Australia close in on Kiwis after Ponting ton

A dashing century by captain Ricky Ponting helped Australia score 219 for four on the second day of the third and final Test against New Zealand in Auckland on Sunday.

Ponting smacked 105 off 110 balls as his team trailed the Kiwis by 73 runs at the close of play at Eden Park.

The Kiwis, 1-0 down in the series, were earlier bowled out in their first innings for 292 after resuming at 199 for five, losing their last five wickets for 64 runs.

Paceman Glenn McGrath and leg spinner Shane Warne collected two wickets apiece to finish with three each. Daniel Vettori propped up the tail with an unbeaten 41 off 50 deliveries.

Australia made a shaky start to their reply, losing Justin Langer (six) and Matthew Hayden (38) before tea. Ponting put them back in control, however, with his 22nd test century.

NO MERCY

The skipper showed no mercy against the bowlers, belting 13 fours and four sixes before he was caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum off part-time spinner Nathan Astle.

Paul Wiseman captured a fourth wicket for New Zealand when he bowled Damien Martyn for 38 with a ball that turned sharply, leaving Michael Clarke (18) and nightwatchman Jason Gillespie (one) unbeaten at stumps.

New Zealand's innings had ended on the stroke of lunch.

Astle was caught by third slip Langer off McGrath for 19 and McCullum (25) nicked one behind to Adam Gilchrist, who held a low catch to give McGrath his 495th test wicket.

Warne removed James Franklin for three when he presented Simon Katich with a simple catch at bat-pad. The spinner also added the scalp of Wiseman for eight when he ran out of patience and skied the ball to Gillespie at mid-off.

Chris Martin, yet to reach double figures in 28 test innings, fell to Michael Kasprowicz for a second-ball duck.

Franklin then gave the Kiwis cause for optimism when he dismissed the two Australian openers, Langer departing in the second over after playing the ball on to his wicket.

Hayden and Ponting put on 76 runs in 15 overs before Hayden was trapped lbw by Franklin with the total on 84.

Scoreboard

New Zealand (1st innings): (overnight 199-5)
C.Cumming lbw Gillespie 5
J.Marshall c Hayden b McGrath 29
H.Marshall c Ponting b Warne 76
S.Fleming b Kasprowicz 65
N.Astle c Langer b McGrath 19
L.Vincent b Gillespie 2
B.McCullum c Gilchrist b McGrath 25
D.Vettori not out 41
J.Franklin c Katich b Warne 3
P.Wiseman c Gillespie b Warne 8
C.Martin c Clarke b Kasprowicz 0.

Extras: (b-4, lb-13, nb-2) 19.

Total: (all out, 116.2 overs) 292

Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-53, 3-179, 4-183, 5-194, 6-228, 7-247, 8-262, 9-288.

Bowling: McGrath 34-20-49-3, Gillespie 25-8-64-2, Kasprowicz 30.2-7-89-2 (nb-1), Warne 23-4-63-3 (nb-1), Ponting 4-1-10-0

(NB: the official scorers amended Hamish Marshall's dismissal from lbw to caught)

Australia (1st innings):
J.Langer b Franklin 6
M.Hayden lbw Franklin 38
R.Ponting c McCullum b Astle 105
D.Martyn b Wiseman 38
M.Clarke not out 18
J.Gillespie not out 1.

Extras: (b-2, lb-5, nb-6) 13.

Total: (for four wickets, 65 overs) 219

Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-84, 3-187, 4-215

To bat: S.Katich, A.Gilchrist, S.Warne, M.Kasprowicz, G.McGrath

Bowling: Martin 11-3-53-0 (nb-3), Franklin 10-1-49-2 (nb-2), Astle 16-5-44-1, Vettori 12-3-31-0 (nb-1), Wiseman 16-3-35-1.