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Aussies' lead swells despite floodlight-fuelled implosion

Battered Kiwis take 5-29 in final session but Australia's lead balloons out to 417 at stumps on day three of the first Domain Test

Another wicket-laden final session under floodlights looks likely to fast-track a result in the opening Domain Test, although Australia remains firmly in control as the Perth Stadium pitch begins to crack under days of extreme heat.

After the Black Caps were dismissed for 166 in today's first session, thereby handing their rivals a daunting 250-run lead, the fatigued visitors hit back in a typically frantic final hour or more with the pink ball to reduce Australia to 6-167.

However, that overall lead stands at 417 with further 40C heat forecast for Sunday, which should exacerbate the cracking in the pitch that made batting against New Zealand's seamers a handful on Saturday night.

And that degree of difficulty can only be compounded when Australia's new-ball pair Mitchell Starc – comparatively fresh from his 5-52 in NZ's first innings – and Pat Cummins press for victory at notably greater bowling speeds.

Starc's pink-ball purple patch continues with another bag

The Australian pair will also have to dig deep to emulate the efforts of NZ seamers Tim Southee and Neil Wagner who heroically operated unchanged during the final 90 minutes tonight to claim 5-36 between them in that time.

While Australia were as ruthless with the ball as they were remorseless with the bat in grinding their way to 1-131 before the wickets began tumbling tonight, the Kiwis can also feel fortune's gaze has turned elsewhere.

Wade and Wagner go toe-to-toe in epic face-off under lights

From the moment skipper Kane Williamson lost the toss and was consigned to bowling, his team have been forced to endure much of the most brutal conditions in the field while Australia have ensured that much of that taxing time has been spent at the batting crease.

And while both teams have been reduced to 10 fit players due to injuries to fast bowlers – NZ debutant Lockie Ferguson (calf strain) and Australia spearhead Josh Hazlewood (hamstring) – the visitors found themselves on the wrong side of a tough DRS call early in the day.

Contentious De Grandhomme dismissal hands Starc fifth

The call that adjudged allrounder Colin de Grandhomme caught at slip for 23 came under scrutiny as NZ's tail collapsed, and that discussion continued as Australia asserted their dominance in the final two sessions.

There were sufficient signs of the pitch playing tricks during Australia's hard-fought second innings from which opener Joe Burns and in-form number three Marnus Labuschagne prised half-centuries to indicate batting will be tough from here-on, notwithstanding the weather.

Steve Smith copped a stinging blow on the hand from a ball that leaped from the fissured surface, and although the Black Caps' overworked quicks were reduced to bowling speeds of barely 120km/h after such a gruelling three days, they grabbed five of the six scalps with short-pitched deliveries.

Of those, the ones that accounted for Labuschagne (50) and Smith (16) were fairly benign but hit directly to fielders.

Burns slaps Santner straight for shot of the day

However, those that claimed Burns (fending a catch to gully off his face) and David Warner, who seemed to misread the length of a delivery in the half-light and top-edged a pull shot, offered evidence that batting will only get tougher.

If the parity that has been achieved in playing stocks was to be replicated in first innings scores, New Zealand's middle-order needed to find the mettle and the method that had eluded their top-order teammates the previous evening.

Unlike Friday night, the elements were squarely in their favour with even more ferocious heat – topping 41C as the players 'warmed-up' prior to play beginning – than the scorching first two days putting the bowling team at a decided disadvantage.

But because of the damage that had been wrought under lights when the Black Caps were reduced to 5-109, the visitors were afforded little margin for error and duly used their good fortune in the day's third over.

Ross Taylor (who had posted a century in his most recent Test outing against England) and B.J. Watling (scorer of a double-hundred in the Test before that) engineered a mix-up that should have cost the latter his wicket.

Having knocked Starc into the gap at cover, Taylor scampered a single and turned with full intent of attempting a second only to see Nathan Lyon slide and gather the ball, at which point he bellowed at Watling to retreat.

Unfortunately, the NZ keeper was so committed to the run he effectively gave up all hope of regaining his ground only for Tim Paine to fumble Lyon's return in a haunting re-run of the calamity that cost Australia the third Ashes Test at Headingley earlier this year.

The fact it was Lyon making the throw, where in England he was the fumbler, only lent further poignancy to the muffed chance.

But unlike Leeds, it proved a reprieve with little consequence as Watling added just seven more runs to his tally before jamming down late on a delivery from Pat Cummins that caught the inside edge and dislodged the off-bail.

Watch all 10 New Zealand first-innings wickets

It was therefore left to Taylor, who still holds the record score for a visiting Test batter in Australia courtesy of the 290 he posted at the nearby WACA Ground when NZ last toured four years ago, to forge unions with his allrounders and push his team's innings late into the day.

That plan unravelled at pace upon the introduction of spin.

Lyon had copped some punishment from the veteran New Zealander on Friday night when Taylor belted him for three boundaries in a single over.

But from the first delivery Lyon sent at his foe the next afternoon, roles were reversed as Taylor was almost bowled by a fizzing off-break that spun past bat and pad and spent a further 11 deliveries as Lyon's plaything before being put out of his torment.

The manner in which Lyon worked over the right-hander, whose 80 today leaves him 70 adrift of Stephen Fleming as NZ's all-time leading Test runs scorer, was as compelling as it was conclusive.

And from the moment Taylor was caught by Steve Smith lunging forward at slip, any hope the Black Caps might have held of subjecting Australia's bowlers to the same trial-by-temperature their own bowlers had endured across almost two days had evaporated in the Perth cauldron.

Marnus rips one through the gate to show all-round skill

Their final three wickets tumbled for the addition of just 11 runs, although the first of those – allrounder Colin de Grandhomme – triggered debate that lingered until after the sun had set.

A fearsome Starc bouncer forced de Grandhomme to fend for his life, with the ball deflecting from somewhere on his besieged person to Smith at second slip.

After pondering Australia's appeal for so long it appeared to have been turned down, umpire Aleem Dar slowly raised his finger and a seemingly bemused de Grandhomme then called for a second opinion after consultation with batting partner, Mitchell Santner.

As third official Marais Erasmus studied all manner of evidence in the search for corroboration, he eventually deemed there was not sufficiently conclusive proof to overturn the on-field decision even though there seemed a similar paucity of facts to uphold the conviction.

If de Grandhomme was miffed by the result, he hid it well although he appeared more mystified than aggrieved as he left the field.

Umpire overturned as Aleem Dar takes a tumble

It wasn't the only occasion that Dar, officiating in his 129th Test that sees him overtake West Indian Steve Bucknor as the umpire to take charge in most matches, found himself as the story as the brutal day ground on.

As New Zealand mined their resolve to try and break the Burns-Labuschagne partnership, Burns was forced to dive for safety to avoid being run out as Santner charged in from mid-off to tend the bowlers' end stumps.

He never made it, and Dar emerged as the sole victim of the incident as he fled the scene to adjudicate from a supposedly safe distance only to clash with Santner and collapse to the turf in obvious agony.

The sight of Australia team physiotherapist David Beakley administering anaesthetic spray to the stricken official's leg drew derisive cheers from the crowd and grimaces from the Pakistan umpire.

But he was eventually helped to his feet and soldiered on through the final session, albeit with a pressure bandage fixed to his damaged limb.

The first Domain Test is being broadcast live and free in Australia on Channel 7 as well as live and with no ad breaks during play on Fox Cricket. Fans in Australia can also live stream the match on Kayo via cricket.com.au and the CA Live app, where you can also find live and free radio streams from ABC Grandstand, Crocmedia and Macquarie 

Beat the heat but still enjoy the cricket! Twilight tickets for the Domain Test in Perth are just $25, granting entry for the second and third sessions of the day. Click here for more

Domain Test Series v New Zealand

Australia squad: Tim Paine (c), Joe Burns, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner.

New Zealand: Todd Astle, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson (c)

First Test: December 12-16, Perth Stadium day-night (Seven, Fox & Kayo)

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG (Seven, Fox & Kayo)

Third Test: January 3-7, SCG (Seven, Fox & Kayo)