New Zealand edge Australia in low-scoring thriller

Sat, Feb 28 2015 by Vishaal Loganathan 

Last updated on Saturday, 28 February, 2015, 07:24 AM

Pat Cummins and Kane Williamson - Contrasting emotions © Getty

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 has been screaming hoarse for a thriller involving two of the top teams, and co-hosts New Zealand and Australia served up a game for the ages at Eden Park in Auckland. Everything one needed to know about why the Trans-Tasman rivalry is such a huge encounter was on view today. If Trent Boult's (5/27) spell to wipe out Australia's middle order was the stuff of dreams, you would run out of adjectives to describe Mitchell Starc's (6/28) display to get his side ever so close. Eventually, it turned out to be Kane Williamson's calmness and sense of occasion that helped New Zealand clinch their fourth win of the World Cup. They ended up sneaking through by one wicket.

Australia's and New Zealand's innings were eerily similar. Australia had made a solid start, getting to 80/1 before a Trent Boult-inspired New Zealand ran amok and bowled them out for 151. In reply, New Zealand found themselves comfortably placed at 78/1, riding on Brendon McCullum's quickfire fifty, before Mitchell Starc came to the party with a stunning spell and almost helped Australia snatch victory.

Any indications that today's game, played in front of 42,000 noisy fans mostly cheering for home team New Zealand, would only feature a total of 55.3 overs and 303 runs were non-evident at the start. Australia made a fine start after opting to bat first. The Black Caps' hero from the game against England, Tim Southee came for some special treatment from the Aussies early in the game. However, he pulled things back with the wicket of Aaron Finch, bowled by a brilliant inswinger. Warner and Shane Watson then got together and put on 50 runs for the 2nd wicket.

Vettori struck next to end the 50-run association between Warner and Watson, with the latter's attempted slog ending up in Southee's hands at deep mid-wicket. That turned out to be the button Australia desperately wouldn't have wanted pushed. It was all New Zealand from there on, and in some style.
Southee struck off the very next delivery, getting Warner out LBW for 34, while Vettori added another wicket to his name by getting Steven Smith out caught behind for four. In a masterstroke, Brendon

McCullum brought on Trent Boult for his second spell, and the left-hander left Australia bedazzled with a stunning display. Four deliveries later, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh were back in the pavilion and in similar fashion - inside edging a cut onto the stumps. As the crowd got more boisterous with each wicket, so did New Zealand's vice-like grip on Australia's scoring.

Michael Clarke, whose return to the side could not have gotten off to a rougher start, became Boult's third victim after adding just seven runs for the seventh wicket. Boult completed his five-wicket haul in his next over, getting Mitchell Johnson out caught for one before sending Mitchell Starc's middle-stump cartwheeling with a corker. From a promising 80/1, Australia had slumped to 106/9, losing their last 8 wickets for a mere 26 runs.

Brad Haddin and Pat Cummins combined to stitch the second highest partnership of the innings, scoring 45 off 61 balls, to help their side eke past the 150-run mark. The wicket-keeper added 43 off 41 deliveries towards the fag end of the innings, slamming four fours and two sixes, before being out caught off Corey Anderson in the 33rd over. Australia had folded for 151.

The 10th-wicket stand almost turned out to a match-winning one for Australia as Mitchell Starc bowled a hostile spell to leave NZ in serious danger. The Black Caps looked comfortable favourites when Brendon McCullum continued from where he left off against England and slammed a 21-ball fifty. From 78/1 in the eighth over, New Zealand suffered a collapse almost as calamitous as Australia's.

McCullum, Ross Taylor and Grant Elliot departed within the space of five deliveries, with Starc accounting for the latter two off consecutive balls. Corey Anderson and Kane Williamson stemmed the rot with a patient stand that saw New Zealand get to within 20 runs of Australia's total. However, Australia found an unlikely breakthrough thanks to Glenn Maxwell and before his rivals knew it, Starc was all over New Zealand.
Luke Ronchi was stunned with a vicious bouncer, while Adam Milne and Tim Southee found no answer to full length deliveries that shattered the stumps. From 131/4, New Zealand had limped to 146/9 and with Starc in the middle of the spell of his life, Australia had the chance wrap up a famous win. Trent Boult somehow saw off the two remaining Starc deliveries, giving Williamson an over from Pat Cummins to try and finish the game off.

All Williamson needed was the one delivery, as he stylishly lifted Cummins for a six over long-on to seal New Zealand's first win over Australia in World Cups in 16 years. The contest was a rivetting one, and fittingly both teams walked off the field to a rousing ovation from the packed house.