Glenn Phillips has stunned Australia on day three of the first Test, becoming the first New Zealand spinner since 2008 to take a five-wicket haul on home soil.
The right-arm off-spinner entered the fray in the first session, helping to bring the Black Caps back into the contest with a brilliant spell.
The 27-year-old claimed the prized scalp of Usman Khawaja after frustrating the Aussie opener, before tearing through the middle-order and claiming two wickets in an over.
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Phillips’ milestone moment came by dismissing first innings century-maker Cameron Green, leading to an emotional embrace with his Kiwi teammates.
It could have very easily been seven wickets for Phillips, with two of his teammates dropping regulation outfield catches, but nothing could wipe the smile off his face after finishing with career-best figures of 5-45 off 16 overs.
“It’s an absolute dream come true,” he said.
“I never thought it would be in home conditions to be able to take a five-fa – I definitely thought it was gonna be more in the subcontinent side of things. It’s a pretty surreal sort of feeling for me at the moment.
“I never really thought about what to do if I ever got a five-fa, but the emotion and the way the crowd went up, it was just an unbelievable moment.”
Having dismissed Khawaja before lunch, Phillips removed Travis Head and Mitch Marsh with successive deliveries after it. He had four when Alex Carey smoked a drive straight to short cover, before Will Young took a sensational catch complete the bag.
Australia were bowled out for 164 in their second dig, giving them a massive lead and forcing New Zealand to require 369 runs to win at Basin Reserve.
Nathan Lyon will likely be the key to victory for his side, given the conditions in Wellington that favoured Phillips earlier in the day.
“Obviously we’ve got to combat the situations that are out there now and obviously there’s a bit of turn,” Phillips said.
“How we go about facing Lyon and the way the big fast bowlers bowl as well is gonna be a challenge. If we can string a couple of partnerships together, I definitely think that we’ve got the time on the board to be able to pull this off hopefully.”