One of Australia's most eye-catching displays of reverse-swing in recent years has delivered yet another shot of confidence for Steve Smith's men.
It didn't cause a collapse or change the course of the first Test in Wellington but the fact skipper Smith delayed taking the second new ball on day four was telling.
Mitch Marsh, Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird all had the old Kookaburra hooping in New Zealand's second dig, helping the tourists wrap up a comfortable win on a Basin Reserve pitch that had flattened out.
The trio will head to Christchurch, where the second Test starts on Saturday and more bowling-friendly conditions are expected, riding high.
"When you're getting it to swing both ways that's a challenge," NZ coach Mike Hesson said.
"Our batsmen were talking about it a lot yesterday afternoon in terms of different ways to combat it.
"To be fair in New Zealand you don't get a lot of reverse-swing, 18 overs into a game on day three.
"It's something we face a heck of a lot more on the subcontinent than we do here."
Opposing captains Smith and Brendon McCullum were both impressed with the way Australia's attack made the pill 'go Irish'.
"They identified pretty quickly the ball wasn't swinging conventionally," McCullum said.
"Once the ball's reverse-swinging it's another thing to apply pressure and execute it and they did that outstandingly well."
Smith praised his quicks for capitalising on a scuffed-up ball in the first Test.
"I think we got lucky, someone hit a cut shot and it really scuffed up one side of the ball," Smith said.
"That really got it started for us.
"But I thought once we got the ball (reverse-swinging) the guys executed really well, we hit good areas, we built a lot of pressure and the bowlers reaped the rewards."
Mitch Marsh's lbw dismissal of Corey Anderson on day four was a prime example.
The ball dipped late to dismiss Anderson for a duck.
Reverse-swing is elusive but often creates havoc when bowlers get it right.
South Africa spearhead Dale Steyn produced unplayable reverse-swing to slice through Australia's middle order, which then included Smith, during a Port Elizabeth Test in 2014.
It generally has as much to do with conditions as it does a paceman's technique.
David Warner was famously fined after questioning whether AB de Villiers used his keeping gloves to "wipe the rough side every ball" after the side's collapse of 4-13 in Port Elizabeth.
Jacques Kallis countered that it was actually a six by Warner that scuffed the ball and allowed Steyn to work his magic.
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