The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
Alright then, that's all we have from the coverage of this game. If you want some more cricket to sort of the remainder of your Saturday, all you have to do is switch tabs to hop onto the live coverage of the on-going game between the Netherlands and Bangladesh. The latter are in a spot of bother there, so we could be in to witness another humdinger of a contest at the Eden Gardens. Who knows? For now, this is Pratyush, signing off on behalf of my partner, Pragadeesh. We hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. Adios!
The two teams now sit level with 8 points with New Zealand in third place courtesy of a slightly better net run rate. There's plenty to play for in the remainder of this tournament as far as these two sides are concerned, so neither will want to drop their guard down as the games keep coming in thick and fast.
New Zealand, on the other hand, won't want to ponder too much on this defeat. They fought till the very end and nearly managed to break the record for the highest successful run chase in the history of World Cups. It was a tale of so near, yet so far for the Blackcaps, who have some testing fixtures ahead of them as they look to get back to winning ways.
After losing two games on the trot, Australia have responded in the manner they know best, by winning their next four games. They've got all the momentum with them in this tournament now and might just be peaking at the right time. There are plenty of positives for them to take from this game, but perhaps there was none bigger than the return of Travis Head, who came back with a bang. Here's Anuj breaking down what his return to the side means for the five-time champions 👇
Pat Cummins (Australian captain): That was awesome. Sometimes I had to remember that I was in the middle of the cricket field. A fantastic game. They just kept coming at us. (Intent at the start from Head and Warner) I loved that. Especially it being his (Head) first hit back in the game after being away for five weeks. That's the way we want to play, we want to take the game on and they led from the front. (Head) Not really. He was close to playing against the Netherlands but didn't quite feel right. He surprised all of us with this one. (Bowling) It was a good wicket. I thought we bowled really well in patches. Other times we gave too much width away. Some really good partnerships there which were tough to get into. (Fielding) Marnus out there, throwing himself around. It wasn't the easiest fielding ground here but the way the guys threw themselves around made a big difference. (4 wins in a row) Feels great. We've got a five day break now, so yeah. We'll enjoy this win and then get stuck in for the backend.
Tom Latham (New Zealand Captain) - It's a fantastic game with lots of ebbs and flows. Obviously, it hurts after coming this close. They put us on the back foot with that opening partnership. We pulled things back with a couple of key wickets but they struck some key partnerships at the back end. (On Glenn Phillips) He bowled fantastic and it's great to see the work that he's putting in. To chase such big totals, you have to play a perfect game. Young and Devon gave us a good start and Rach played one of the best knocks while chasing. It's a fantastic place to play cricket and the support has been outstanding. (On the Rugby World Cup final) We will be watching. Just want to say all the best to AB and bring the World Cup home
Travis Head (Player of the Match) - Nice to be back and nice to be contributing. It was a hell of a game and I am happy to finish on the winning side. Had a couple of hits just like the WTC final. I keep pushing with the bat and keep working on the field. Had a few bruises that I can strap up over the next couple of days. It will take some time but it's nice to be back. We complement well each other and we make sure that we connect with each other and react to the present moment as much as we can
Australia won by 5 runs!
Travis Head - 109 (67) | Adam Zampa - 3/74 Rachin Ravindra - 116 (89) | Glenn Phillips - 3/37
And breathe. As if the high altitude with the scenic background wasn't enough to set the atmosphere, this game took it up a notch and delivered. This is the highest aggregate score in a World Cup match, and that's only one of the reasons why this game is going remembered for a long long time to come. Australia set the tone early on with Travis Head marking his return in some style, and the thrill of the game was maintained throughout the 100 overs.
In the run chase, New Zealand matched Australia's intent, stride for stride. Conway and Young laid the platform for the Blackcaps before two quick wickets from Hazlewood pegged them back. From there on, it was Rachin-Mitchell show. The two stitched together a 96-run stand to steady the ship for their side and in doing so, put Cummins and Co. under some real pressure.
It was Rachin Ravindra who took center stage again, even when Mitchell was dismissed and wickets continued to tumble around him. The young all-rounder was a picture of calmness in the midst of the storm, scoring his second World Cup century and joining some elite company in doing so. His dismissal in the 41st over was the major turning point in this game, considering how he accelerated in the second half of his innings.
If only one of the other batters had managed to build on their start, the result could have been different for New Zealand. James Neesham did that and some, stepping up to the plate when his team seemed down and out. With 58 needed off the last five overs, he dragged them out of the hole and got them ever so close. It was a thrilling game of cricket that went right down to the wire, and it was Australia who held their nerve, just about.
In doing so, Australia have kept their hopes alive in this World Cup. It was Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood who did the trick for them with the ball again, and the return of Travis Head along with a back-in-form David Warner means that they're starting to find their groove at the right time. 771 runs were scored in this contest, and it's only 5 runs that separate these two sides in the end. Let's hear what the captains have to say about the result.
49.6 Mitchell Starc to Lockie Ferguson, AUSTRALIA EDGE PAST NEW ZEALAND!This will go down as one of the classic World Cup ties as it had everyone on the edge of their seats until the last ball. Pitched up delivery angling around off-stump, Ferguson can't do much in one leg as he just drives it to cover and remains unmoved
1 ball. 6 to win. One delivery for Ferguson to script his name into the history books.
Lockie Ferguson, RHB, comes to the crease
Pin drop silence around the ground. And there's the roar from the Australian fans as the big screen confirms Neesham was well short of his ground. And you've got to take a moment to appreciate the glovework from Inglis. Superb cricket, everywhere!
49.5 Mitchell Starc to James Neesham, RUN OUT? Misses the yorker and it ends up as a juicy full toss, Neesham doesn't get hold of the pull shot and it rolls to deep mid-wicket. Marnus throws to the striker's end, knowing that Neesham is charging back. It wasn't a good throw but Inglis collects and puts in an acrobatic dive forward to knock the stumps. Neesham puts in a full-blooded dive but can't drag his bat over the line and he's well short of the crease
James Neesham run out (Marnus Labuschagne/Josh Inglis) 58 (39b, 3x4, 3x6)
Marnus Labuschagne, that is astonishing stuff! The difference fielding makes in these tight contests. It's often the difference between winning and losing! 7 needed off 2 now. Neesham has to keep strike for these two deliveries.
49.4 Mitchell Starc to James Neesham, pitched up delivery on middle stump, Neesham heaves it in the gap in front of square. Marnus puts in a superb dive to his left to save the boundary. Oh man, how can you be this good on the field under pressure? Simply outstanding from Marnus
Starc got a crucial hand on it that took some pace off the ball and it was Maxwell's brilliance in the field that prevented the boundary. Another little team meeting between the captain, bowler and Smith. Long-on, long-off, deep mid-wicket and deep square leg.
49.3 Mitchell Starc to James Neesham, fuller delivery, Neesham drills it down the ground and Starc manages to get something on this. The fielder at long-on moves to his right and saves the boundary. Neesham is still on strike as they take a couple of runs
You can sense the panic amongst the Australians. It's the pressure taking its toll. This game is on a knife's edge!
49.2 Mitchell Starc to James Neesham, yorker length on middle stump, dragged to the wide of long-on and they take a couple
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R Ravindra
D Warner
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Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala
