As it happened: Australia triumph as NZ fall agonisingly short of record chase in batter’s paradise
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Key posts
- Australia win absolute thriller with the last ball
- Wicket: Ravindra falls to Cummins
- Wicket: Phillips falls to Maxwell
- Hundred: Ravindra raises 100 from just 77 balls
- Wicket: Zampa strikes again with crucial breakthrough
- Wicket: Zampa removes danger man Mitchell
- Wicket: Starc takes a screamer
- Poll: How close can NZ get to this record chase?
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Over and out
New Zealand’s stunning chase ensures their net run-rate stays in good shape and keeps them ahead of Australia in third place on the World Cup ladder.
Australia join them on eight points from four wins and two losses and are now sitting comfortably in fourth spot – two wins ahead of fifth-placed Sri Lanka. We’ve pretty much got our semi-finalists here along with India and South Africa already – it’s hard to see anyone slipping on a banana peel.
Australia get a week’s break before Saturday’s game against England and then Afghanistan and Bangladesh to round out the pool stage. The one real question for them is what to do with their middle order and Marnus Labuschagne, he might be a casualty when Marcus Stoinis is fit again.
New Zealand are on a tight turnaround in more ways than one – they face high-flying South Africa on Wednesday. Until next time, thanks all.
Australia win absolute thriller with the last ball
Well. Wow. What a game. What a chase.
771 runs in total – that’s the best part of eight runs an over, and New Zealand fall agonisingly short of the greatest World Cup run-chase in history. Jimmy Neesham almost drags them over the line. If not for some brilliant outfielding by Marnus Labuschagne and Glenn Maxwell, the Kiwis just might have.
Rachin Ravindra with one of the best clutch innings I’ve seen in a chase. Travis Head dubbed man-of-the-match for his century from 59 balls that feels like a lifetime ago.
Fielding penalty to start final over
Australia are behind in the over rate so they’ve got to have a fifth man up in the circle.
First ball: Low full toss. Boult tips it to cover and rushes through a single. Direct hit from Labuschagne would’ve had him out. Neesham now on strike.
Second ball: Mitchell Starc loses his marbles! It’s an attempted yorker that is sprayed badly down leg. Five wides past Josh Inglis. 13 runs from five balls.
Jimmy Neesham on the attack.Credit: Getty
Third ball: Neesham heaves two through deep mid-wicket. 11 from four.
Fourth ball: Full and straight. Again Neesham hammers him. Looks four for all money. Starc got a hand to it and Maxwell is able to stop the boundary. Keeps it to two. Nine from three.
Fifth ball: Neesham now heaves through square leg, full and fast again. It’s a race for Labuschagne, he’s running, sprawling and desperately saving four. Great fielding. Seven from two.
Sixth ball: Run-out! Neesham is racing to get back on strike after shaking a full toss to mid-wicket. Labuschagne again with clutch fielding in the deep. Rockets the throw in and Neesham is caught short by Inglis. Six runs from one ball.
Jimmy Neesham is caught short.Credit: Getty
And Lockie Ferguson, injured comes out as the last wicket.
Seventh ball: Full and fast at the stumps. Ferguson belts it off leg stump to cover and that’s the game.
Australia win by five runs.
Catch or six? Labuschagne owns up to boundary mishap
First ball, Trent Boult belts Hazlewood down to long on. Labuschagne is down there, takes the catch but walks back onto the boundary cushion!
He signals to the umpire that he’s erred and Boult’s hit a six, replays show Marnus trying to throw the ball back in-field but six is the right call.
A single, then two for Neesham through cover. Then a flat-batted boundary through mid-wicket! New Zealand are getting mighty close now.
Hazlewood follows up with a perfect wide yorker and beats Neesham. Dot ball. And another to finish. Clutch stuff from Hazlewood. That could decide this match there and then because it’s now Trent Boult on strike to Starc.
NZ: 8-370 (Neesham 51*, Boult 9*) need 19 runs from 6 balls
Six: Neesham hammers Starc down the ground
Starc starts full and fast. Neesham sends it back even quicker, incredibly flat for six over mid-on. Neesham keeps a hook shot down with the next ball and takes a single. Australia now bring the field right in for Trent Boult. Full and at the stumps. He middles it, straight back to Starc. No run.
They scramble a single down the ground from the next ball. Neesham on strike, Starc sends it full and fast down leg and it’s a wide. A good short ball is hooked down and takes the single, Trent Boult does the same to keep the strike with Josh Hazlewood back into the attack.
NZ: 8-357 (Neesham 45*, Boult 2*) need 32 runs from 12 balls
Wicket: Cummins knocks over Henry
Cummins starts with a wide before Neesham flat bats a single down the ground. Great follow-up to Henry from Cummins – a slower ball bouncer that has him weaving out of the way for a dot ball.
Henry responds to a full ball by hammering it over mid-off for four. Ricky Ponting is incredulous that Cummins bowled there.
And then… out. Another slower ball dug in, Henry steers it straight to Josh Hazlewood in the gully.
Trent Boult comes in at 10. Lockie Ferguson is struggling with an ankle injury but will bat apparently. Boult can’t get bat on his first ball. And no run from the second either, they turn down the single to keep Neesham on strike next over – Mitchell Starc to take the rock.
NZ: 8-346 (Neesham 36*, Boult 0*) need 43 runs from 18 balls
Six: Neesham belts Starc over cover
Second ball, Neesham hammers him over extra-cover. That’s as clean a shot as we’ve seen today. Brutal six. It’s followed up by a single.
Jimmy Neesham is going down swinging.Credit: AP
Starc mixes things up throughout the over and has Neesham guessing. He retains the strike for the next over. Pat Cummins to finish his 10 overs now.
NZ: 7-340 (Neesham 36*, Henry 5*) need 49 runs from 24 balls
Australia turn to Starc
Seven off Pat Cummins’ next over. Neesham blasts a boundary down past the bowler – unconventional to say the least given it’s probably a wide if he leaves it. Cummins follows up with a slower ball later in the over that has Henry in all-sorts.
Starc back into the attack.
NZ: 7-331 (Neesham 28*, Henry 4*) need 58 runs from 30 balls
Wicket: Zampa hits back after Santner six
Adam Zampa’s last over, Mitchell Santner greets him with a heave over mid-wicket for six. NZ are targeting the first ball of the over well, now looking for a big follow-up and Santner throws the kitchen sink at it.
He hits that incredibly high, it’s a slightly slower ball and the wrong’un. It only goes as far as a simple catch for Maxwell in the deep. Another key breakthrough.
Maxwell and Labuschagne celebrate.Credit: AP
That’s the end of Zampa’s allotted overs – 3-74 and bowled well under pressure again. He’s gone past Brad Hogg for wickets taken by an Australian spinner. He’s now got 157 in ODIs, behind only Shane Warne.
NZ: 7-324 (Neesham 22*, Henry 3*) need 65 runs from 36 balls
Cummins wins critical battle after early slip-up
Jimmy Neesham starting to make some moves. Follows up boundary from Santner off Zampa – cutting behind point – by hammering Pat Cummins through mid-wicket for four.
Cummins follows up with a couple of shorter balls – key to keeping Santner under wraps. Good follow up so far from Cummins. There’s an LBW shout but pitched outside leg – was definitely hitting. Eight off the over after a boundary to start – strong death bowling by the skipper.
NZ: 6-314 (Neesham 21*, Santner 11*) need 75 runs from 42 balls
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