Australia completed their rout of New Zealand with an emphatic nine-wicket win in the third Test with a day to spare yesterday, comfortably wrapping up the series 2-0, and underscoring their reputation as one of the greatest cricket sides ever.
In a frantic chase to beat rain and fading light, captain Ricky Ponting blasted an unbeaten 86 at a run-a-ball pace and Justin Langer was on 59 when they reached their 164-run target in the 30th over under the Eden Park floodlights.
The only wicket to fall was that of Matthew Hayden, run out for nine by a Daniel Vettori direct hit from mid off, as Australia set out determined to wrap up the Test in four days rather than risk the weather today after being denied victory in the second Test because of rain.
PHOTO: AFP
While the jury is still out on whether this Australian side is definitely the greatest of all time, they were hailed as a "once in a lifetime" team by New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming.
"It was a mauling," Fleming said as he summed up the series.
"I'm disappointed that we couldn't put up more of a fight. There are plenty of reasons and excuses but the criticism's got to be taken on the chin -- we were just well and truly outplayed by a great group of players in a once in a lifetime team," he said.
The manner in which Australia dealt to New Zealand underlined the vast gulf between the trans-Tasman neighbors which Ponting readily acknowledged.
"We've set very high standards over a long period of time and I think we've lived up to those standards," he said.
As much as Fleming tried to slow the game down, hoping the inclement weather would intervene, Ponting stepped up the pace walloping 86 from 84 balls including 12 fours and two sixes. Langer chimed in with 59 from 76 balls including 10 fours.
New Zealand had been outclassed in the series and a late revival in their second innings, moving from 23 for four to be all out for 254, was never going to be enough.
Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne took four wickets apiece, with McGrath left stranded on 499 Test wickets when he bowled Paul Wiseman for 23 to end the New Zealand innings.
The day started as bleak as it finished for New Zealand with Fleming out early for three and Hamish Marshall for seven.
When Fleming was caught and bowled by Gillespie it ended a miserable series for the New Zealand captain where he scored a total of 104 runs at 17.33.
Nathan Astle, Lou Vincent, Vettori and Wiseman brought some respectability to the score.
Astle and Vincent put on 70 for the fifth wicket, and after Vincent and Brendon McCullum both went with the score at 93, Astle combined with Vettori to add 81 for the seventh wicket.
Vincent was out for 40 when he chanced a single against the deadly arm of Michael Clarke and found himself meters short of the crease.
Warne captured Astle's wicket, caught close in by Simon Katich for 69 including 11 fours and a six.
Vettori continued his excellent allround series, reaching 65 off 108 balls with eight boundaries and adding another 46 with James Franklin for the eighth wicket.
But after Franklin departed for 23, Vettori hit out against Warne and was caught by McGrath in the deep.
That catch ruled out the possibility of McGrath reaching 500 Test dismissals in this match, and he fittingly has the chance to reach the magical milestone at the home of cricket in the first Ashes Test at Lords in July.
Shohei Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw on Friday joined their Los Angeles Dodgers teammates in sticking their fists out to show off their glittering World Series rings at a ceremony. “There’s just a lot of excitement, probably more than I can ever recall with the Dodger fan base and our players,” manager Dave Roberts said before Los Angeles rallied to beat the Detroit Tigers 8-5 in 10 innings. “What a way to cap off the first two days of celebrations,” Roberts said afterward. “By far the best opening week I’ve ever experienced. I just couldn’t have scripted it any better.” A choir in the
The famously raucous Hong Kong Sevens are to start today in a big test for a shiny new stadium at the heart of a major US$3.85 billion sports park in the territory. Officials are keeping their fingers crossed that the premier event in Hong Kong’s sporting and social calendar goes off without a hitch at the 50,000-seat Kai Tak Stadium. They hope to entice major European soccer teams to visit in the next few months, with reports in December last year saying that Liverpool were in talks about a pre-season tour. Coldplay are to perform there next month, all part of Hong Kong’s
Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez and Tommy Edman on Thursday smashed home runs to give the reigning World Series champions the Los Angeles Dodgers a 5-4 victory over Detroit on the MLB’s opening day in the US. The Dodgers, who won two season-opening games in Tokyo last week, raised their championship banner on a day when 28 clubs launched the season in the US. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shuffled his batting lineup with all four leadoff hitters finally healthy as Ohtani was followed by Mookie Betts, then Hernandez and Freddie Freeman in the cleanup spot, switching places with Hernandez. “There’s a Teoscar tax to
Matvei Michkov did not score on Monday, but the Philadelphia rookie had a hand in both goals as hosts the Flyers earned a 2-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak. Zachary L’Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their
RSS