Steve Smith edges Australia ahead on opening day of Boxing Day Test

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Playing their first Test at the ground since 1987, New Zealand bowlers found appreciable early swing, but Australia, asked to bat, went past testing phases throughout the day, with all but one batsman facing at least 50 deliveries.

Trent Boult, returning from a rib injury, struck off the day's fourth ball, slipping an in-swinging full-length delivery between Joe Burns' bat and front foot. David Warner combined with No.3 Labuschagne (63) to play out a testing period, despite early movement from Boult and Tim Southee, who beat the outside edge on multiple occasions.

Warner did the bulk of the scoring, collecting 29 of his 41 runs through singles, doubles and triples around the big outfield. Labuschagne eased his way in, collecting only eight runs off his first 40 deliveries.

Less than five overs before the lunch break, Neil Wagner slipped in a swinging yorker that caught Warner in his crease, inducing a thick edge that flew to the right of Southee at second slip. He went for it with one hand, holding on to it despite a juggle.

The dismissal made way for another Steve Smith-Neil Wagner contest: the bowler's short-pitched deliveries, from over the wicket, stifled the right-hander, who battled to his first fifty in six Test innings, moving into the top 10 of Australia's highest run-getters.

Right after lunch, Labuschagne survived a leg-before appeal off Mitchell Santner, but was saved by the extra bounce on the day one surface. Smith, meanwhile, made clear his intention of taking on the short ball challenge, pulling the final ball of the next over by Southee to the square-leg fence, his second boundary in five balls.

Labuschagne eased his way to his fifth 50-plus score, accelerating to the mark by taking 17 runs off Santner’s third over, two sixes included, the second of which brought up the fifty-run stand. The third-wicket stand inched Australia close to 150 by the 50-over mark, but it abruptly ended when a back-of-length ball from Colin de Grandhomme pinged Labuschagne’s right elbow and hit the stumps.

Tea was taken with Australia on 155/3, with Matthew Wade joining Smith, who had moved to 41 by then. After the break, Smith ticked past his fifty, collecting two back-to-back boundaries off Southee’s 12th over. With Santner’s spin being relatively ineffective, Kane Williamson moved back to seam bowling from both ends, which handed him a breakthrough soon enough. Right after an inside edge ran to the fine-leg boundary for a four, Wade pushed hard at a de Grandhomme delivery that wobbled away from the bat, producing an edge to the wicket-keeper.

The new ball was taken when available, but Smith (77*) and new man Travis Head (25*) ensured no further wickets fell, collecting four boundaries in the last 10 overs to take Australia past the 250-run mark when stumps were drawn.