New Zealand’s Martin Guptill (centre), Ross Taylor (right) and Mark Craig celebrate the dismissal of Australia’s batsman Adam Voges during the day-night cricket Test at the Adelaide Oval. (AFP)

AFP/Adelaide


New Zealand’s players claimed a contentious challenge decision that went against them could have a major bearing on the outcome of the first-ever day-night Test against Australia in Adelaide yesterday.    
The second day was dominated by the fall-out over a review where Australia’s Nathan Lyon survived after the ‘Hot Spot’ thermal imaging revealed a mark on the back of his bat before he had scored. It was a major let-off for Australia, flailing at 118 for eight and still trailing the Kiwis first innings total by 84 runs in a low-scoring Test match.
Lyon walked three-quarters of the way off the ground believing he was out before he returned to continue batting and join in a record Australian trans-Tasman series 74-run ninth-wicket stand with Peter Nevill. Lyon went on to make 34 as the Australians hit back to take a 22-run innings lead with Nevill reaching his highest Test score of 66 and incapacitated Mitchell Starc smashing two massive sixes in an unbeaten 24.
The Black Caps hold a 94-run lead with five second-innings wickets intact at the end of yesterday’s second day.  Former Kiwi skipper and senior batsman Ross Taylor diplomatically chose his words, but it couldn’t hide the anguish of the far-reaching TV umpire’s clanger.  
“The players were pretty confident that it was out,” Taylor told reporters. “Obviously, the Hot Spot that showed up, Lyon walking off and nearly getting to the boundary, I think it’s had a big bearing on the match. But yeah, it is what it is. We’ve just got to get on with it and hopefully we can bat as long as possible tomorrow.”  
Taylor, who joked about keeping his match fee in the face of the media questioning over the umpires’ decision, added: “I guess you’ve got to ask (TV umpire) Nigel Llong that. That was one of the discussions that the boys did talk about in the change room. We can understand when the umpires make the wrong decision on the field, but once you’ve got so many different angles and what-not, you think that more often than not, 99 to 100 percent of the time you’re going to get the right answer. I guess we didn’t today.”
The Lyon let-off had further repercussions with the Australian tail batting on to force the Kiwis to face the pink ball in the more challenging batting conditions under lights. “We always thought we were going to hang in there and we were only a couple of wickets away. The new ball does a lot under lights,” Taylor said. “If we were able to bat a bit more in that middle (daylight) session it might have made things a little bit easier, but it wasn’t to be.”
Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was sheepish over the officiating fiasco. “I’m not too sure. It’s one of those things, with all that technology there and still couldn’t quite get a decision,” he said.
It was rough justice for the Kiwis, who have been on the receiving end of some controversial umpiring decisions during this series. Skipper Brendon McCullum was well set for his first Test century in Australia on 80 in the first Brisbane Test, when he got a disputed call from English umpire Llong, who gave him out to a catch off his pad by Steve Smith at second slip.