New Zealand edged out by five runs in World Cup thriller

6 min read

There was just five runs between five-time champions Australia and gallant New Zealand in an action-packed World Cup thriller in Dharamshala on Saturday, resulting in a close win for the Australians.

There was an all-out score of 388 for Australia with Travis Head scoring 109 and David Warner contributing 81 runs for the team.

A hard-fought battle ensued with Rachin Ravindra scoring 116 runs and Jimmy Neesham scoring a 33-ball fifty to help the Kiwis to a score of 383-9, and Lockie Ferguson trying, but failing, to hit a six off the final ball, leaving them stranded on 383.

Having scored eight points in six games, and an excellent net run rate (NRR) of 0.970, the Aussies have strengthened their position in the World Cup points table with eight points in six games.

With 61 runs put up by Devon Conway and Will Young combined at the start of the Black Caps’ chase for 389 runs, the Black Caps did not let up in their pursuit of 389 runs.

It was Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell’s 96-run partnership, however, that proved to be the most crucial factor in providing the much-needed stability to the Black Caps.

As a result of a remarkable run of form from Adam Zampa, Mitchell exceeded his initial target of 54 off 51 before losing his wicket. However, Ravindra turned out to be the star of the show as he scored an unbelievable century, scoring 116 off 89 runs, with 14 boundaries and five sixes.

In the 41st over, Pat Cummins removed Ravindra, the biggest threat to his side, who looked like he was going to carry his side over the line, but he didn’t. Ravindra looked good and it looked like he was going to help his side to victory.

When Ravindra walked out of the field, Jimmy Neesham stood at the other end and fought tirelessly to bring his side close to a colossal total by scoring 58 off 39 balls, but with no support from the other end, he could only bring them close to it.

The five-time World Champions placed themselves in a dominant position when they batted first, posting a massive target of 389 runs courtesy of quickfire knocks from Travis Head and David Warner as they established a 175-run partnership that put the five-time World Champions in a commanding position.

With Travis having returned from a long injury, he managed to score 109 runs from just 67 deliveries, hitting 17 boundaries, 10 fours and seven sixes along the way. As for Warner, he fell short of a well-deserved century by just 19 runs as he lost his wicket to Glenn Phillips for 81 runs just 19 runs short of a century.

Having lost their openers earlier in the game, the Aussies did not progress in the bowling department and couldn’t hold onto their wickets. It looked as though they would have to settle for a total under 350 runs until Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis, and skipper Pat Cummins finally came together to provide the much-needed breakthrough.

Maxwell hit 41 off 24 balls, including seven boundaries, in the course of three overs, but failed to make a half-century from his rapid knock. Although Inglis lacked the quickness of Maxwell or Head, he scored 38 runs at a good run rate of 135.71 and scored 38 runs at a good run pace.

On the other side of the wicket, Cummins made 37 runs off just 14 deliveries, including four fours and two sixes. As a result, Cummins played an important role in helping his side to a total of 388.

A total of 388 runs was scored by the Australians after they could not hold on to their wickets and were all out with four balls remaining.

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