After conceding a whitewash against India at their own backyard, Australia were looking to regain momentum in first ODI against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland. Australia’s tour of their neighbors will bring out their fierce rivalry like always.
This was Blackcaps captain Brendon McCullum’s last match at Eden Park and a very emotional atmosphere was created due to this. New Zealand won the match by a mammoth 159 runs and Australia’s poor form continues. With this win, the Blackcaps take 1-0 lead in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.
Australia won the toss and elected to field first. As the New Zealand skipper went out to bat the passionate Eden Park crowd welcomed him with a lot of noise and tributes, as he opened alongside Martin Guptill. McCullum went on to score an entertaining 44 of just 29 balls. New Zealand put up a big total of 307 for the loss of 8 wickets in their scheduled 50 overs, thanks to Guptill’s 90 and Henry Nicholls’s 61. Mitchell Santner also played a useful knock of 35 to take his side total past the 300 mark.
Among the Australian bowlers Josh Hazlewood, James Faulkner and Mitchell Marsh all picked up two wickets each. John Hastings also chipped in with a wicket. It was a disappointing bowling performance from them as it looked like they didn’t have a plan against the Kiwis.
In the absence of Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh opened the innings with David Warner as the Australians eyed to chase down the big score. What followed was a disastrous batting show from the Aussies. Apart from wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and James Faulkner, none of them were able to stay in the crease for a long time as wickets kept tumbling one after another. The Australian top-order was demolished by the Kiwi pacers as they were all out for 148 runs among which 11 runs came as extras.
Both the Blackcaps opening bowlers Trent Boult and Matt Henry were outstanding as they cleaned up the Australian top-order with ease and claimed three wickets each. Mitchell Santner will go to the next match on a hat-trick as he picked up two wickets in his first two deliveries of the match, finishing with his astonishing figures of 2/0. New Zealand were the superior side today in all the departments to register a famous victory over their arch-rivals.
This is the first time that Australia have been dismissed in less than 25 overs in ODI history. New Zealand will hope to seal the series in the next match at the Westpac Stadium, Wellington while Australia will look to get back into the series.
Brief Scores – NZ 307/8 (Guptill 90, Nicholls 61; Marsh 2/35, Faulkner 2/67) beat AUS 148 all out (Wade 37, Faulkner 36; Boult 3/38, Henry 3/41)
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