath had a field day, his grin as broad when he pull-swept a six off Vettori as it was when he was dropped twice in four balls - down the leg by a tumbling Brendan McCullum and off a skyer by a flailing Richardson - off a furious Jacob Oram. At the time those let-offs didn't seem too important. Some 70 minutes later McGrath had taken his career batting average over the magical seven mark, and New Zealand were a shambles. By the end, men were even posted in the deep for the McGrath hook, and the cheers when he brought up his fifty were every bit as loud as they had been for Clarke five hours earlier.

Glenn McGrath reprieved: Mark Richardson lunges in vain during Australia's last-wicket stand © Getty Images

The McGrath-Gillespie cameo came long after Damien Martyn's early dismissal had seemingly left Australia facing a first-innings deficit. His demise for 70 came out of the blue at a time he looked set for his hundred. He aimed to cut a wide delivery from Chris Martin, found the top edge, and Craig McMillan, two yards in on the wide third-man boundary, didn't have to move. By the time the next wicket fell, the whole complex of the match had been turned on its head.

Martin Williamson is managing editor of Wisden Cricinfo.

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