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Key events
Steve Smith is awarded player of the match and the series. His 105 runs today was the difference between the sides. The big question remains, will he be made Australia’s next ODI captain?
Aaron Finch leads his men from the field for the final time, another win and a trophy well shepherded. His family are there to greet him at the boundary edge. A lovely moment for a fine cricketer and a thoroughly decent bloke.
Aaron Finch retires with a win
Cute photo.
Australia win by 25 runs!
Starc bowls Ferguson with a yorker to bring everyone’s favourite number 11, Trent Boult to the crease. Boult duly slashes a wide ball in the air to be caught out for a glden duck! GAME OVER. That was a dismal end to the game for New Zealand. Phillips perishing to a nifty boundary catch by Sean Abbott proving the crucial moment, from then on it was all Australia. The Kiwi wait for a victory on Aussie soil goes on.
Australia take the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy 3-0
49th over: New Zealand 237-8 (Southee 5, Ferguson 2) More dots stifle New Zealand. Southee eventually clubs a four down the ground but it is too little too late. Ian Smith sounds bereft on the commentary, he thought they had this one, finally. So did I. Six off the penultimate over. 31 needed off the last. Not ‘appening.
48th over: New Zealand 231-8 (Southee 0, Ferguson 1) Eight dot balls in a row as New Zealand crumple at the last in Cairns. Make that nine dots. Hazlewood foxes Ferguson with a knuckle ball. TEN DOTS. And repeat. Painful this for the Kiwis, they had this game in thier grasp. Ferguson gets a single off the final ball of the over, to ironic cheers. 37 needed from 12 balls.
WICKET! Santner c Green b Abbott 30 (New Zealand 230-8)
Santner holes out and that could be the game! A bitter blow for New Zealand. Are they waving goodbye to a first win on Aussie soil since 2009?
Tim Southee cannot get bat on ball and Abbott finishes with four dots. 38 needed off 18. Boundaries needed.
47th over: New Zealand 230-8 (Southee 0, Ferguson 0)
46th over: New Zealand 229-7 (Santner 30, Southee 0) There’s no time to dwell on that Phillips dismissal. Southee is the new batter and he can swipe a long ball. Starc slings down a yorker that clips Santner on the pad and runs away for four! Much needed runs. Seven off the over and the crucial wicket of Phillips. 39 needed off 24. Three wickets left.
WICKET! Phillips c Abbott b Starc 47 (New Zealand 224-7)
Starc goes to his yorker and gets away with a couple of dots. Hang on! Is this the turning point in this game?! Phillips swings Starc away and it looks as if it is going to be six but the ball is pouched by Sean Abbott on the rope. BUT is he actually on the rope? Abbott takes a few tiny steps once the catch is taken and throws the ball back to himself as he steps over the boundary. Numerous replays… and he’s given out! What a moment in this game.
45th over: New Zealand 221-6 (Phillips 44, Santner 29) Sean Abbott called up by Finch with runs being leaked and a wicket needed. Abbott has gone to his slower ball, taking the pace off and making the batter’s do all the work. Seven runs pilfered from the over, it looks like we are going to the wire. 46 needed from 30 balls.
44th over: New Zealand 215-6 (Phillips 42, Santner 26) Zampa into his final over. His first ball is bunted back over his head by Santner for four! Santner winning the battle of the spinners so far. Seven off the over. 53 needed from 36 balls. Where’s your moolah?
43rd over: New Zealand 208-6 (Phillips 41, Santner 20) Starc back on with three overs up his sleeve. Santner greets him with a mighty heave over long on for SIX! This is a lovely little cameo from the bespectacled spinner. 10 runs from the over. This game is alive.
42nd over: New Zealand 198-6 (Phillips 39, Santner 12) Hazlewood pounds in, a slower ball beats Santner… or does it? Snicko shows a tiny edge on Santner’s toe end but neither Keeper Carey or Hazlewood deemed it worthy of an appeal. Let off for Santner and New Zealand. Four from the over. 71 from 48 is the equation.
41st over: New Zealand 194-6 (Phillips 37, Santner 10) Zampa continues, he’s into his ninth. Phillips plonks him over point for another remarkable six! All bat speed and brute force. Nine runs off the over, up with the required rate.
40th over: New Zealand 185-6 (Phillips 30, Santner 8) Josh Hazlewood to bowl the 40th and his eighth. Santner pounces on a short ball and swats him away for four through mid-wicket. We’re into the last ten overs, New Zealand need 83 from 60 balls. Bubbling nicely.
39th over: New Zealand 178-6 (Phillips 29, Santner 2) Adam Zampa is called upon and he beats the bat a few times, Santner not picking his fellow twirler’s wrong’un. Just three off the over, including a leg-side wide.
38th over: New Zealand 175-6 (Phillips 27, Santner 1) Mitch Santner is the new man and he is the last recognisable batter. He’s nearly gone first ball to a Cam Green yorker but just squeezes the bat down on it in time! If he can hang around with Phillips then the Kiwis are still in this. 93 needed off 12 overs.
WICKET! Neesham c Smith b Green 36 (New Zealand 173-6)
Just as Australia were starting to sweat they find a breakthrough. Neesham holles out to Steeve Smith at long-leg and Cam Green has the crucial wicket.
37th over: New Zealand 173-5 (Phillips 27, Neesham 36) Finch tuns to Hazlewood to stem this flow of runs and try and prise a breakthrough. New Zealand haven’t won an ODI in Australia for 13 long years, so there’s plenty to play for in the next hour or so. Phillips climbs into a back of a length ball from Hazlewood and places it well, in the vacant mid-wicket region for four runs.
36th over: New Zealand 168-5 (Phillips 23, Neesham 35) Cam Green into the attack, Neesham works a length ball to long-leg for two before pulling him away powerfully for four. Fifty partnership up for Phillips and Neesham, off 48 balls. They are both timing the ball nicely with it skidding on under lights. Seven runs off the over, 15 to go – New Zealand need 100 runs to win from 14 overs. They have five wickets in the hutch.
35th over: New Zealand 161-5 (Phillips 23, Neesham 28) Big over for New Zealand as they get after Mitchell Starc! Neesham drives him powerfully down the ground for four before Glenn Phillips goes one, or two, better -with a back foot launch for six over point! Some shot that. Starc looks miffed, even more so when a thick outside edge runs away through the gap to third for four more. 16 runs off the over.
34th over: New Zealand 145-5 (Phillips 12, Neesham 23) Neesham plays a delightful late dab (is the dab still a thing?) that runs away for four. Lovely timing. Six off the over, New Zealand quietly rebuilding.
33rd over: New Zealand 139-5 (Phillips 11, Neesham 18) Starc back into the attack after a slurp of luminous liquid. He has 0-23 from his five overs so far. Three singles off the over don’t hurt the Aussies.
Neil Andrews emails in about stodgy overs in ODIs:
“Any thoughts on how to brighten up the middle overs of ODIs? Milking 4,5,6 singles an over not very entertaining even if it is tactically correct in the circumstances of any particular match (not just talking abt Aus v NZ).
Maybe bit of tinkering with field restrictions:
* 2 fielders in a catching position for whole match; and/or
* 1 less fielder outside the circle outside the current power play overs.”
Decent suggestions Neil, this series has seen some sluggish middle over periods – poor Jonathan had one earlier, they can be a pickle for an OBO scribe to contend with let alone the fans and dare I say players. But then, maybe we’re all gluttons for action all the time in this day and age?
32nd over: New Zealand 136-5 (Phillips 10, Neesham 16) Another decent over for New Zealand, Neesham is looking aggressive. He gets down on his haunches and nails a reverse sweep for four off Zampa. A lofted drive over wide mid-off also brings him two. DROP! Neesham leathers the last ball of the over straight back at Zampa’s head and the bowler palms it over the bar. A tough chance but a chance all the same. There have been three return catches grassed in this innings by my reckoning. Time for a specialist training session I reckon. Anyway, drinks.
31st over: New Zealand 127-5 (Phillips 8, Neesham 9) A massive five runs taken off Abbott’s latest as this pair look to be proactive. On the tv commentary Ian Smith is doing some chin scratching over why his countrymen can’t seem to get one over their antipodean rivals. He doesn’t sound angry, just disappointed, which everyone knows is worse.
30th over: New Zealand 122-5 (Phillips 4, Neesham 4) Neesham gets off the mark with a well swept four off Maxwell. The Kiwis need more of that, so far they have just allowed Maxwell to bowl at them, even his looser balls have only been nurdled for singles. Better, eight runs from the over. At the other end Sean Abbott has 1-12 off his six overs.
29th over: New Zealand 114-5 (Phillips 4, Neesham 0) Jimmy Neesham is the new batter, he joins Phillips at the crease with his side in something of a hole. The run rate is over seven and going up.
WICKET! Williamson run out (Labuschagne) 27 (New Zealand 112-5)
Oh no! Disaster for New Zealand as Williamson is stitched up by Phillips, run out by a distance. Marnus with a laser precision throw from the boundary that Carey takes right next to the stumps. In fact, it seems a slight hesitation from Williamson on the turn for the second seemed to confuse Phillips and he bailed out on the run leaving his captain stranded.
28th over: New Zealand 112-5 (Phillips 3, Neesham 0)
27th over: New Zealand 109-3 (Williamson 26, Phillips 1) Sean Abbott cuts Williamson in half with an in-swinger that just skirts over the top of the stumps too. The all-rounder has the Kiwi skipper in further trouble with a cutter that Williamson nearly leading edges to backward point. A maiden from Abbott, who is proving to be something of a specialist in that area. Pressure building, there hasn’t been a boundary in over six overs.
26th over: New Zealand 109-3 (Williamson 26, Phillips 1) Maxwell ties down the batters, just three runs off his over. New Zealand need 159 more from 143 balls and to get ‘em you’d think Kane Williamson will have to be there at the end.
WICKET! Mitchell c Smith b Hazlewood 16
A top edge from Mitchell gifts Steve Smith a simple catch at point and Hazlewood gets the breakthrough. Mitchell was looking to get on with it but leaves his captain with even more riding on his shoulders.
Glenn Phillips is the new man and we’ve had 25 overs under lights.
25th over: New Zealand 106-3 (Williamson 24, Phillips 0)
24th over: New Zealand 101-3 (Williamson 19, Mitchell 16) Glenn Maxwell comes on to send down his useful tweakers. Eeeesht! A quick single to Steve Smith and it would have been gone gone gone with a direct hit! Smith pounds the turf in disgust at himself. Four off Maxwell’s first and the hundred comes up for the Kiwis.
23rd over: New Zealand 97-3 (Williamson 17, Mitchell 14) At the minute Williamson is tortoise and Mitchell is hare. Mitchell charges Hazlewood and ploops him for three to cow corner. Williamson is content to glide wide of point and pick up another single. Mitchell then lines up a cross bat hack but doesn’t connect, he’ll have to settle for a single. On we go.
22nd over: New Zealand 92-3 (Williamson 16, Mitchell 10) Four singles off Zampa, we’re into the stodgy overs. Can New Zealand break the shackles and the back of this chase? Can Australia pick up a couple of quick wickets and knock them well and truly off course? Josh Hazlewood is summoned by skipper Finch.
21st over: New Zealand 88-3 (Williamson 14, Mitchell 8) Shot! Mitchell lofts Starc back over his head with a wonderfully straight blade, the ball drops for a one bounce four and Mitchell holds the pose, relishing the stroke.
20th over: New Zealand 83-3 (Williamson 13, Mitchell 4) Twenty overs done and dusted, Williamson picks up a single and Mitchell is gifted a drag down by Zampa that he swivels away to the boundary to open his account.
19th over: New Zealand 78-3 (Williamson 12, Mitchell 0)Finch calls on hitman Starc to try and squeeze New Zealand still further. It works, Starc lands the ball on a handkerchief outside off and the Kiwis can only muster a single off the over. The run rate goes over six and the pressure cooker begins to hiss.
WICKET! Latham st Carey b Zampa 15
A wicket soon after the break as New Zealand are starting to get bogged down in this chase. Latham dance down the wicket but the ball ricochets off his pad and trickles to Carey who whips off the bails with the batter stranded out of his ground.
Moose Mitchell is the new batter and his side are spluttering slightly.
18th over: New Zealand 77-3 (Williamson 11, Mitchell 0)
17th over: New Zealand 75-2 (Williamson 10, Latham 9) Cam Green is back after drinks, Finch is rotating his bowlers regularly in his final dance. Just three runs come from it as the run-rate nudges up to six an over.
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