DHAKA: Australia seamers restricted New Zealand to 183 at the final match in a clash for the ICC World Cup 2015 title at Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.
New Zealand were all out in 44.5 overs. Grant Elliott hit a fitly, Ross Taylor added a forty while five Kiwis batsmen got duck.
Brendon McCullum began New Zealand’s innings with Martin Guptill (15 off 34) on the other end of the crease while Australia’s Mitchell Starc bowled the first over.
McCullum didn’t get much of a chance to make an impression, playing and missing at two balls of the first over from Starc before the third one smashed into his stumps.
Kane Williamson came the crease, began assisting another opener Guptill.
Good follow up work by Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Johnson helped Australia restrict the Kiwis to 1-31 after 10 overs.
Meantime, Guptill, who hit a World Cup record score of 237 not out against West Indies, became the top run-scorer of ICC World Cup 2015, overtaking Kumar Sangakkara (541) of Sri Lanka.
Guptill (15 off 34) had not stayed for long. In the eleventh over, Maxwell came to bowl. He stroke the second ball - a length ball, do not have much turn. Guptill had simply played the wrong line here. The ball crashed in to off stump. Maxwell took Guptill.
Ross Taylor (40 off 72) came in, began batting with Williamson.
But Williamson (12 off 33) did not do much. Johnson removed him in the second ball of the innings’ twelfth over. Johnson bowled a length ball. Williamson was early in defending, and easily dripped by Johnson.
Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott began batting then. They somewhat recovered the Kiwis’ damage. The pair built a 111-run partnership in the fourth wicket until Faulkner removed Taylor when New Zealand scored 150 runs in 35.1 overs.
Faulkner bowled a slower ball to Taylor. Aussies appealed for a catch at the wicket. Umpires went to the third umpire with no soft signal that time. That was a slower legcutter, nearly a yorker. Taylor looked to drive, and the ball lobed to Haddin's right.
The umpires checked on both counts: bumped ball and a clean catch. Replays showed the ball had pitched just before hitting Taylor's bat, took the outside edge, and the edge was soft, dying to Haddin's right. He flew to his right, took a stunning one-handed catch. Clutch players stroke first ball in the Powerplay.
Corey Anderson came in. Just two ball later, Faulkner also removed Anderson. Faulkner threw a quick yorker. Anderson was slow on this, got beaten for pace and had has squeezed it past the bat. The ball rushed away towards point after hitting the off stump. On replay, this was not quite a yorker, but a really full ball that kissed the pad and hit off stump.
Luke Ronchi entered the filed, bating batting with Elliot. Luke failed to do much. Starc took him early.
Starc came to bowl in the 36th over. In the second ball, Starc delivered a wide length one. Ronchi flashed hard, edged to Michel Clarke at slip, and was gone for a duck.
Daniel Vettori (9 off 21) came to the crease while Elliot was in crease then.
Johnson took Vettori’s wicket. In the last over of the 40th over, Johnson delivered a full inswinging yorker at a high pace. Off the round arm the ball came, dipping on, tailing back in. Vettori was late on it, was beaten on the inside edge, was hit on the pad, and the deflection rattles the stumps.
Tim Southee (11 off 21) replaced Vettori while Elliot was still there. But Elliot went no further. Faulkner removed him, the big wicket for Australia. Elliott stopped at 83 off 82 with seven four and a six.
In the first over of 41st over, Faulkner came with a slower ball that was so hard to pick because it came out with the seam up.
Elliot saw a length ball that he can hit over the leg side, but he was way too early into the shot. He got the outside edge, and Faulkner's back-of-the-hand slower ball always bounced extra, which means it carried to Haddin.
Matt Henry came in. Johnson removed him at the fifth ball of 44th over. In next ball Southee was run out by Glen Maxwell.
New Zealand finished at 183 runs in 45 overs.
Australia’s Johnson and Faulkner took three wickets each while Maxwell and Starc bagged one and two wickets respectively.
Earlier, Australia captain Michael Clarke won the toss and decided to bat. Both sides have made no change to their XI.
After a month and a half of cricketing battles, the two teams have emerged as the strongest of the lot and will play for the coveted trophy at the MCG.
The Aussies are playing their fifth title clash while the Kiwis have taken part in their maiden final.
Head-to-Head - Played: 126; Australia have won 85 while New Zealand have won 35. Six have produced no results.
In World Cups - Australia have won six of nine matches while the Kiwis have won three matches, including the last time they met in Auckland earlier in this tournament.
Teams
Australia
Aaron Finch, David Warner, Steven Smith, Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood
New Zealand
Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum (capt), Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Corey Anderson, Luke Ronchi (wk), Daniel Vettori, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Matt Henry
BDST: 0943 HRS/1125 HRS/1325 HRS, MAR 29, 2015
** Kiwis opt to bat first in title clash
