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.
