New Zealand held their nerve to edge Australia by eight runs in a tense World Twenty20 Group 2 match yesterday, moving closer to a place in the semi-finals.
On a high after beating hosts India in their opening game, New Zealand posted a modest 142-8 before defending the total with disciplined bowling and tight fielding against their trans-Tasman rivals.
Australia came into the tournament with an embarrassment of top-order riches and opened with Usman Khawaja and Shane Watson.
Photo: AP
The decision meant no place for Aaron Finch, who was captain of the side barely six weeks ago and is the top-ranked batsman in this format of the game.
Khawaja (38) added 44 runs with Shane Watson (13) before Australia suffered a collapse to slump to 66-4 at the halfway mark of their innings.
Glenn Maxwell (22) and Mitchell Marsh (24) tried, but Australia kept losing wickets at regular intervals and needed 19 runs off the final over sent down by Corey Anderson.
Photo: AP
Anderson dismissed James Faulkner with the first ball of the final over to all but dash Australia’s slender hopes of a narrow win as New Zealand rose to the top of the group table.
Peter Nevill hit a six just over the head of Mitchell Santner at mid-wicket from the third delivery to bring the equation down to 12 from three, but Anderson bowled Nathan Coulter-Nile from the penultimate delivery to wrap things up.
Mitchell McClenaghan justified his selection at the cost of off-spinner Nathan McCullum, claiming figures of 3-17.
Earlier, Martin Guptill (39) gave New Zealand a flying start in a 61-run opening stand with skipper Kane Williamson (24) who opted to bat first on a dry track at the picturesque stadium in the north Indian hill station.
Guptill greeted Aston Agar by hitting his first two deliveries out of the ground and a third six off the final ball of the over ensured the left-arm spinner was removed from the attack.
Maxwell proved why he is such an asset for the side, taking a catch in the deep to send back the dangerous Guptill, dismissing Williamson with his second delivery and sending back Anderson in his next over.
The 27-year-old remained in the thick of things, taking another catch to dismiss Luke Ronchi and firing in a bullet throw to run out Santner.
Grant Elliot struck a quickfire 27 down the order, but New Zealand managed only 84 runs in the last 14 overs.
The total seemed insignificant with Australia getting early momentum from Khawaja and Watson.
However, leg-spinner Ish Sodhi bowled with great control, claiming 1-14 from his four overs, while spin partner Santner took two wickets.
Additional reporting by staff writer
GROUP 1
AP, KOLKATA, India
Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan struck an unbeaten 83 to help Sri Lanka open their title defense with a win, beating Afghanistan by six wickets on Thursday.
Dilshan struck eight fours and three sixes off 56 deliveries to guide Sri Lanka to 155-4 in reply to Afghanistan’s 153-7.
Earlier, Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai produced an attractive 47-ball 62 with three fours and four sixes for his highest score in 33 games.
He added 61 off 5.3 overs for the fifth wicket with Samiullah Shenwari, who got 31 off just 14 deliveries.
Pace bowler Thisara Perera (3-33) and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath (2-24) were the main wicket-takers for Sri Lanka.
MOTHER KNOWS BEST: Warriors’ coach Kerr said his 91-year-old mother criticized him for his attitude toward officials that led to his ejection from Monday’s game Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Wednesday rescued the Oklahoma City Thunder with a game-tying buzzer-beater before finishing with 46 points in a 129-125 overtime victory against the Utah Jazz. The reigning NBA champions looked to be heading for a third straight loss after the Jazz inched into a 114-112 lead following Lauri Markkanen’s layup with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. However, NBA Most Valuable Player Gilgeous-Alexander drained a superb 13-foot jump shot to tie it up at 114-114 as the buzzer sounded to send the game into overtime. Gilgeous-Alexander then took over in the extra period with nine points as the Western
Manchester City have confirmed defender Josko Gvardiol suffered a broken leg in Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. Gvardiol was one of two City centerbacks who went off injured in the second half, along with Ruben Dias, before Enzo Fernandez scored a stoppage-time equalizer for the visitors. The draw left second-placed City six points behind English Premier League leaders Arsenal. City, announcing Gvardiol sustained a tibial fracture to his right leg, added in a statement issued on Monday: “The defender will have surgery later this week and assessment remains ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the
AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURE: Sabalenka aims to follow up with a third Australian Open win, while Taiwanese Joanna Garland claimed a WTA 125 title in Canberra Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row yesterday, a week ahead of the Australian Open. Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world No. 1. However, Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes to face Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk in the final. “I struggled against her a couple of times [in
Mohamed Salah’s Egypt knocked reigning champions Ivory Coast out of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) with a 3-2 win in the quarter-finals on Saturday, while Victor Osimhen starred as Nigeria beat Algeria 2-0 to set up a clash with hosts Morocco. In Agadir, Morocco, a thrilling last-eight tie saw Omar Marmoush and Ramy Rabia net in the first half for the Pharaohs before an own goal by Ahmed Aboul-Fetouh brought the Ivorians back into it. Salah then got Egypt’s third early in the second half and they held on after Guela Doue again reduced the deficit. Egypt is to face Senegal
RSS