Mitchell Marsh blasted 85 from 43 balls as Australia beat New Zealand by six wickets Wednesday in the first Twenty20 international for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. Mitchell Marsh lit up a bitterly cold night at Bay Oval by hitting nine fours and five sixes as Australia surpassed New Zealand’s total of 181-6 with 21 balls remaining.
Australia hit 20 fours and nine sixes on a night of high winds and low temperatures. Marcus Stoinis finished the run chase with a boundary from the first ball he faced .Australia claimed a commanding six-wicket win over New Zealand in the first T20I at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui, despite a sparkling century from Tim Robinson that gave the hosts early hope. Chasing 182, the visitors stormed to victory in just 16.3 overs, led by a blistering 85 from captain Mitchell Marsh.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch Report : The pitch at Bay Oval is expected to be batting-friendly, offering good conditions for stroke play. The breeze across the ground could play a key role during the match. The weather forecasts for the series opener indicate clear skies, with no rain expected to disrupt play. Bowlers need to be tight in their lengths to contain runs from the batters.
Toss : Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh won the toss and chose to bowl with the main attraction Marcus Stoinis coming back from retirement into the T20I National setup before the T20I World Cup in 2026. New Zealand skipper Micheal Bracewell batting first in the absence of main key players would love to challenge Australia onto the field.
Tim Robinson’s maiden T20I century powers NZ to 181 for 6 after a disastrous start.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Australia had New Zealand in trouble early. Tim Seifert was out chipping to mid-off in the first over before Ben Dwarshius dismissed Devon Conway and Mark Chapman off successive deliveries in the second leaving New Zealand on 6/3. Tim Robinson and Daryl Mitchell ensured that there was no further damage in the PowerPlay and began mounting a counterattack.
It was a dire start for New Zealand after Marsh continued his preferred route of bowling first, despite ground data suggesting a bat-first venue.Mitchell Marsh has never batted first when winning the toss in a T20I. Josh Hazlewood struck in the first over when Tim Seifert picked out mid-off then Devon Conway’s drive was beaten by Dwarshuis’ swing. Mark Chapman next tickled one down the leg side which Australia successfully reviewed.
Initially it was Daryl Mitchell who counter-punched with a combination of the edge and middle of the bat. Robinson, in contrast, laboured to 10 off 14 balls before striking a flat six off Marcus Stoinis in the final over of the powerplay. A terrific strike over the off side against Xavier Bartlett followed and he skipped to a 31-ball fifty. The fourth-wicket stand with Mitchell was worth 92 in 55 deliveries.
Tim Robinson, who was slow to start, got going by smacking a six and a four off Stoinis in the sixth over before repeating the act in the following over bowled by Xavier Bartlett. He went on to raise fifty off just 31 balls in the ninth over and his 67-run stand with Mitchell ensured that his side was back on track at 93/3 after 10 overs.
The stand was broken when Mitchell holed out to long-on in the 11th over and Australia managed to regain some control. While the scoring rate fell, Australia were quite poor in the field and handed Tim Robinson as many as four reprieves. He was first put down by Travis Head in the 13th over and benefitted from a missed stumping in the 15th.
Despite their early trouble, New Zealand had reached 93 for 3 at the 10-over mark. By then, Zampa had sent down two overs for 18, which was already a fightback after his first delivery, a long hop, had been launched for six by Robinson.
The cold, windy conditions were fiendishly difficult for a legspinner, with the added challenge for Zampa that he has Raynaud’s syndrome which means he loses feeling in his fingers during colder weather (and even on some warmer days).
But Zampa conceded just nine off his last two overs – the 13th and 15th of the innings – which was a key part in New Zealand struggling to find lift off. He twice should have dismissed Robinson wicket on those two overs. After the first-ball six, he conceded 21 off 23 deliveries.
Overall, Bevon Jacobs’ struggle was particularly notable as he made 20 off 21 balls before being brilliantly run out by teamwork. Stoinis, running around the backward-square rope, flicked the ball between his legs to Head who then provided a bullet return to Carey. The partnership for the fifth-wicket was 64 off 47 balls, but with Robinson also losing some impetus it meant Australia never really lost control.
The first of Robinson’s reprieves came on 55 when Matt Short couldn’t hold a return catch above his head and he was spilled twice by Head (at short third and backward point) on 62 and 74. Between those moments, Alex Carey missed a stumping chance when Robinson was beaten by Adam Zampa. A fifth life followed on 76 when Tim David spilled a catch at long-on in what became a ragged display from Australia.
He was then put down twice off successive deliveries in the 17th, once more by Head and then by Tim David. Robinson made the most of the chances he was offered and brought up his maiden T20I century off the penultimate delivery of the innings.With two balls of the innings remaining, Robinson had strike on 96 when he flicked Dwarshuis to fine leg then signed off with a six over the leg side. Despite losing a couple of wickets to run-outs, New Zealand finished strong on 181/6 after Robinson launched the final delivery for six.
Mitchell Marsh’s 85 runs powers Australia to an easy 6 wicket win over NZ
New Zealand’s bowlers – much like West Indies and South Africa of recent months – felt the force of Australia’s top order. Four of the powerplay overs went for double figures and when Head picked out midwicket against Henry it was barely a blip. After the powerplay, Australia had struck 12 fours compared to New Zealand’s 11 overall.
In pursuit, Australia were off the blocks quickly with Mitchell Marsh smacking a couple of boundaries in each of the first two overs and a six in the third. There were boundaries aplenty as Head joined in by smacking three fours in the fourth over. Australia raced to fifty in just the fifth over before the opening stand was broken in the sixth by Matt Henry, who bounced out Head.
There had been a few questions being asked of Mitchell Marsh’s returns with the bat while most of his team-mates flayed away in the recent series, but he made a half-century in the final match against South Africa which he carried into the ODIs that followed. Now across the Tasman he put on a brutal display of his power.
Mitchell Marsh had four fours and a huge straight six by the end of the third over, with his driving down the ground and over the off side particularly eye-catching. Mitchell Marsh brought up a 23-ball fifty with a second consecutive six off Zak Foulkes, then in the 11th over was able to send Matt Henry over the off side for six from the back foot.
That, however, did little to stem the flow of runs. Matt Short wasted little time to get underway with a four and a six. Mitchell Marsh brought up his fifty by smacking consecutive sixes off Zakary Foulkes in the ninth over as Australia surged well ahead of the asking rate. New Zealand were left with little hope as Australia continued to score ruthlessly.
There was a chance of maiden T20I hundred, but he picked out cover. Short made an encouraging return with 29 off 18 balls until missing a full toss from Kyle Jamieson before David swiftly ended the game. The wickets of Short, in the 12th over, and Mitchell Marsh, in the 15th, were too little too late as Australia polished the total off with ease.
Despite Matt Henry’s efforts (2/43), New Zealand struggled to contain the run flow. The bowlers lacked consistent control, and fielding lapses added to their woes. Australia reached the target with 21 balls to spare, showcasing their dominance with the bat.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Michael Bracewell the losing NZ skipper said : Â In the powerplay in both innings, we got behind the game. Did well to get a total on the board, but Head and Marsh took the game away from us in the powerplay, we were always fighting to get back since then. It’s 20-20 cricket, some mishits go up in the air and it’s a completely different story. Today was their day, but we kept scrapping until the end and can take this going into the next few matches.
Tim (Robinson) played beautifully, we didn’t take a step backwards after we lost three inside the second over, we did get a good total at the end of the batting PP, but lost a wicket or two too many. We need to do better in terms of execution with the ball, some of them just went over our heads, but that’s the way the game rolls on.
Just need to learn from this and come back well. It’s a good thing, to have a break tomorrow and come back once again, no time to dwell on tonight’s performance (on the short turnaround between matches).
Mitchell Marsh the winning skipper and Player of the match for his 85 runs said : Nice innings, it’s important to start off a 3-match series with a win and it’s nice to contribute. We’ve had great times off-field and it’s good to continue the partnership in the middle (on his partnership with Travis Head). We do have a lot of power in the batting line-up, but we need to work out things organically.
I was just hoping to get out to the middle and continue batting well. I’m always a bat first captain, but we’ve bowled first in 15 of the last 16 games so far. The most pleasing thing is the way we handled the wind, we had a good crack and got lucky at times. Just defend on the big side, keep it simple and back your plans (on his advice to the bowlers).
We’ve been playing some good cricket, the T20 WC is still a long way away, we’ve been formulating some plans and it’s nice when things go your way. Mitchell Marsh’s 85 is the joint second-best score for AUS vs NZ in T20Is, alongside Andrew Symonds’ 85* (WACA, 2007), and only behind Ricky Ponting’s 98* in the first ever Men’s T20I played at the Eden Park, Auckland in 2005.
Tim Robinson’s maiden T20I century went in vain as Australia made a winning start in the three-match Chappell-Hadlee T20I series. Led by skipper Mitchell Marsh’s 85, Australia hunted down the 182-run target with 6 wickets and 3.3 overs to spare. A bludgeoning display from captain Mitchell Marsh powered Australia to a comprehensive victory in the opening match of the Chappell-Hadlee T20I series in Mount Maunganui after Tim Robinson had compiled a superb century to haul New Zealand out of early trouble.
New Zealand slid to 6 for 3 in the second over with Ben Dwarshuis putting himself on a hat-trick. But Robinson overcame the sticky start against the new ball to compile score his maiden T20I century from 65 balls in a match where he likely wouldn’t have played had Rachin Ravindra not suffered a series-ending facial injury in training yesterday.
Despite Robinson’s best efforts – and Australia offering him five lives – the home side struggled to accelerate during the second half of their innings. An opening stand of 67 in 5.3 overs between Marsh and Travis Head broke the back of the chase inside the powerplay.
Even with Australia missing Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell, the outcome of the chase never felt in doubt after that start, although Marsh couldn’t quite see it home himself, falling 15 runs short of a century. It was only the second time a chasing side had won a T20I at the venue.
181 wasn’t going to be enough, not against this powerfully built Australian batting line-up. They started off like a fast train with Travis Head and Mitch Marsh finding boundaries at will. The former was dismissed in the 6th over, but the visitors had already raced away to 67 by then.
Mitchell Marsh continued the onslaught and had partners in crime, in the form of Matt Short and then Tim David, as Australia made a mockery of the target. The Australian skipper looked destined for a hundred of his own before he was dismissed for a well made 43-ball 85. All the bowlers were smashed around, 181 was supposed to be challenging, but Australia cruised home with 21 balls to spare. That’s how convincing the chase was.
Australia have landed the first punch in this 3-match T20I series at Bay Oval. But New Zealand have a chance to even things up when the two teams return here in two days time. The second T20I is on Friday.With this win, Australia took a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series. The teams will meet again at the same venue on October 3, with New Zealand needing to regroup quickly to level the series.
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