Things are looking good for Australia after they managed to nail down an incredible five-run win over their rivals, New Zealand, getting them a step closer to the World Cup knockouts… Things looked tense for a while – as New Zealand came scarily close to pulling off one of the biggest run chases ever in the history of the World Cup, but they couldn’t do it. Even if you’re someone familiar with the thrills and spills of gambling at sites such as casinos.com, this would have been too much to bear… whether you had money on the Aussies or the Kiwis!
The Aussies took their place in the box seat after they managed to secure a 175-run opening partnership from the in-form David Warner and the recently fit Travis Head – which gave them a massive total of 388 and well out ahead. However, along came New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra who enjoyed a second World Cup century with his 116 score and he kept his team on track for a comeback. Then along came Jimmy Neesham, their last recognised batter who stepped up to the mark – scoring 58 off 39 balls.
A Solid Replacement
Ironically, Neesham was only called up as a replacement for injured Mark Chapman. He simply needed to score 19 runs in the final over to clinch a massive victory and put Australia’s hopes of reaching the next round in doubt.
Mitchell Starc took to the crease and managed to bowl a wide on his second delivery – and this nicely flew past Josh Inglis, wicketkeeper, for four. This was a terrible mistake that could have proved very costly to the Australians indeed. This means that the Kiwis would need just 13 runs off 5 balls rather than 18. However, the Australian team all put their bodies in the way… and as the final over got tighter and tighter, New Zealand simply couldn’t find the boundary again.
Made to Pay
The Aussies were in an unforgiving mood and they made Neesham pay as he tried to scrabble back to try for another run after he hit Starc’s penultimate delivery – and Josh Inglis ran him out. That really was the nail in the coffin for New Zealand’s hope of a comeback. They needed Lockie Ferguson to hit a six from the final ball and he just couldn’t do it.
A Tricky Start
It certainly hasn’t been smooth sailing for the team. At the beginning of the World Cup, they suffered a couple of consecutive defeats that knocked their confidence. However, Pat Cummins’ team didn’t let that concern them too much and they went on to enjoy four wins in a row. Now, even if they suffer one more loss, it still seems likely that they will make their way to the knockout stages of the competition.
The Australian team will, in fact, now be starting out as favourites in their last three group stages – as they are tasked with taking on Afghanistan, Bangladesh and an English team that isn’t firing from all cylinders right now.
A Costly Mistake
In his very first game since he broke his hand just six weeks ago – and in his very first World Cup game, Head partnered up with Warner and they certainly made New Zealand pay for sending them in to bat first. Together, they managed to post a run rate of 9.13, which was the fastest for any opening pair. It even beat Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow’s run against Pakistan back in 2019.
The New Zealanders didn’t help themselves much, either. Matt Henry, the New Zealander quick, got the Aussie duo off to a great start when he bowled two consecutive no-balls. Head managed to hit both of the free hits for six – and then went on to post the quickest half-century in the World Cup, hitting 50 off 25 balls. Warner wasn’t slacking either – he was just 19 shy of being the first Australian ever to get a century in three back-to-back One Day Internationals.
Following this came Glenn Phillips, the part-time spinner, who the Kiwis chose to bowl next. Fortunately for them, he managed to take 5 for 99 – managing to avoid a potential disaster. He managed to slot the Aussies down – until he made the breakthrough they so needed in the 20th over when he managed to catch Warner out from his own bowling.
A Close Comeback
While the Australians managed to take advantage of the New Zealand quick, the Kiwis returned the favour. Ravindra managed to break the century by smacking a Glenn Maxwell delivery for six. Up came Adam Zampa, who managed to ensure that Ravidra couldn’t manage a steady partnership by getting rid of the deadly Daryl Mitchell – and then going on to secure the most wickets in the tournament… 16. This was followed by cameos from Cummins and Maxwell – who reinvigorated the Australian team… and managed to just about hold off a resurgence from New Zealand. You can read more analysis on the game here.
The Australians have demonstrated that they can hit hard under pressure and they are sure to pile on the pressure in their upcoming games as they fight for their place in the knockouts.
