Aussies strangle Kiwis

Captain Ricky Ponting opted against enforcing the follow-on armed with a crushing 324-run innings lead as Australia set New Zealand up for the knockout punch in the second cricket Test at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

The ruthless Australians, who declared their first innings at 575 for eight, bowled the Kiwis out for 251 on Sunday -- 124 runs adrift of the follow-on -- and instead of sending the battered Black Caps back in to bat, Ponting searched for even more runs.

At the close, Australia were 57 without loss and had built their overall lead to 381 runs with Justin Langer on 31 and Matthew Hayden on 21.

Ponting's decision, primarily to ease the workload on his four star bowlers in the Adelaide heat with three home Tests fast approaching against Pakistan, virtually ensured the Test would enter a fifth day on Tuesday.

"There are still two full days left in this Test, the guys had a good bowl, we'll get maybe two sessions off to freshen up a bit and then come at them again tomorrow when we've got 500-plus on the board," said paceman Glenn McGrath, who led the Aussie bowlers with 4-66.

"In the big picture that's probably the best thing for our bowlers to freshen up, let the wicket deteriorate a little bit more, so it'll be good for Warney (Shane Warne) too."

The Kiwis have been outclassed in the series, skittled for 76 in their second innings to capitulate to an innings and 156-run defeat in last week's Gabba Test and they are, weather permitting, on course for another hiding here.

The balmy spell of weather is forecast to change with a cold front and rain predicted on Tuesday, so Ponting will have to judge his second innings declaration to give his refreshed bowlers enough overs to bowl out the Kiwis for a second time here and claim victory.

The Kiwis are lurching towards their sixth defeat in their last eight Tests, with the only two wins coming against winless Bangladesh last month.

"The bottom line is we're being outplayed, we're being thumped," NZ captain Stephen Fleming said after the day's play.

New Zealand's main hopes of negotiating the challenging 376 follow-on target evaporated when Fleming (83) and fellow senior batsman Nathan Astle (52) were dismissed in the space of four overs in the hour after lunch Sunday.

Much hung on Fleming to stay and lead the fight against world cricket's all-beaters but he fell to a catch behind off the toe of his bat giving McGrath the first of his four wickets in the innings.

Fleming "walked" before West Indian umpire Steve Bucknor raised his finger ending a defiant 212-minute vigil with 10 fours.

"I felt it was pretty obvious so I certainly didn't hang around, I don't want to enter into the 'walk' debate, but I felt it was a pretty obvious noise in that situation," Fleming said.

Fleming ranks as the greatest all-time New Zealand Test run-getter with 5,660 runs in his 89th Test ahead of Martin Crowe's 5,444 runs in 77 Tests.

The second body blow soon followed when McGrath coaxed Astle to dolly a catch to Langer at mid-wicket just four balls after he raised his 19th Test half-century with a cover-drive off the Aussie pace spearhead.

Brisbane Test century-maker Jacob Oram only lasted 28 balls before edging Jason Gillespie to Adam Gilchrist for 12, leaving the Kiwis at 183 for six.

Wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, coming in at seven with regular No.4 Scott Styris held back in the order with an inner-ear infection, was out lbw for 10, giving Gillespie his third wicket of the innings.

James Franklin gifted Test cricket's leading wicket-taker leg-spinner Shane Warne with his 550th Test wicket when he padded up to a big leg-break and was out lbw for seven.

That brought Styris into bat at No.10 and he put on 29 runs for the ninth-wicket with Daniel Vettori, before the spinner was out lbw to McGrath for a spirited 20 off 60 balls.

The Kiwis lost just one wicket in the morning session when nightwatchman Paul Wiseman was lbw to paceman Kasprowicz for 11.