Glenn Maxwell struck a scintillating 96 in a tricky chase to help Australia beat India by three wickets in the third one-day international yesterday and take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Maxwell revived Australia’s chase for a 296-run victory target with a spectacular knock and by the time he was dismissed after an 83-ball blitz the scores were tied at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“It was nice to get a few out of the middle,” the 27-year-old said at the presentation ceremony. “I broke my No. 1 bat, which was a bit annoying. I have to call Kookaburra and try and get another one from them.”
Photo: AFP
Virat Kohli had earlier struck a run-a-ball 117 to power India to a competitive 295-6, but the total was not enough in the end.
Put into bat, India suffered an early setback as the law of averages caught up with opener Rohit Sharma who, after centuries in the previous two matches, fell for 6 in the fifth over.
However, Shikhar Dhawan (68), now a Melbourne resident, batted himself back into form, putting on 119 runs with Kohli before exposing his leg-stump, which was pegged back by a John Hastings delivery.
At the other end, Kohli became the fastest to score 7,000 runs in one-day internationals, taking five less than the 166 innings South Africa’s A.B. de Villiers needed to reach the mark.
The Test skipper found an able ally in Ajinkya Rahane (50), who notched up his second successive half-century, as the duo added 109 runs.
Hastings, who finished with a career-best four for 58, ended Kohli’s sparkling knock of 117 which included two sixes and seven fours.
Dropped on 20, Aaron Finch (21) could not make the most of the reprieve, but Shaun Marsh (62) and skipper Steven Smith (41) added 64 runs to steady the Australia reply.
At 215-6 the hosts looked in trouble, before Maxwell bailed them out with some uninhibited stroke-making.
Needing 65 runs off the final 10 overs, Maxwell hit Umesh Yadav for a six and a four in the 43rd over that produced 15 runs, and which proved the turning point in the thrilling contest.
Maxwell missed out on his second one-day century, but belted three sixes and eight fours in his stellar knock to claim the man-of-the-match award as the hosts romped home with seven balls to spare.
“I thought 295 was a very good score,” India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said, not hiding his disappointment with his team’s fielding.
“We did not field well, we conceded three boundaries that we should have easily stopped and those were the best fielders in the side, he said. “In tight games like this, that’s one thing we have to avoid.”
The teams move to Canberra for the fourth one-day international on Wednesday.
NEW ZEALAND V PAKISTAN
Reuters
Skipper Kane Williamson and fellow opener Martin Guptill forged the highest partnership in Twenty20 internationals to secure New Zealand a series-leveling 10-wicket victory against Pakistan in the second Twenty20 in Hamilton, New Zealand, yesterday.
The 171-run stand between the pair, who shared the man-of-the-match award, bettered the previous record of 170 between South Africa openers Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman against England in a 2009 match at Centurion.
Opting to bat first, Pakistan posted 168-7 in 20 overs, with Umar Akmal (56 not out) and Shoaib Malik (39) scoring the bulk of the runs in the second match of the three-game series.
Akmal needed 22 balls for his half-century and hit four sixes as Pakistan settled for a score their bowlers eventually could not defend.
The tourists struggled to come to terms with the contrasting batting styles of New Zealand’s opening pair, who milked the Pakistan attack with consummate ease.
Williamson hit 11 fours to remain unbeaten on 72 as his team sealed victory with 14 balls to spare.
Guptill faced 10 more balls for his 87 not out, hitting four sixes and nine fours, the last of which sealed the victory and created a new partnership record.
Wellington hosts the deciding match on Friday.
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