Tim David produced one of the finest displays of power hitting to lift Australia to a dramatic six-wicket win over New Zealand in Wellington.
Australia’s T20 World Cup preparations looked like they would cop a body blow after they conceded 215 in the opening match of their three-game series against New Zealand after Rachin Ravindra went ballistic for the Black Caps.
But David blasted 31 off 10 deliveries in a sensational cameo after hometown hero Ravindra lashed six sixes in his 68 off 35 balls as New Zealand tallied 3-215 at Wellington’s Sky Stadium on Wednesday night.
Australia’s bowlers set an unwanted record in the process by becoming the first team ever to concede more than 200 in four consecutive T20 internationals.
Mitchell Marsh top-scored in Australia’s reply with a valiant 73 from 44 as they kept pace with the required run rate for most of their innings before David’s power hitting lifted them to glory.
They needed 43 from the final three overs but after they were kept relatively quiet by Lockie Ferguson, they took Adam Milne down for 18 off the penultimate over to need 15 off the last six deliveries from veteran Tim Southee.
David slapped a six over backward square leg off the fourth delivery, retained the strike with a two and then launched a superb drive through midwicket to beat the diving fielder on the rope to register the third-highest successful run-chase by Australia.
“It was special to watch and really proud of him,” Marsh said of David. “(It takes) complete trust in your game and a real confidence to go out there and do that.”
As for the wayward bowling, Marsh joked: “We’re all about breaking records so there’s another one for us.”
Travis Head bashed 24 off 15 before he fell to an excellent catch by Tim Southee at mid-on off Adam Milne and opening partner David Warner belted three sixes as he blasted his way to 32 but fell on the 20th delivery he faced when he tried to slog sweep Mitch Santner out of the ground but went no further than Glenn Phillips at long-on.
Glenn Maxwell also made a start to reach the boundary twice and clear it two more times in his 25 off 11 before he was bowled by Lockie Ferguson.
Josh Inglis struggled to hit top gear in his run-a-ball 20 before Ravindra snared a superb catch off Santner to send him on his way.
New Zealand openers Devon Conway (63 off 46) and Finn Allen (32 off 16) joined Ravindra in laying a base for the Kiwi total.
Phillips and Mark Chapman sealed the deal with fine cameos late after Santner won the toss and elected to bat.
Marsh, who wanted to field first, was pleased with that decision when Mitch Starc’s first over yielded just three runs and two decent chances. But from there on the Kiwis took control, led by Allen.
Glenn Maxwell felt Allen’s wrath with two horizontal bat down-the-ground sixes off consecutive balls, before Allen top-edged to the safe hands of Warner at midwicket off Starc.
It took four overs for the next boundary to arrive, when Conway slog-swept Maxwell for six square of the wicket. Ravindra joined the party the next over, picking Adam Zampa’s deliveries and punishing him.
He smashed the Australian spinner for six over midwicket, and then roared to a half-century in a later Zampa over when he clubbed three sixes and a four. The Wellingtonians put on 113 together, delighting a healthy crowd of over 20,000 at the caketin.
Pat Cummins then set a trap for Ravindra, who pulled a delivery to Starc on the boundary after earlier finding a boundary there. Conway followed Ravindra the next ball, also finding Starc behind the wicket.
While Phillips and Chapman were a cold pairing, joining each other at the crease without facing a ball, they found the middle of the bat in Australia’s pace-heavy late-innings bowling.
Neither Zampa (0-42 off three) and Maxwell (0-32 off two) were seen in the last five overs after expensive spells.
Australia went into the game without Steve Smith with selectors leaving the 34-year-old out of the XI. Doubts linger over whether the veteran will go to his fourth T20 World Cup, with this series being Australia’s last hitout before the June tournament.
Little Billy Bagwell
Roar Rookie
Play the same XI No smith, no stoinbag, put zampa on alert he will be dropped. the dads's army of "pace" bowlers did nothin again! Bring in some young lads!!
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Agar's bowling is needed in that spot.
DTM
Roar Rookie
I agree. It feels like he (Wade) is an unnecessary player in the squad but there is the Bailey Principle.
Targa
Roar Rookie
Boult is non-contracted. He's only playing these last 2 T20s because the World T20 is in a few months. I assume they'll be his last ever games for us on NZ soil - perhaps there will be an announcement. I'd prefer if we picked more of our young quicks - perhaps Ben Sears who is 145+, the tall Will O'Rourke who made a test debut vs SA, or the uncapped (all formats) Nathan Smith who is a swing bowling allrounder.
Reddy
Roar Rookie
Imagine playing at pukekura park, New Plymouth. Top edges go for sixes. Blocking the ball sometimes it goes for four. It would have to be New Zealand's smallest international ground I think.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Yes…apart from 12 extra balls because of wides. That is neither pitch nor ground.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Wade's T20 strike rate is 135. Inglis' is 155. Wade is way inferior as a keeper.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Ellis hasn't bowled well for a while either.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
They play as many as they choose to play. They even extended the innings to 22 overs (12 wides) instead of 20 because they have had a rest.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
I think they are ok. Ravindra is genuinely better than any young batsman we have produced recently. Their batting has enough about it. The issue is with their bowling. Southee looks done, Boult is a t20 mercenary now. They really need Ferguson and Jamison to remain fit but that’s easier said than done.
13th Man
Roar Rookie
No they won’t change before July, but we’ll lose the World Cup because of it.
Little Billy Bagwell
Roar Rookie
Nah I was thinkin of replacing them with a big, cool, glistening, icy bottle of Portello.
Khun Phil
Roar Rookie
But they didn't!
Frodo
Roar Rookie
Too right. The calls for him to be droppe3d by many here are ridiculous. He's been great in his role for a couple of years now.
Frodo
Roar Rookie
And replace them both with a couple of West Aussies I suppose!
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
A great game. Some ordinary bowling perhaps, apart from Ferguson and Marsh. Head and Warner looked scratchy. David made up for Inglis’s slow rate. Inglis should still stay in ahead of Wade or Smith, but perhaps further down the order? But Short hasn’t proven himself. For those wondering about 4 scores of 200 in a row - it was Behrendorff, Hazlewood, Stoinis, Abbott, Maxwell and Zampa and getting flogged to all parts vs Windies. Also conceded 200 in 3 of the previous 4 vs India - can add Ellis to that lineup. They need to look at Johnson this series - he hasn’t done well in his T20Is to date but has potential.
Pedro The Fisherman
Roar Rookie
It is about to get worse when they move to Auckland. Cricket should NEVER be played on that "ground"!
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
You might be right about Ellis although he has had poor figures in the last 7 T20i’s this season from the SA series in September. Going at nearly 10 an over and only averaging 36. Bartlett hasn’t proved much in T20s. Goes for more runs/over than either Cummins or Hazlewood and they play most of theirs in much tougher conditions in India or in internationals while Bartlett is nearly all in the BBL. Not sure he’ll work in the Caribbean. Would be interested to see if Johnson can do well.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
The ball to Phillips was travelling very quickly, had to dive, just didn’t get it right.
Ace
Roar Rookie
Jammel , from what I've seen bowlers like Ellis and Bartlett look more dangerous to chance your arm on them. Be difficult to crack in though