How interesting has this nifty little Test been?

Day three saw the BLACKCAPS claw their way back into the game thanks to the glorious willow wielding from Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson. Day four began and Taylor carried on for a bit and the kiwis took the lead #Exciting.

The kiwis' bowling attack once again showed improvements and took a few early wickets, most importantly David Warner's wicket. Unfortunately Steve Smith and Adam Voges then combined  to each score centuries and take back the advantage as the crisply found gaps in the field and once again heaped misery on Mark Craig and Trent Boult. 

Craig and Boult look out of touch, which is far more of an issue with Boult but Craig's inability to either take wickets or apply pressure from his end hinders the effectiveness of the bowling attack. Kane Williamson was the only kiwi bowler to concede more runs an over than Craig and Boult, with eight runs coming off his over while Boult went for five and over and Craig went for a touch under five.

Both teams have kept the game moving along quickly, Australia especially have scored their runs quickly and without taking too many risks either. To win the Test, Australia need to take 10 wickets and that takes time ... usually. Two sessions; from lunch onwards, would be the minimum if Smith wants to go for the win and that would be a 'safe' win as he wouldn't leave the kiwis much time to chase 350ish. 

Smith could make this a fair contest - it's not his job to - giving the BLACKCAPS a day or a little less than a day to chase that total. 

Key point being that Smith is in control, utter control.

A lot has been said about the lack of a contest between bat and ball, which is understandable given the amount of runs that have been scored and how they been scored. What happens if we are sitting on the edge of our seats tomorrow evening (arvo in Aus) as the Test comes to a climax? Sure it's not ideal but the optimist in me hopes for an epic day of Test cricket. 

The sort of day five where you ride each ball, nerves tingling, satisfied with each forward defence or boundary. Here's hoping.

All eyes on you Steve...