ANALYSIS: New Zealand made to rue missed opportunities on Boxing Day
Smith's reaction bordered on petulance, a frustration born out of being forced back to practice a skill that had once seemed too simple but was now beyond his reach.
Those remonstrations continued as he stormed off the field for lunch, but when he returned it was with a different mindset. Where he allowed the ball to hit him before lunch, Smith studiously ducked under the short balls after the break, interspersing his avoidance tactics with the occasional, sweetly-timed shot down the ground with both Matthew Wade — who also spent the majority of this 78 balls yo-yoing under a Wagner barrage — and Travis Head.
It was, for the most part, far from vintage Smith, but his 77 runs off 192 was enough to make New Zealand rue not pressing home its advantage.In that sense, where it really counts, this Boxing Day should be seen as a missed opportunity for the Kiwis — who need to wrap up Australia's innings early tomorrow to have any chance of levelling the series.
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