Marnus Labuschagne's maiden double-hundred propels Australia to 454

Marnus Labuschagne's maiden Test double-century helped him to reach an astounding 837 runs for the home summer as he formed the backbone of Australia's first innings against a New Zealand side that was reduced to dressing up assistant coach Peter Fulton as a substitute fielder as illness stretched further across the squad.

Matthew Wade and Travis Head were tempted into errors in the morning session, but Labuschagne was content to take his time as only 71 runs were compiled by the hosts before lunch, and then waited patiently in the 190s opposite captain Tim Paine, who made 35 in a stand worth 79 runs.

But from the moment of Paine's dismissal, bowled through bat and pad by Colin de Grandhomme, New Zealand fought well to restrict the Australians to 454, with the wristspin of Todd Astle looking particularly dangerous on a pitch that is starting to take more than useful turn for spinners.

New Zealand's stocks had been thinned even further by the news that Jeet Raval was now struggled with flu-like symptoms, forcing Fulton into the whites to augment the touring team's options for fielding and running drinks out to the middle.

Their diligence in the field and with the ball was laudable in not allowing the Australians to get away, even as Labuschagne found the occasional boundary. There was one DRS referral by the tourists against Paine in the morning session, but Astle's suspicion of some pad before bat was proven a long way from reality by replays.

Wade had suggested he might be the one to push the game forward on the first evening, but the day was not yet an over old when he knelt down to sweep William Somerville, misjudged the flight and was bowled, and angrily swatted his bat into the ground once he heard the sound of the off stump knocked back.

Head was a little more patient, corralled steadily by New Zealand from around the wicket, but he had made only 10 from 42 balls by the time he tried to cut a Matt Henry cross-seam delivery that was too close to his body and offered a thin edge behind to BJ Watling.

Labuschagne, though, was not deterred, cruising through to his third 150 plus score of the Test season, and looking good for plenty more. He had one nervous moment near lunch when he inside-edged Astle just past the off stump but otherwise radiated an air of security that has been rare for Australian cricket in recent years.

The scoring rate was lifted by Labuschagne and Paine after lunch as the SCG avoided the worst of hot temperatures of more than 45C in western Sydney. But with Astle gaining extra turn, and Wagner and de Grandhomme offering tight spells, Labuschagne was forced to slow right down in the 190s, with Paine even facing boos from the SCG crowd when he was unable to rotate the strike.

Eventually, Labuschagne was able to squirt an edge past Watling for the first double-century of his Test career, an innings that brought a standing ovation from those in attendance and underlined just how much he had grown as a batsman and a cricketer since he first batted at No. 3 for Australia in the corresponding Test at the SCG against India last year.

Whatever hopes Paine may have had for extending the partnership were ended when he failed to cover a de Grandhomme offcutter, and Astle soon followed up a sharply bouncing googly by flighting a leg break nicely enough to coax Labuschagne into offering a leaping return catch.

James Pattinson was bounced out by Wagner and Cummins flicked another Astle googly to Glenn Phillips at short leg, before some brief Mitchell Starc entertainment was ended by Wagner. This meant Australia's last five wickets had gone down for 44, a reminder that Labuschagne's feats were not achieved in a vacuum.