Kiwis in full command of Dunedin Test after rain forces early finish on day three

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Wellington, Mar 8: A brilliant century by Hamish Rutherford in his debut Test helped New Zealand take a 235 run lead over England in the first Test match in Dunedin after rain forced an early finish on day three.

Persistent drizzle forced players from the field at 3.50pm on the third day with New Zealand in total command on 402-7 in their first innings at Dunedin’s University Oval after dismissing England for a paltry 167, Stuff.co.nz reports.

Umpires Paul Reiffel and Asad Rauf ushered players off the field as drizzle became heavier, and conditions didn’t improve as play was called off for the day at 5.15pm with 32 overs still to be bowled, the paper said.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum was unbeaten on 44 off 42 balls, including eight fours, while test debutant Bruce Mar in was on 17 after surviving a short-pitched barrage from England’s pace men. The hosts added 271 runs off 66 overs today, and lost seven wickets in the process, the paper added.

A fired up pace spearhead James Anderson was the pick of the England bowlers, with figures of 4-108 off 29 overs. Stuart Broad had 2-89 off 24 while Steven Finn, on his former home ground, bowled 26 wicketless overs for 102 runs.

Opener Rutherford was the star of the day on test debut on his home ground, scoring 171 off 217 balls, and it was the second highest score on debut for New Zealand, after Mathew Sinclair’s 214 against West Indies in Wellington in 1999, and the eighth highest for all countries. (ANI)