New Zealand and Australia in the valley of himalaya, scored a combined total of 771 runs. Dharamsala hosted a high action thriller that went down to the last ball requiring Kiwis to hit a six. New Zealand did lost the game. But, Jimmy Neesham and company won accolades.
David Warner and Travis Head opened for Aussies at a blistering pace. They reached 110 runs within the first 10 overs. The first wickets partnership was for 175 runs. David Warner – 81 (4×5, 6×6) and Travis Head – 109 (4×10, 6×7).
PLAYING XI NEW ZEALAND: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(c)(wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson.
PLAYING XI AUSTRALIA: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis(wk), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
If the Australian openers would have batted, even 5 more overs. The score would have easily crossed 450. After the opening partnership, the run-rate took a hit.
Read about the Biggest Upset in World Cup History.
The kiwis know when and how to grab an opportunity. Wickets fall on regular intervals. The Aussie were at 274/5 in 38 overs. Then we had the Glenn Maxwell show. The skipper joined the party and the score reached 388.
The New Zealand Openers were off to a good start. But, unfortunately couldn’t capitalize on the foundation. The 23 year old, Rachin Ravindra. A talented match winner with a huge untap potential. His 116 of 89 gave the kiwis a fighting chance. His journey back to the pavilion wasn’t filled with any sense of achievement. Somehow, he knew his job wasn’t done.
Mitchell Starc had the responsibility to restricted New Zealand in the last over. The pressure result in 5 extra at the start of the over. A bowler of his caliber, knew how to handle a situation like this. Starc didn’t gave any width to Jimmy Neesham.
Pat Cummins said, “That was awesome. Sometimes I have to remember I was on the field. They kept coming at us. It was fantastic. I loved that, especially from Trav, who has been away. That is how we want to play, take the game on and they led the way. It was a good wicket. I thought, in patches, we bowled really well. Other times, we gave too much width away. Some really good partnerships that were tough to get into. Marnus out there, throwing himself around at the end. Not the easiest fielding grounds here but the boys threw themselves around. We have a few days’ break. Will enjoy this one and then get stuck in (for the next game).”
