Adam Zampa picked four while rest of the Australia bowlers all chipped away with wickets to down New Zealand comprehensively in the second T20I and complete a series win for the visitors. After a high-scoring, final-ball thriller in Wellington, bowlers took centre stage in Auckland to deliver a 2-0 lead for Mitchell Marsh’s side.
Josh Hazlewood bowled superbly with the new ball before leg spinner Adam Zampa returned to form as Australia tore through a shorthanded New Zealand batting order to wrap up the T20I series in Auckland.
Pitch , Toss and Playing 11
The second game of the three-match T20I series between New Zealand and Australia was played on Friday, February 23, 2024. The action shifted from Wellington to Auckland where Eden Park would be the host the remaining games of the series.
Australia led by Mitchell Marsh scored 216 to win the first T20I off the final match of the match. The Aussies needed 16 to win off the final ball with Tim David hitting the winning runs. Marsh was unbeaten on 72 off 44 deliveries and David scored an unbeaten 31 off 10 balls. Earlier in the game, New Zealand won the toss and piled up 215/3 themselves with Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra scoring fifties and Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman playing important cameos. Little did they know that Australia would manage to overhaul the target.
The Auckland track also uses drop-in pitches like the one in Wellington. There were as many as 30 sixes hit in the first T20I and if the pitch conditions remain anything close to what it was in Wellington, we should be in for a treat. The AUS vs NZ second T20I is shaping up to be another high-scoring contest.
Heading into the AUS vs NZ second T20I, Marsh leads the Aussies while Santner leads the Kiwis. Trent Boult will replace Tim Southee in the squad. How the two teams shape up their playing XI will be an interesting observation. The bowlers from both teams went on the journey and they will need to adjust to the conditions as well.
New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl .Wholesale changes for both the sides today. Big one for Australia at the top of the order with Smith getting a go and Warner getting a rest. Matthew Wade is back for Australia and has been listed as their keeper. Mitchell Starc has been rotated out, with Nathan Ellis getting a game instead. Will Young replaces Rachin Ravindra in NZ’s XI and joins his former room-mate Josh Clarkson. Ben Sears, Wellington’s tearaway quick, also gets a game for NZ.
Smith fails to impress as an opener, Australia’s hard-hitting backfires
After being overlooked in the series opener, Steve Smith appears to not be in Australia’s first-choice XI for the T20 World Cup. But with their campaign to be played on slower and turning surfaces in the Caribbean, Smith will almost certainly make the squad.
Tim David, Australia’s hero at the death in the first game, came out at the halfway point and he was clearly not as comfortable coming to the crease earlier than expected. David made just 17 off 19 balls, but a handy late knock from Pat Cummins kick-started Australia’s comeback.
Australia didn’t feel the absence of David Warner, who was rested, as Travis Head and Steve Smith flew off the blocks after New Zealand opted to bowl. Trent Boult was welcomed back to action with a 20-run first over where Head smashed two sixes and two fours. Steve Smith went after Adam Milne in the second as Australia began on the fifth gear.
Boult cops early punishment, Ferguson and Sears restrict Australia to 174
Experienced seamer Trent Boult returned to international cricket for the first time since last year’s ODI World Cup. But he has been playing plenty of T20 franchise cricket and hoped to provide New Zealand with a spark after their attack copped a pounding in the first game.
Boult, however, had a torrid first over when he leaked 20 runs, including unluckily being hit for two sixes that flew off Head’s outside edge. Things didn’t improve much for Boult, who finished with 0 for 49 off four overs.
New Zealand struggle without Devon Conway
New Zealand batters however, did not consolidate on this situation. They had to chase the total without Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway, who hit fast fifties in the opening fixture. Conway suffered a thumb injury in the first innings and was not available to bat.
Josh Hazlewood dented them early on, by dismissing Finn Allen in the opening over to jolt the hosts. New Zealand lost three wickets in the PowerPlay and the fourth right after this period to be down to 29 for 4.
Without opener Conway, who returned to form with a half-century in game one, New Zealand’s batting order was out of sync as they crashed in the powerplay. Skipper Mitchell Santner promoted himself to No. 3, but it backfired and their hopes rested on Clarkson and Glenn Phillips.
Hazlewood stars early, Adam Zampa bounces back
Australia were seemingly defending a sub-par total, but Hazlewood was on the money with trademark accurate line-and-length bowling. After being carted by Finn Allen for a six on his third delivery, Hazlewood exacted revenge when Allen unluckily played on.
Hazlewood relished the surface’s bounce and zeroed in on a nervy New Zealand top order with his initial three-over burst capped by a maiden. Astonishingly he bowled 15 dots in his first 18 deliveries. It was an important hit-out for Hazlewood, who won’t be playing in the IPL due to the birth of his first child.
Presentations and Road Ahead.
Mitchell Marsh Australia winning captain said : Great win for Australia. Our backs were against the wall. I thought we were 50 short. But the way our bowlers came out and performed was outstanding. A collective effort. It’s one of those grounds were you get lured into the short boundaries. The wicket was good. Had steep bounce which we should be used to.
One of our mantras as a batting unit is to keep taking the game on and trusting our skills. I was proud of the fact we did that. I think all of our teams have been backed into corners in the last 12 months and we’ve found a way to get out of them. Tonight was another great example of that.
Mitchell Santner New Zealand captain said : We were pretty happy at halfway, especially after the start they got off to. Credit to the boys. To get wickets through the middle was key, it was the only way to slow them down really. Lockie showed his class again tonight. I thought Sears bowled extremely well. It was Gary [Stead’s] decision [re batting at No.3].
It was unfortunate with Dev. But some good news, it’s not broken. We’ll see how he goes in a couple of days but obviously the Test matches coming up are pretty important as well. Wickets in the powerplay, they way they hit their hard lengths, playing those cross-bat shots were quite difficult. Maybe we could have soaked it up a bit longer.
Pat Cummins who for his 28 runs and 1 for 19 in 3 overs got Player of the Match said : Dunno how I got this, but I’ll take it. Yeah, batting wise, some came off the edges and I guess I’ll take it. I love it [not captaining] Just going off to the boundary and coming in to bowl. I love it. [Why are Australia’s bowlers so good?] First of all tonight, the wicket helped, had a little bit in it. Everyone had a good night. [Wicket like the WACA?] That’s right, it had a bit sideways.
While their thrilling victory in the first game was highlighted by a magnificent chase, Australia’s disciplined bowling attack shone here with Hazlewood’s terrific opening spell setting the tone. Adam Zampa then took over with four wickets as Australia clinched the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy with a thumping victory, with a match to spare. It was a stellar comeback for Australia, who were staring down the barrel at 138 for 7 after being sent in at Eden Park.
New Zealand’s woes were compounded when wicketkeeper-batter Devon Conway injured his left thumb early in the match and was not able to bat. An X-ray did clear him of a fracture, but he will be further reviewed. The series finale will be played at the same venue on Sunday the 25th of February 2023 and Australia would try to take Chappell- Hadlee trophy 3-0 while New Zealand would love to peg one back.