THE Aussies are in command at the end of day one of the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington.

They reached stumps at 3-147 in pursuit of the home side’s 183.

Here are all the talking points from the day’s play.

1. THE RULE THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE

IF cricket officials are serious about fairness and equality in the sport, then they will change this rule. Now.

Adam Voges was spectacularly let off the hook when he left a Doug Bracewell delivery that hit the top of his off stump in the last over of the day. He remained at the crease, though, because umpire Richard Illingworth signalled a no-ball.

Television replays clearly showed Bracewell did not overstep the mark, and it was in fact a legal delivery. Voges should have been walking back to the dressing room, but instead of common sense prevailing, he was left to face out the final over.

The replay was not shown on the big screen at the ground, only on television, which explains why the Kiwis and the crowd didn’t erupt in anger.

This shed light on a rule cricket just has to change.

When a batsman is dismissed but replays show the bowler’s foot landed over the popping crease — even by a millimetre — then the batsman is immediately recalled.

It’s harsh on bowlers, where even the most minuscule of mistakes can rob them of a wicket, but to the letter of the law, it’s correct.

Why, then, does the same rule not apply when bowlers are proven to have been wronged?

The simple fact is that Doug Bracewell bowled a legal delivery, got Adam Voges out but was left with nothing to show for it. A quick replay was all it took to confirm the umpire made a mistake by ruling it a no-ball. So why then was a message not relayed out to the middle to change the decision and send Voges packing?

And here's the delivery that bowled Voges and was then called a no ball... #NZvAUS pic.twitter.com/2iVICWxbAu — cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) February 12, 2016

The third umpire would have seen the replay that all television viewers saw. It would have been incredibly easy to contact Richard Illingworth, inform him of the error, and see that the right decision was upheld.

But that didn’t happen.

After all the furore surrounding the incident involving Mitchell Marsh’s caught-and-bowled in the third and final ODI in Hamilton — where he was only given out because the crowd, players and umpires were alerted to his wicket only via a replay on the big screen at the ground — the overriding sentiment was that, regardless of the process, the right decision was reached, and that’s the most important thing.

Yet in Friday’s instance, following protocol was deemed more important than getting the right decision. It boggles the mind.

Why should batsmen be saved but bowlers hung out to dry?

Plain and simple, if a repeat of today’s events ever occurs again, then protocol should be thrown out the window in favour of reaching the right decision. The third umpie should have a quiet word to the on-field umpire, and the no-ball call should be rescinded and the wicket upheld.

It’s not difficult.

2. BIRD’S STUTTERING RETURN

JACKSON Bird was playing his first Test match since August 2013, so it wasn’t realistic to expect the world of him in his return to the Baggy Green.

But the 29-year-old was noticeably poorer than his teammates on a day that saw Australia rip through New Zealand to dismiss them for just 183.

Bird opened the bowling after pipping James Pattinson for a place in the starting XI in Wellington, but struggled with his line and length for most of the day. When Josh Hazlewood and Peter Siddle were coaxing edges from the home side’s batsmen at will, Bird rarely looked like finding a breakthrough on a seamer-friendly strip.

He went wicket-less, but more worrying than that, he was the most expensive Aussie paceman. His 10 overs cost 52 runs, whereas Hazlewood and Siddle’s economy rates stood at three and 3.08 respectively.

Nathan Lyon went at 5.33 an over but he only bowled six overs and was clearly prepared to go for a few runs if it meant flighting the ball to the tail and encouraging a mis-hit slog.

It came off as he grabbed the wickets of Corey Anderson, Tim Southee and Trent Boult, the latter two both caught after trying to launch him over the rope.

Bird, normally so miserly, just couldn’t find his rhythm — evidenced by his three no-balls.

He has only played one Sheffield Shield game in the past six weeks, taking three wickets against Victoria in early February. Without any practice games scheduled for the Aussie Test side in New Zealand, that Shield fixture was his only hit out after an indifferent Big Bash campaign with the Sydney Sixers.

Bird will only get better the more he bowls, but if the Kiwis put up a similar showing in their second innings to what they showed on Friday, he might not get the chance to do so.

3. MARSH REMAINS UNLUCKY

AUSSIE Mitchell Marsh reinforced his tag as the most unlucky man in cricket.

In the same week in which he was given out in the most controversial dismissal of 2016, the all-rounder was robbed of a wicket in the most extraordinary of circumstances during Australia’s strong start on the opening day of the first Test in Wellington.

A Marsh short delivery bashed into Kiwi Mark Craig’s thigh pad before bobbing up and hitting the spinner’s elbows as he was bringing his arms down. The ball was slapped into the deck and into his stumps on one hop, hitting three-quarters of the way up leg stump.

The bail didn’t budge.

AMAZING! The ball bounces into the stumps, but the bails stay on! https://t.co/nHrPfpMeJ5 #NZvAUS pic.twitter.com/uiu3mSyGwu — FOX SPORTS Cricket (@FOXCricketLive) February 12, 2016

Incredible. Ball hit the stumps there yet the bails didn't fall. Lucky break for Mark Craig. Mitchell Marsh should check if bails r glued on — Ben Horne (@BenHorne8) February 12, 2016

“That’s unbelievable,” former Aussie Test quick Brendon Julian said.

“You wouldn’t be happy as a bowler. You wouldn’t be happy at all.

“So, Marsh misses out on his first wicket. He’s just not getting the rub of the green over here.”

Kiwi commentator Mark Richardson said: “He has fair clobbered that into his stumps.

“Can you believe it.”

4. SMITH AND KHAWAJA LEAD THE WAY

AFTER the Australian home series against the Kiwis last summer was dominated by the bat, it was a change to see twelve wickets fall in one day during a match between the same two sides.

The Basin Reserve offered up a pitch that had some life in it early, but while it was no green monster by any means, batsmen still struggled all day.

No Kiwi reached fifty, and the Aussies were in trouble early when both openers fell cheaply — Joe Burns for nought and David Warner for five.

But — as they did for much of the home summer against the same foes — Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja stood up when their side needed them.

Smith scored 71, a welcome return to form after failing to reach fifty in his past five digs across ODIs and 20/20s.

Khawaja, in and out of squads over the past month or so due to selectors’ reluctance to pick him in the shorter forms of the game, showed his mental state was as good as his ball striking by moving to 57 not-out at the day’s close.

After the raft of 20/20s and ODIs in recent times, the two showed their class by adapting to the demands of the five-day format with ease. Smith still scored quickly, his innings taking just 112 balls, while Khawaja was the more patient of the two, soaking up 96 balls by stumps.

The pair’s 126-run partnership was broken late in the day when Smith fell caught-and-bowled to off-spinner Mark Craig.

5. SIDDS SINKS THE BLACK CAPS

PETER Siddle’s Test career was in limbo at the start of last summer.

He played just one game in the 2015 Ashes after being overlooked for the first four Tests. He wasn’t picked at the start of the trans-Tasman series but was eventually called into the side for the third Test in Adelaide following Mitchell Johnson’s retirement.

He kept his place for the start of the West Indies series, but was dropped for the final Test in Sydney when the Aussies opted to play two spinners. In short, he’s had a rocky relationship with selectors in recent times.

But it will be hard to justify axing Siddle again anytime soon after his performance today. The 31-year-old was brilliant, taking 3-37 off 12 overs, including five maidens.

He was easily the most accurate of the Aussie bowlers, always probing away on or just outside off stump.

All three of his scalps fell victim to edges behind the wicket. Two were claimed by wicketkeeper Peter Nevill — one an outstanding grab off Kane Williamson’s inside edge — and the other was snaffled by Adam Voges at first slip.

Siddle will be looking to cement his place as a leader of the attack, especially given Australia’s pace stocks have taken a hammering in recent times. Apart from Johnson, Ryan Harris retired before the start of the Ashes, Mitchell Starc is injured and James Pattinson lacks match fitness.