AUS vs NZ, 1st Test, Day 1: Australia To Bat First, Ferguson Debuts For Kiwis

Australian skipper Tim Paine won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand in what were good conditions as per him for batting on a hot day at Perth.

Australia will be  locking horns with trans-tasman rivals New Zealand in the first of the 3-match Test series at the Perth Stadium in Western Australia in a short while from now. The Perth Test is being played out in the Day-Night format with the pink ball. Australian skipper Tim Paine won the toss and elected to bat first against New Zealand in what were good conditions as per him for batting on a hot day at Perth. The 'Baggy Greens' named an unchanged playing XI to the one they fielded in their last series clinching Test win over Pakistan at the Adelaide Oval. Temperatures for Perth are currently scorching close to the 40 C, though they will ease and cool as the day turns into night.

Australia opt to bat in the day/night Test against New Zealand!

FOLLOW #AUSvNZ live 👉 https://t.co/lywZNrst6O pic.twitter.com/74Q3SnhZ5h — ICC (@ICC) December 12, 2019

Meanwhile, the Kiwis would be without the service of their experienced seam bowler Trent Boult who is still recuperating from a rib injury. Tearaway speedster Lockie Ferguson marks his Test debut after replacing Trent Boult in the Kiwis playing eleven. Toss Report Tim Paine: "The pitch looks very good. It's very hot. And when I won the toss at the Oval and bowled I promised myself I wouldn't bowl first again. If anything this pitch looks better than day one last year and with the weather hopefully it will break up and get some cracking in it. We're starting to get some consistency in our playing XI." Kane Williamson: "We were going to have a bat as well. Obviously with the warm temperatures around and the nature of the surface because it does tend to crack. But at the same time there has been a lot of water put in it so hopefully we can get some sideways movement first up. Trent Boult isn't quite right so Lockie Ferguson comes in. Really exciting opportunity for him to come in and make his debut." Playing XI Australia: David Warner, Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Matthew Wade, Travis Head, Tim Paine (c/wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood New Zealand: Tom Latham, Jeet Raval, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Henry Nicholls, BJ Watling (wk), Colin de Grandhomme, Mitch Santner, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Lockie Ferguson