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New Zealand win by 89 runsThat was a statement victory from the Black Caps, one that all-but guarantees them a spot in the semi-finals, and simultaneously means Australia need results to go their way for them to get out of the group.
WICKET! Cummins c Conway b Southee 21 (Australia 111)Tim Southee returns to finish the job. Cummins tries to go big but can only sky a top edge that Conway pouches comfortably. What a rout.
17th over: Australia 111-9 (Cummins 21, Hazlewood 1) Trent Boult ends with 2/24. He has played his part, as he always does.
WICKET! Zampa b Boult 0 (Australia 109-9)Zampa lasts two balls, the second of which is a Boult knuckleball that’s much too good for the Australian tailender and smacks into leg stump.
WICKET! Starc b Boult 4 (Australia 109-8)Starc misses, Boult hits. New Zealand’s premier paceman belatedly gets in on the act with as simple a dismissal as you can imagine, hitting a full length and crashing into the middle of middle. The SCG raises barely a murmur.
This is an absolute shellacking. Australia are deep, deep in it with this NRR hit.
— Ben Jones (@benjonescricket) October 22, 2022 16th over: Australia 109-7 (Cummins 20, Starc 4) Cummins somehow forces Ferguson over the offside ring and away for four, a manufactured stroke quickly forgotten when the Test skipper stands his ground and plucks a half-volley off his stumps and deposits it into the pavilion. 12 from a rare successful over for the hosts.
15th over: Australia 97-7 (Cummins 9, Starc 3) New Zealand have dominated so far without Trent Boult landing a blow. The star left-armer returns for his third over but he remains wicketless for the time being.
“Morning Jonathan,” greetings Adam Hirst. “All very enjoyable so far. With seven down, NZ should try and bowl as many dots as possible, not bother with wickets. Try and get the Australian net RR as low as possible, they might need it on countback later.” Excellent strategy. That Boult over just now suggests that may well be the tactic.
14th over: Australia 91-7 (Cummins 7, Starc 1) Sodhi finishes with 1/29. Already discussion of the context of this match is around how the net run rate damage Australia will suffer could already all-but rule them out of the semi-finals. A catastrophic night for the hosts.
WICKET! Maxwell b Sodhi 28 (Australia 89-7)Maxwell’s vigil at the non-striker’s end continues to the midpoint of Sodhi’s over. His frustration is writ large when he aims yet another massive switch hit only to miss the ball and hear the dreaded death rattle behind him. Brave from Sodhi. Brilliant from New Zealand. This is a night to remember for the Black Caps.
13th over: Australia 87-6 (Maxwell 28, Cummins 5) After three deliveries without a run to begin the over, Ferguson concedes a boundary when Cummins swings him to leg off an inside edge. A beautifully disguised slower ball almost exacts revenge but Williamson will be happy with a single from the last delivery that sees Cummins farm the strike – to end an over that saw Maxwell marooned at the non-striker’s end throughout.
Australia probably need to have one eye on their NRR for the remainder of this chase. A big loss here and they could still go out with a 4-1 record like South Africa did last year.
— Kieran (@kieran_cricket) October 22, 2022 WICKET! Wade c Conway b Ferguson 2 (Australia 82-6)Back to the pace of Lockie Ferguson, and immediately he hurries up Wade with one that skids off the dewy deck. He backs that up with a scorcher that kisses the deck, pecks the outside edge, and snuggles into Conway’s gloves. Superb seam bowling. Australia are in all sorts.
12th over: Australia 82-5 (Maxwell 28, Wade 2) MAXWELLBALL continues at the SCG! A switch-hit slog sweep sends Sodhi 95m over cover/midwicket. That was a ridiculous hit. Sodhit doesn’t lose his cool though and around that maximum there’s three dot balls before a single brings Wade on strike. The wicket keeper punches a single to farm the strike.
Australia’s probability of qualifying for the SFs will go from 55% before today to 34% if they lose & that’s not even factoring in the potential NRR hit. As discussed in this thread last night: this is a brutal tournament format. #T20WorldCup t.co/bxA4zxrqnX
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) October 22, 2022 11th over: Australia 74-5 (Maxwell 21, Wade 1) Where there’s a Maxi there’s a way, and the virtuoso Victorian peels off another reverse hit for four, this time a bottom edged reverse sweep to third/fine leg. If Australia win then we’ll have witnessed one of the all-time great innings. Santner ends with 3/30.
WICKET! David c Neesham b Santner 11 (Australia 68-5)The wheels are coming off now. Tim David comes out after drinks and slog sweeps Santner for six with strong forearms. He tries agin next delivery but Santner saw him coming, dragged it down, and the ball flew in Neesham’s direction who held onto his second excellent catch of the night, low diving forward.
WinViz has New Zealand a 93% chance to win.
Still no rain. The SCG must be the only dry square metres in the entirety of New South Wales.
10th over: Australia 62-4 (Maxwell 16, David 5) Maxwell again goes to the switch-hit to Sodhi, but there’s a sweeper on that cover/midwicket boundary in preparation. David is far less assured against the Kiwi tweaker, only just surviving a legspinner that clips the merest outside edge to avoid an LBW. Maxwell shows his junior partner how it’s done, stepping to leg and carving a muscular boundary over extra cover. Australia are miles behind with a quarter of the match still to go, but with Glenn Maxwell at the crease they can’t be written off.
9th over: Australia 54-4 (Maxwell 10, David 3) Santner has 2/19 from his three overs. Australia need a miracle. Every replay makes Phillips’s catch to dismiss Santner look even better. Full length, mid-air, hitting the ball on the run, just incredible.
WICKET! Stoinis c Phillips b Santner 7 (Australia 50-4)Mark Howard reckons we’ve already seen the shot of the tournament, well that might genuinely be the catch of the tournament. Take a bow Glenn Phillips. Stoinis tried to carve a loopy Santner delivery over the covers but didn’t get all of the shot. Phillips tore in from his station at deep point and flew full length to hold on to an absolute screamer at full length. New Zealand are on fire tonight.
8th over: Australia 49-3 (Maxwell 9, Stoinis 6) Ish Sodhi’s turn to make something happen, from the Paddington end. Williamson looking to capitalise on Stoinis’s slow start. Sodhi turns the ball into the right-handers from over the wicket, going for a run-a-ball for five deliveries before MAXWELLBALL arrives and the maverick switch hits for four with the dexterity of Victorian seamstress stitching the monogram of a minor royal onto some shirt cuffs.
7th over: Australia 41-3 (Maxwell 4, Stoinis 3) With WinViz favouring New Zealand 81/19% Santner gets another whirl. He starts with some fortune as Maxwell slips turning for a second, and then almost does for Stoinis, beating the outside edge, then inducing an inside-edge that almost plays on. Stoinis is treading water and does not look like he’s reading the pace of the pitch just yet. He’s three from eight as New Zealand continue to turn the screw.
6th over: Australia 37-3 (Maxwell 2, Stoinis 1) Santner’s spin is replaced by the raw pace of Lockie Ferguson, and the speedster hits his marks conceding just three singles as Australia’s right-handers consolidate.
5th over: Australia 34-3 (Maxwell 0, Stoinis 0) Southee has 2/6 from his two overs. The run-rate is above 11. If the rain ever does come, the points are New Zealand’s.
After the Kiwis expertly picked off the short 63-metre square boundary, the Aussies’ top three have all gone out in the Powerplay trying to clear it #T20WorldCup
— Louis Cameron (@LouisDBCameron) October 22, 2022 WICKET! Marsh c Neesham b Southee 16 (Australia 34-3)The good news is Glenn Maxwell is in early. The bad news is Glenn Maxwell is in early. Will we see the usual freedom from the most entertaining batter in the game? Southee continues his good form, going for four from four and howling for an LBW appeal that’s declined on-field and not reviewed.
No bother, next ball Marsh tries to slog his way into rhythm but he doesn’t pick the slower off-cutter and can only sky a drive into the safe hands of Jimmy Neesham at cow corner. That was not an easy catch under the lights, but it continues New Zealand’s dream night.
WICKET! Finch c Williamson b Santner 13 (Australia 30-2)A surprising move from Williamson, bringing Mitchell Santner into the attack early, perhaps goading Marsh to take the spinner on before he’s set. And that’s exactly what the No 3 does, fetching a sweep from outside off and whipping it behind square leg for four. He doesn’t look to be reading the ball out of Santner’s left hand though, nervously prodding at a couple of dots before making Australia’s Mark Howard on commentary declare he’s already seen the shot of the tournament when he opens his shoulders and hits a massive high drive over square cover. It was good, but, um, yeah, 23 overs into the tournament proper…
Anyway, Finch tries to do the same but can only drill the ball straight to extra-cover. A great over for Australia turns into a disaster. Finch’s poor run continues.
4th over: Australia 30-2 (Marsh 12)
3rd over: Australia 19-1 (Finch 13, Marsh 1) BOSH! Who’s out of form? Not Aaron Finch. He absolutely belts the cover off a length Southee delivery and it flies 102m into the cheap seats. The follow up is a classical straight drive for four. He, and his country, needed that. Boult replies with a couple of deck-hitting dot balls then finds Finch’s outside edge but it trickles wide of the cordon for runs – only two – with Australia labouring between the wickets.
2nd over: Australia 7-1 (Finch 1, Marsh 1) Southee hits his marks to Mitchell Marsh and Aaron Finch, nipping the ball back into the two right-handers from over the wicket. Finch tries to fight fire with fire, advancing down the pitch, but he can only find mid-off with a mistimed drive. New Zealand well on top.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of that wicket. Not only is Warner a brilliant player but with Australia’s lone top order left-hander gone Sodhi & Santner can now operate freely against the right-handers, who largely struggle against away spin. #T20WorldCup
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) October 22, 2022 WICKET! Warner b Southee 5 (Australia 5-1)Light night follows day Southee follows Boult – and he gets the breakthrough! That was one heck of an ugly wicket. Not a great delivery, on a length around leg stump, Warner drops to one knee to larrup a mow over midwicket, only to bottom edge onto his pad, the ball lobbing up and catching another under-edge in his follow through and down onto the stumps. Plenty of luck two deliveries ago edging through second slip, then the absolute worst luck imaginable. He has the wherewithal to smile at his misfortune.
1st over: Australia 5-0 (Warner 5, Finch 0) Trent Boult opens with a trio of dots, the second of which nips off the seam and induces a play and miss from David Warner. Then there’s a huge let-off for the Australian opener. He’s squared up by Boult and edges straight to where second slip was standing for the first three balls and away for a boundary. A single rotates the strike allowing Boult to rip one past the out-of-touch Finch’s backfoot prod. Not the forceful start the home side were looking for.
It is now pitch black above the SCG, with the ground bathed in floodlight. It’s still dry.
Australia’s chase will begin in two shakes of a lamb’s tail.
It is still dry at the SCG, and may well remain dry long enough to force a DLS outcome. However, the radar reveals the Sydney metro area being encircled by storm clouds, so it’s a matter of when, not if, there’s a downpour.
New Zealand 200-3The Black Caps will be delighted with that total after being inserted by Aaron Finch. Finn Allen set the tone with a blistering opening, Devon Conway anchored the innings superbly, and Jimmy Neesham added the gloss with some late biff.
The rain has held off long enough to suggest a result is in sight, and with a round 200 on the board New Zealand will be favourites to secure an early win.
That’s a huge score from NZ. Allen & Conway were outstanding. Our PitchViz model forecasts that 173 is par – you can add around 10 for irregular dimensions but that still leaves NZ a healthy 20 above par. Slower balls went at 6 runs per over; pace on went at 12.60. #T20WorldCup
— Freddie Wilde (@fwildecricket) October 22, 2022 20th over: New Zealand 200-3 (Conway 92, Nessham 26) Hazlewood to bowl the final over, and he begins with a perfectly executed wide yorker. He follows that up with a tighter yorker that Neesham does well to engineer two from. The big allrounder then gets under a length delivery but he doesn’t get all of it and has to settle for a single. Ball four is a long-read all by itself as Conway moves to the offside, Hazlewood follows him, the batter flinches and somehow edge-scoops a loopy two over gully. A hard run two keeps Neesham on strike for the final delivery – and he smites it for six over cow corner! Brilliant finish to a brilliant innings for the Black Caps!
Hazlewood, by some margin the pick of the attack ends with 2/41.
19th over: New Zealand 186-3 (Conway 89, Nessham 15) Starc pounds in over the wicket to the pair of lefties, getting the ball to tail in towards leg stump. Two singles precede a loopy top-edge from Conway that lands just short of the diving Stoinis in the deep. Another single follows as Starc’s length proves impossible to lever away. He then benefits from Neesham failing to time a full toss, but then feels the wrath of fate when Conway creams his final delivery through the covers.
Starc ends with 0/36, a good comeback of sorts after being taken to the cleaners by Allen in the opening over.
18th over: New Zealand 176-3 (Conway 81, Nessham 13) New Zealand are on the tonk now. Neesham starts by clouting Cummins over cow corner for six, then slices behind point but it’s worth only one. The bowler tries to limit the damage using width but ends up flinging down two wides. Neesham continues his aggressive approach but again hits the field, this time long-off, but he runs hard for two. New Zealand’s running has been a feature of the night. Neesham picks up another two, this time in more fortunate fashion as a miscued slap lands safely where a standard midwicket would usually patrol.
Cummins ends with the unfamiliar figures of 0/46.
17th over: New Zealand 161-3 (Conway 79, Nessham 2) Not for the first time tonight Conway sets up a cruise of an over by stroking the opening delivery for a boundary, this time a classical off drive just wide of the diving mid-off. Jimmy Neesham, promoted to No 5, tries to loft his first delivery from Stoinis over the sight-screen but can only get enough on it to earn a single, one of five to see off the over.
Stoinis 0/38 from his four.
Looks like Australia will go through with just the five bowlers. Marcus Stoinis to bowl out. Comes just a couple of days after the coach talked up how important Glenn Maxwell is to the bowling unit. #AUSvNZ #T20WorldCup
— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) October 22, 2022 WICKET! Phillips c&b Hazlewood 12 (New Zealand 152-3)Hazlewood tears into his third over, hitting the deck hard, and he beats Phillips for pace with a back-of-length delivery. He reckons Phillips actually feathered that through to the nonplussed Wade – and if Wade is nonplussed, you know you’re on thin ice – and it’s no surprise when the third umpire confirms on review there was daylight between bat and ball. Phillips rubs salt into the wound with a baseball-style straight slap to the sight-screen for four from a near identical delivery. Hazlewood is nothing if not consistent though, persisting with the strategy until he gets his reward! Phillips is late onto another bunt, lobbing a simple return catch to the fast bowler.
16th over: New Zealand 152-3 (Conway 72)
15th over: New Zealand 144-2 (Conway 70, Phillips 7) Zampa beats the outside edge of Conway’s bat with a wrong’un but the opener’s back foot remains grounded as Wade removes the bails. Next up the Kiwi lefty finds the middle of the blade to send the ball back over the bowler’s head for a one bounce four.
Ten from Zampa’s final over. He finishes with 1/39.