Perth Test, Day 3, Lunch
Sunday, December 2, 2001 Now things are getting interesting. It is still a fantastic wicket for batting, but New Zealand came out with a firm plan this morning – especially by feeding Mark Waugh with short balls, and eventually they got their rewards. It could have been even better for them if Fleming had taken that catch early on. It would have given them the momentum they needed, and I'm sure then the appeal against Langer would have been upheld.

Daniel Vettori got the wickets, and his role today is central to New Zealand's hopes. He operates best when he is tying up an end, as his method of attack is pressure-based, and if he can wheel away from one end then the seamers will be able to take turns from the other. I was very impressed by Chris Martin's first spell to Waugh – his first over had him in all sorts of trouble. It was an all-out attack though, and if that's to be the plan then the seamers are bound to lose a bit of sting quite quickly. If Vettori finds a good rhythm then they will be able to operate in short bursts.

Justin Langer's still there though, and after all this time they still don't seem to have formed a plan for him. He's watching the ball very closely and his defence has been immaculate. He could be a handful again.

I also think New Zealand's strategists have forgotten a bit about Damien Martyn. They've been on both sides of the wicket to him, and it seems that they may have spent too much time worrying about the other bigger guns. If they've forgotten about Gilchrist as well then they've had it!

Steve Waugh failed again, and even he'd admit to being a little worried about his form now – but no more than the next guy would. He's had a tough series and he'd have hoped to redeem himself a bit, but Vettori did him with a great ball and as a batsman you can't complain when that happens.

He's clearly not enjoying his cricket though. There are extenuating circumstances – he's coming back from a nasty injury – but really he could do with getting some spark and bubble back into his game. It may also have reflected on his captaincy yesterday. He's a man who shows great faith in his bowlers, which can be to his detriment if they go on to spend two days out in the field, and he could probably have operated them in shorter bursts yesterday when the going got tough.

Overall, New Zealand will be very happy with the morning session. It will be tougher as the day goes on, as the ball gets older and the bodies that bit wearier, but if they can grab another couple this afternoon they will be cock-a-hoop. That would allow them to bowl naturally in the final session and enjoy themselves.

South Africa flew into Perth this morning, and they will be desperate to see some of this match. It's not on the local telly until the afternoon, but I think they are coming down later for a practice session. They'll be particularly interested to see if New Zealand's short-ball policy works. They genuinely believe they can beat Australia over the series, and that's not something that any side has thought for two years.

Ian Healy made a record 395 dismissals in 119 Tests for Australia. His comments will be appearing on Wisden.com at the end of every session in the series. He was talking to Andrew Miller.

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