Close Australia 69-2 (Hayden 31*) and 351 need a further 371 runs to beat New Zealand 534-9 dec and 256-9 dec (Vincent 54, Lee 4-56)
scorecard

When New Zealand set off for their tour of Australia the description "whipping boys" seemed generous. A Wisden.com columnist said they were the worst touring team ever to visit Australia. But after another gripping day at the WACA they are in with a genuine chance of a major, major upset.

Stephen Fleming invited the Australians to chase 440 to win, and while discretion might have been the better part of valour for most teams, Steve Waugh's abhorrence of draws is such that his men were only ever going to respond in one way. They closed on 69 for 2 after 17 breathless overs.

Australia lost Justin Langer early for a duck, caught beautifully by Daniel Vettori at third slip as he drove at Shane Bond (1 for 1) before Ricky Ponting smacked a glorious run-a-ball cameo of 26. But when he went, edging Chris Cairns's fourth delivery onto his stumps (52 for 2), Australia suddenly had a real fight on their hands to avoid the unthinkable.

Despite that they continued to score their runs at around four an over, and tomorrow they will need 371 to win off a minimum of 90 overs. Australia have certainly scored that many in a day before - they hammered 411 in the second Test at Hobart, although that was on a first-day wicket, not a fifth-day one. History isn't on their side - the highest total made to win a Test at Perth is almost 100 fewer than this target. Bob Simpson's Australians made 342 for 8 to beat India at the WACA in 1977-78.

For New Zealand the key man is Daniel Vettori, who picked up six wickets in the first innings and who should find plenty of turn, but the spectre of Adam Gilchrist and Hobart 1999-2000, when Australia cracked 369 for 6 to beat Pakistan, looms large. Nobody has ever scored more than 406 to win a Test batting last, but this Australian side have broken one or two major records in the past few years, and they will certainly find no demons in the pitch - a typically true, hard Perth belter.

Australia's thunderous reply came after New Zealand eased to 256 for 9 with, at times, a tranquility that they may come to regret if the Aussies are eight down at stumps tomorrow. They were given a perfect start by Lou Vincent, who set a cracking tempo with a run-a-ball 54, the second gold-star performance of a radiant debut. His first 23 runs came off 36 balls and then he added 31 in 18 with a series of stunning shots, with successive boundaries off Shane Warne bringing him to 50 off 52 balls. It was arguably an even better knock than his first innings 104. Where have New Zealand been hiding this man?

But when Vincent carved Brett Lee to gully the Kiwis went into their shell, with only 20 runs coming in 15 overs as the rest of the top-order scratched around. Mark Richardson (30) was eventually put out of his misery when Mathew Sinclair called him through for a suicidal single (90 for 2). Sinclair was caught behind off Glenn McGrath for 29 (128 for 3), and Stephen Fleming soon followed, bowled neck-and-crop by a fizzing delivery from Warne to end a messy 20-ball innings of 4 (151 for 4).

Chris Cairns, promoted to No. 4, moved the innings up a couple of gears, creaming Glenn McGrath for two mighty sixes in his lusty 42. But when he went to the second ball after tea, caught by Warne at third man off Lee, New Zealand were again indecisive. The slog was on, but only 57 runs came from 15 overs at a time when they should have been looking for six or seven an over.

Nathan Astle, after an enterprising 40, pulled Jason Gillespie straight to Langer at deep square leg (208 for 6); Craig McMillan picked out Warne in the deep (241 for 7); and Lee did for Vettori and Bond, treating the latter to a ridiculously excessive send-off after yorking him for the second time in the match, before Fleming called time.

Remarkably, New Zealand had gone through the whole series without being bowled out. And more peculiarly still, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne - Ashes destroyers with 63 wickets at 17 - managed only 11 wickets between them at 68. Chuck in Steve Waugh's 11 runs in three innings so far, and it hasn't been a good series to be part of the Australian spine.

Rob Smyth is on the staff of Wisden.com.

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