Cricket: Australia suffer humbling defeat

Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139 and 285

New Zealand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .224 and 168-5

New Zealand win by 5 wickets

KEN RUTHERFORD hit an unbeaten 53 to steer New Zealand to victory by five wickets - and a share of the series - in the third and final Test against Australia today. New Zealand resumed on the fifth and last day needing just 33 more runs to win with five wickets in hand after a see-saw match. Rutherford and the wicketkeeper Tony Blain took only 29 minutes to reach the target of 201, with Blain finishing on 24 not out.

The victory, New Zealand's first home Test win for three years, levelled the series at 1-1. Australia had won the first Test by an innings and 60 runs in Christchurch and the second Test was drawn in Wellington. Rutherford top-scored for New Zealand in both innings of a tense, low-scoring Test; he made 43 in the first innings.

The contest has been delicately poised throughout and the fourth day was no exception as Australia built patiently towards a total of 285 all out with their captain, Allan Border, making 71 and Merv Hughes finishing unbeaten on 31.

New Zealand began their chase as if they were playing a one-day game with the flamboyant left- hander, Mark Greatbatch, repeatedly charging the Australian new- ball bowlers, Craig McDermott and Hughes.

Hughes looks likely to escape punishment after appearing to spit at Greatbatch and then gesture obscenely to the crowd when the Kiwi batsman was dismissed.

The match referee, Javed Burki, of Pakistan, was interviewed on New Zealand television during the tea interval and described the incident between Hughes and Greatbatch as 'a bit of fun'.

'I think what was going on today was fine. There was no violation of the code because they had a bit of fun out there on the field,' Burki said.

(Fifth day: Australia won toss)

AUSTRALIA - First Innings 139 (D K Morrison 6- 37).

NEW ZEALAND - First Innings 224 (S K Warne 4-8).

AUSTRALIA - Second Innings

(Monday close: 226 for 6)

* A R Border c Harris b Watson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

M G Hughes not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

P R Reiffel b Watson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

S K Warne c Jones b Morrison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

C J McDermott c Wright b Watson . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Extras (b1 lb7 nb8) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Fall: 7-261 8-271 9-274

Bowling: Morrison 33-8-81-1 (nb4); Patel 34-9-93-5; Watson 19-5-43-3 (nb1); Su'a 18-4-56-1 (nb3); Harris 2-1-4-0.

NEW ZEALAND - Second Innings

(Overnight: 168 for 5)

J G Wright run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

M J Greatbatch b Hughes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

A H Jones b Warne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

* M D Crowe c Langer b Warne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

K R Rutherford not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

C Z Harris lbw b Waugh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0

] T E Blain not out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Extras (lb10 nb1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Total (for 5 wkts) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201

Fall: 1-44 2-65 3-109 4-129 5-134.

Did not bat: D N Patel, M L Su'a, D K Morrison, W Watson.

Bowling: McDermott 12-3-38-0; Hughes 15.4-2-54-1; Warne 27-8-54-2; Reiffel 6-1-19-0; Waugh 6-1-15-1; Border 6-1-11-0.