Tea New Zealand 179 & 15 for 1 (Young 7*, Lyon 1-0) need 354 runs to win Australia 383 & 164 (Lyon 41, Phillips 5-45, Henry 3-36)
After being disastrously run out for a duck in the first innings, Kane Williamson survived a call caught by Lyon on his first delivery which Australia unsuccessfully looked at.
Williamson made it through nervously, but Lyon’s menacing opener will make Australia all the more confident despite the terrible collapse.
As they seek a rare Test win over Australia, New Zealand have seemingly been outmatched at times early in the series. But Phillips stood out after top-scoring for New Zealand with a defiant 71 off 70 in a disappointing first innings of 179.
Having dismissed Usman Khawaja in the first session, Phillips gave New Zealand the spark they needed shortly after the interval with the wickets of Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh in successive deliveries.
Head, who had made just one run in his last three innings, ran out 29 off 36 balls in the type of proactive action Australia were aiming for in a bid to get the game going with a shower forecast on the fifth day.
But he stayed away before Marsh was caught at short leg as Phillips was soon joined in the attack by Rachin Ravindra’s left-spin.
Phillips was on a roll as he got Alex Carey to drive to Tim Southee at cover for his fourth wicket. Cameron Greene, back from a masterclass unbeaten 174 in the first innings, held steady with 34 off 80 balls as wickets fell around him before hitting Phillips at short-leg.
But New Zealand can play down the decision to ignore champion Mitchell Santner. Despite Philips’ heroics, New Zealand will need to rewrite the record books if they are to take the lead in this series, with the highest ever chase at Basin Reserve being 277 for 3 by Pakistan in 2003.
A New Zealand comeback looked unlikely when Lyon, the night watchman, dominated the first 30 minutes of play to frustrate a New Zealand side desperate for early wickets. Having scored the most runs in Test history without a half-century, with a top score of 47, Lyon fell behind after scoring a cool 41 off 46 balls in the top score of the innings.
Lyon had survived a difficult spell late on the second day, where he was hit on the body and fell on the last ball of the game by Southee in the slips. But he looked more comfortable after Australia resumed at 13 for 2. He dominated the batting and rode his luck to drive Southee through the slips for the first of three successive boundaries.
Australia’s lead crossed 250 and Lyon hit 1500 career runs as he cashed in on indifferent New Zealand bowling. As when they made the moves against Green and Josh Hazlewood, who combined for a record 116-run last-wicket partnership in Australia’s first innings, there was a lack of hostility from New Zealand’s quicks who resisted bowling mainly short.
But Lyon couldn’t reach his milestone after whipping Henry to a leaping Will Young through the middle.
Will O’Rourke provided strong short-pace bowling before lunch but was forced off the field after failing to complete his first over of the second session due to a tight left hamstring.
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based in Perth