New Zealand speed home in thriller

New Zealand have taken a 1-0 lead in the three match Chappell – Hadlee trophy after defeating Australia by 4 wickets with just 2 balls to spare.

Surprisingly, Fleming chose to bowl first on a belter of a wicket. He may have regretted his decision when Gilchrist got Australia off to a blistering start, cracking boundaries all around the wicket. Hayden meanwhile was taking his time to find his feet.

With the score on 64, Sinclair took one of the greatest all-time outfield catches, diving full length to end Hayden’s innings on 13, giving Oram his first wicket of the match.

Gilchrist and Ponting accelerated the Australian score to 113, before Gilchrist was bowled by Cairns for 68 off 54 balls. Ponting then followed him next over for 29, LBW to Vettori.

It got worse for the Australians when Martyn and Symonds were both out within 2 overs of Ponting’s dismissal, leaving the score on 5/123.

Lehmann and Clarke set about stabilising the innings and managed to take the total to 194, before Clarke was bowled by a Cairns slower ball for 36. Watson followed him soon after, edging Butler to the keeper for just 3.

The Australian total had now reached 7/198 and it was up to Lehmann and Hogg to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Straight after reaching his fifty, Lehmann was dismissed by Oram, bringing Lee to the crease, who came and went for 8, another victim of the Cairns slower ball.

Hogg and Kasprowicz managed to compile 10 runs off the last 10 balls to end the Australian innings on 9/246, Hogg not out 20 and Kasprowicz 9. Vettori and Cairns were the pick of the bowlers, both picking up 3 wickets.

Brett Lee began perfectly on his return to international cricket, dismissing Fleming for a duck off just the second delivery of the innings, plumb LBW to a 151km/h delivery.

A dropped catch at second slip followed in the third over, a straightforward chance by Ponting’s standards. Sinclair would make the Australians pay for that missed chance as he went on to make a 128 run partnership with Nathan Astle.

Sinclair was finally run out for 48 off 86 balls. Unfortunately for New Zealand, Astle was brilliantly caught the very next ball by Ponting off Lehmann’s bowling for a well made 70 off 102 balls, leaving the score on 3/131.

Styris followed soon after, caught on the boundary for 5, the bowler again, Lehmann. Oram and Marshall began to score at a reasonable rate, taking the score up 189 before Oram was dismissed by Kasprowicz for 24.

The equation was now simple, the New Zealnaders needed 58 runs off 39 balls with 5 wickets in hand.

The Kiwis greatest hope of victory, Chris Cairns, was out for 14, clean bowled by a Brett Lee yorker with the score on 208.

It now seemed a win was out of reach for the tourists, 39 runs were still needed off 23 balls. However, a 22-run Micheal Kasprowicz over changed all that. Both Marshall and McCullum helping themselves to boundaries in Kasprowicz over from hell.

Lee restricted the Kiwis to just 5 runs in the next over, bowling some text book reverse swing yorkers. However, McCullum and Marshall, who at this stage had reached his fifty, needed only 5 runs off the next over.

A flick down to fine-leg for four by McCullum brought the scores level and a single followed soon after sealed the game for the jubilant Kiwis.

The series now heads up to Sydney, where a huge crowd is expected to witness the next chapter of this thrilling series.

Match Summary

Australia: 9/246 (AC Gilchrist 68, DS Lehmann 50, CL Cairns 3/39, DL Vettori 3/31)

New Zealand: 6/247 (NJ Astle 70, HJH Marshall 50*, B Lee 2/40, DS Lehmann 2/35)

New Zealand Won By 4 Wickets

New Zealand Lead The Chappel - Hadlee Trophy 1-0

Cricket Web Player of the Match: HJH Marshall (NZ)



Posted by Alex