Mitchell Marsh smashed a blistering match-winning century and won the T20I series 2-0. Mitchell Marsh‘s captain’s knock of 103 runs in 52 balls single-handedly chased down the target of 157 runs. Australia won the Chappell-Hadlee trophy and also retained it after a thrilling T20I series and we can say that the Aussies have now started to peak ahead of the T20 WC 2026.
Tim Seifert & Co. help New Zealand post a decent total on board
Australia had asked New Zealand to bat first after the second T20I match was washed out due to rain. New Zealand got off to a shaky start as they lost 3 wickets for 46 runs in the powerplay overs. Mitchell Marsh’s decision to give 3 overs to Josh Hazlewood in the powerplay overs showed results as his spell of 17 runs for 2 wickets in 3 overs dented New Zealand’s batting unit.
In the very first over, Devon Conway became the victim of Josh Hazlewood, and in the 5th over, the centurion of 1st T20I match, Tim Robinson was outdone by Josh Hazlewood. Josh Hazlewood’s tight line & length made life quite tough for Black Caps’ batters. New Zealand, though, had a hope in the form of Tim Seifert, who was smashing Aussie bowlers around the park.
Tim Seifert, along with Daryl Mitchell, started rebuilding the innings. The decision to give the 4th over to Josh Hazlewood backfired very brutally as Seifert & Mitchell unleashed an attack on him. Daryl Mitchell was slowly & steadily taking on Aussie bowlers. In the 10th over, the introduction of Marcus Stoinis again brought the Aussies back into the game as Mitchell got out on 9 runs in 10 balls. At the halfway mark of 10 overs, New Zealand lost 4 wickets for 77 runs, and Tim Seifert was standing alone with a score of 43 runs in 28 balls.
Tim Seifert lost his wicket in the 13th over as New Zealand was in a spot of bother at 99-5 in 12.2 overs. Michael Bracewell & James Neesham had an arduous task ahead of them to end the innings on a high note. James Neesham took on Marcus Stoinis in the 15th over as he whacked him for 2 sixes and 1 four as New Zealand’s score was 127-5 in 15 overs.
New Zealand then faltered in the death overs. Within the blink of an eye, New Zealand again was in a state of trouble at 144-7 in 17.5 overs. The decision of Michael Neesham to completely dominate Xavier Bartlett worked against him. New Zealand ended with a below-par score of 156-9 as the Kiwis managed to score only 29 runs and lost 4 wickets in the last 5 overs.
Sean Abbott was the silent assassin who took 3 wickets in his 4-over spell and conceded 25 runs. Marcus Stoinis despite taking the wicket of Daryl Mitchell was taken to the cleaners as he gave away 43 runs in his 4 over spell and astonishing thing was Stoinis bowled one maiden over as well.
Mitchell Marsh’s flamboyant ton stuns Black Caps
Australia got off to a brisk start as they scored 62 runs for the loss of 1 wicket. The dismissal of Travis Head didn’t affect Mitchell Marsh at all as he continued his onslaught. In the 6th over, Mitchell Marsh dismantled Ben Sears as he smashed him for 2 sixes and 2 fours and scored 22 runs from that over.
Against the run of play, Australia had a dramatic collapse who were reduced to 93-5 in 10.1 overs. Marcus Stoinis’ dismissal was quite shocking as his place in the side isn’t cemented nor fixed. Australia was left stranded with Mitchell Marsh fighting the lone battle and then came the tyro Mitchell Owen.
Mitchell Owen too tried to assert the dominance and Bean Sears got rid him in 13th over. Australia’s score was 111-6 as they needed another 46 runs and out of 111 runs, Mitchell Marsh alone had scored 68 runs in 34 balls. It was quite clear that it was Mitchell Marsh vs New Zealand in the run chase.
Mitchell Marsh was quite composed and steadfast in the run chase which was quite rare and unlike his technique. It was quite a precarious position for Australia as one wicket of Mitchell Marsh could have given New Zealand the ascendancy. Mitchell Marsh was quite audacious as he took on Ben Sears in 15th over and struck 2 fours and 1 six and brought down the equation to only 23 runs in last 5 overs.
Mitchell Marsh was unstoppable as his decision to smartly convert singles into doubles was commendable. Australian skipper showed immense maturity in his knock and we can say that with no Pat Cummins in the playing 11 (*injured), he was playing an innings of a life time.
Mitchell Marsh got the support from Sean Abbott who made sure that he doesn’t throw away his wicket after the score was 134-7 in 15.4 overs. Mitchell Marsh got to his maiden T20I hundred in 18th over and won the series by 2-0. There wasn’t any angry or passionate celebration from Mitchell Marsh which was shocking as he alone score more than 70% of runs as his unbeaten knock of 103 runs in 52 balls was the highlight of the match as he proved once again why he alone can win matches for Australia.
New Zealand’s flamboyant all-rounder James Neesham would be crestfallen. James Neesham took a 4 wicket haul and conceded 26 runs. James Neesham was the biggest positive for New Zealand who scored 25 runs in 18 balls. Matt Henry was wicketless which hurt Kiwis & also the powerplay overs where they gave away 62 runs which were too much in a run chase of 157 runs target.
Turning point of match
Skipper Michael Bracewell missed a trick by not giving himself another over. The 15th over of the match was the crucial turning point of the match as if Bracewell had bowled another over, he might have foxed Mitchell Marsh. Ben Sears conceded 15 runs in that over. Australian skipper has a big weakness against flighted deliveries as one mishit could have changed the result.
What lies ahead for Australia & New Zealand
Australia would be delighted as they retained the Chappell-Hadlee trophy for 9th successive time. We can say that now Australia is a well refined team who earlier blanked West Indies by 5-0 in July in West Indies, won 2-1 against South Africa in August and now won T20I series in New Zealand by 2-0.
Mitchell Marsh’s unit is dazzling ahead of T20 WC 2026 but they need more convincing performances from the middle order. Not a single batter apart from Mitchell Marsh scored 15 runs which is an alarming sign for the Kangaroos. Perhaps, Australia should try to slot in Steven Smith in the middle order but it looks like chief selector George Bailey will once again go all out batting attack. Next assignment for Australia is against India in October 2025 for a 5 match series which promises to be a blockbuster.
New Zealand on the other hand would be dejected who once again got outplayed by Australia. We should not forget that New Zealand were without Kane Williamson who refused to play. New Zealand’s next assignment is against England for a 5 T20I match series starting from 18th October as that series would serve as a stepping stone for the upcoming marquee tournament.