Australia has held its nerve to clinch a dramatic five-run victory over New Zealand in Dharamshala, putting Pat Cummins’ men one closer towards booking a spot in the World Cup semi-finals.
A blistering 59-ball century from opener Travis Head steered the Australians towards an imposing 388 all out, the nation’s highest ODI total against New Zealand.
However, a masterful century from Rachin Ravindra and a late assault from Jimmy Neesham put the Black Caps within touching distance of pulling off a record-breaking run chase, setting up a nailbiting final couple of overs at Himachal Pradesh Association Stadium.
Australia will next face reigning champions England at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on Saturday, November 4, with the first ball scheduled for 7.30pm AEDT.
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Aussies capitalise on NZ nightmare over | 00:45
‘HE BULLIED THEM’: HEAD REPAYS SELECTORS’ FAITH
Travis Head’s inclusion in Australia’s World Cup squad understandably raised eyebrows.
The 29-year-old was ruled out of the first half of the quadrennial tournament in India after fracturing his hand during last month’s white-ball tour of South Africa.
However, the national selectors were willing to carry Head through the opening stages of the tournament, essentially having a 14-player squad at their disposal.
The decision initially looked to have backfired when Australia suffered crushing defeats against hosts India and South Africa, with Head watching on from his living room in Adelaide.
However, the South Australian well and truly repaid the selectors’ faith on Saturday, named player of the match after blasting a 59-ball century against the Black Caps in Dharamshala. It was a contender for greatest performance on World Cup debut.
“He simply didn’t miss the middle of the bat,” Australian legend Ricky Ponting said in commentary.
“He just went from ball one, set the tone.
“He let New Zealand know that Australia were here to play.”
Cricketers typically show some signs of rust after spending six weeks on the sidelines, but the left-hander shook off the cobwebs in the third over of the match by smacking a 90-metre six down the ground.
Head cleared the boundary rope seven times throughout his brutal onslaught, eventually dismissed in the 24th over for 109 (67). Put simply, the Australian team are genuine title contenders with him at the top of the order.
Highest strike rate among openers in men’s ODIs
115.41 – Travis Head (AUS)
113.40 – Sharjeel Khan (PAK)
108.20 – Colin Munro (NZ)
106.67 – Jonny Bairstow (ENG)
105.53 – Jason Roy (ENG)
* Minimum 20 innings
“Full credit to the Australian selectors … they picked him in that squad of 15 injured, they’ve delayed his entry until he was 100 per cent fit,” former Australian spinner Kerry O’Keefe said on Fox Cricket.
“On no cricket, he’s come out and batted as though he’s been batting for weeks.
“It’s a stunning performance.
“He bullied them … it was an outstanding display.”
No Australian opener has more ODI runs and a higher batting average than Head, while the left-hander’s strike rate of 115.41 is the highest among all openers in men’s ODIs.
STARC’S WORLD CUP STREAK OVER AFTER CAREER-WORST PERFORMANCE
Mitchell Starc’s World Cup streak is over.
The left-armer had taken at least one wicket in each of his previous 23 World Cup matches, finishing as the leading wicket-taker of the 2015 and 2019 tournaments in Australia and England respectively.
He’s climbed to third spot on the all-time World Cup wicket tally, only sitting behind modern legends Glenn McGrath and Muthiah Muralidaran.
However, Starc had a night to forget in Dharamshala on Saturday.
The New South Welshman finished with 0-89 from nine overs, the worst bowling figures of his stellar ODI career. He produced nine wides throughout the run chase against New Zealand, two of which sailed to the boundary for four additional runs.
In what proved to be a nailbiting contest at Himachal Pradesh Association Stadium, Starc’s wayward bowling almost robbed Australia of what should have been a comfortable victory.
“He’s normally very accurate. He consistently gets that line right, especially with that new ball,” former Australian teammate Shane Watson said in commentary.
“He’s just been a little bit inconsistent from what we’ve seen in the past.”
Former New Zealand bowler Simon Doull theorised that the picturesque venue’s infamously sandy outfield was interrupting Starc’s run-up.
“I sometimes found on the really soft, sandy outfields it really hard to get your rhythm, to get a solid footing underneath, so your run-up becomes a little patchy at times,” Doull said in commentary.
“He’s very much a rhythmical runner, and if it’s not quite right, your feet are sinking a little bit more … sometimes it’s not as easy.”
Ignoring the horror delivery that sailed down the leg side for five wides, Starc held his nerve in the final over to ensure Australia secured its fourth consecutive victory of the World Cup. He also claimed a trio of smart catches earlier in the run chase.
However, the Australians will be desperate for the 33-year-old to rediscover his mojo before the semi-finals get underway next month.
Mitchell Starc’s worst bowling performances in ODIs
0-89 vs NZ in Dharamsala, Oct 2023
0-82 vs IND in Sydney, Nov 2020
0-78 vs IND in Rajkot, Jan 2020
0-67 vs IND in Chennai, Mar 2023
0-66 vs IND in Bengaluru, Jan 2020
‘SHAMBLES’: BLACK CAPS ‘GOT THEIR TACTICS WRONG’
Tom Latham’s captaincy has been superb throughout the tournament, but some of the wicketkeeper’s choices on Saturday raised eyebrows.
The Black Caps skipper arguably made his first error before a ball had even been bowled, electing to field first after winning the toss at Himachal Pradesh Association Stadium. The decision backfired dramatically when Australian openers David Warner and Travis Head smacked 93 runs from the first eight overs.
“The sky was bluer than Rodney Rude, the pitch was harder than algebra, and he’s sent us in!” former Australian spinner Kerry O’Keefe laughed on Fox Cricket.
“What’s going on?
“It was just ridiculous.
“I’ve lost it. I just cannot believe the rationale.”
O’Keeffe mocks Kiwis’ toss decision | 01:32
Latham turned to spin in the ninth over, but curiously threw the ball to left-arm orthodox Mitchell Santner, a strange decision considering a pair of left-handed batters were at the crease with only two fielders permitted outside the ring.
Santner conceded three boundaries in his opening over of the match, failing to stem the flow of runs or create a breakthrough.
“The worst nightmare for New Zealand coming here today was their two left-armed spinners had to bowl a lot to the two left-handers,” Ponting said in commentary.
“They would have gone to bed last night thinking, ‘We’ll get a couple of early ones out, then we’ll work through the middle overs with our left-armers against the right-handed batters’.
“They haven’t got that today.”
Off-spinner Glenn Phillips, who turns the ball away from left-handed batters, was finally introduced to the attack in the 14th over, which only conceded two runs — it was the first boundary-less over of the innings.
Phillips snared New Zealand’s first breakthrough in the 20th over, holding onto a smart return catch to send Warner back to the sheds for 81. The 26-year-old then knocked over centurion Head a couple of overs later, bowled for 109 (67).
But the damage had already been done. Warner and Head had combined for a rapid 175-run opening partnership, setting the foundation for a mammoth total.
“They just got the tactics wrong,” O’Keefe continued.
“When Plan A didn’t work, they became a shambles.”
Phillips finished with 3-37 from ten overs, his best bowling figures at international level. The rest of New Zealand’s bowlers conceded 7-350 from 39.2 overs.
“They just looked flustered,” former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin said on Fox Cricket.
“They didn’t get their plans right.
“Their execution was just way off.”
‘LAZY’: MARSH ‘A LITTLE BIT LOST’ IN NEW ROLE
Mitchell Marsh didn’t look like his usual self in Dharamshala on Saturday.
The 32-year-old, who blasted a rapid century against Pakistan last week, didn’t find the boundary rope until his 44th delivery at the crease against the Black Caps.
He struggled to rotate the strike against New Zealand’s spinners throughout the middle overs, soaking up 18 dot balls during his first 34 deliveries in the middle.
Marsh couldn’t take advantage of the fast start from David Warner and Travis Head, and his uncharacteristic sluggishness didn’t go unnoticed.
“Need more energy from Marsh, need more energy in his body language,” Ponting said in commentary.
“You can see he’s just being a little bit lazy, a little bit lethargic.”
Former New Zealand wicketkeeper Ian Smith continued: “He’s being very timid for a hitter of his note.”
Marsh was forced to slide down into the middle order for the blockbuster clash against New Zealand to make way for Travis Head’s long-awaited return.
The right-hander is undeniably suited for batting in the Powerplay when only two fielders are permitted outside the inner ring — he feels more comfortable playing lofted shots down the ground, where he scored the majority of his runs against Pakistan last week.
Marsh averages 55.40 when he opens the batting in ODIs, but that figure drops to 23.30 when he walks out at first drop. Similarly, the right-hander has a strike rate of 113.75 as an opener, but 79.94 when batting at No. 3.
Speaking on Fox Cricket, Haddin encouraged Marsh to be more aggressive at first drop, Steve Smith’s preferred position in the ODI team.
“Mitchell Marsh struggled a little bit,” Haddin said.
“He was caught in two minds with what role he should be playing.
“Marsh should have taken the game on, that’s his role, he looked a little bit lost at No. 3.
“His role should have been to come in and continue the onslaught.
“Tactically, he got it a bit wrong.”
PUNTER RIPS INTO DEFENSIVE AUSSIE FIELDS
The legendary Ricky Ponting was not impressed with Pat Cummins’ captaincy during the Powerplay of New Zealand’s run chase on Saturday, criticising some of the skipper’s field settings in Dharamshala.
After Kiwi openers Devon Conway and Will Young got things off to a blistering start, smacking 46 runs from the first five overs, Cummins placed a boundary rider on either side of the field to defend the square boundaries. It was reminiscent of the defensive strategies Australia employed during the Ashes campaign in England, which received a mixed reception.
However, Ponting voiced his frustration with the boundary riders, particularly when experienced seamer Josh Hazlewood had the ball in hand.
“I’m not sure about this field,” Ponting said.
“A deep square and a deep point, what actually are you saying to your bowler? Where do you want him to bowl?
“Hazlewood’s ideal line and length is to drag the batter forward and have him fending into the off side. That’s the ball he’s trying to bowl.
“Now every time he bowls that ball, it’s a potential single. The deep point is a field for a very very bad ball, and Hazlewood bowl very few of those to right-handers.”
Former Australian captain Aaron Finch agreed: “It can confuse the bowlers.”
Cummins’ use of the DRS was also less than ideal on Saturday, with the New South Welahman wasting both of Australia’s unsuccessful reviews within the first 27 overs.
In the second over of New Zealand’s run chase, Hazlewood produced a peach that nipped away from the left-handed Conway and carried through to Josh Inglis with the gloves. Australia called for a review, with replays confirming no outside edge.
A couple of hours later, off-spinner Glenn Maxwell convinced his captain to review an LBW shout against New Zealand skipper Tom Latham, but Hawkeye suggested impact had been outside the line of off stump.
Thankfully, the twin DRS blunders didn’t come back to haunt Cummins later in the run chase.
Adding to Cummins’ frustration in the field, Australia’s slow overrate meant he could only place four fielders outside the inner ring in the final over, which almost proved decisive.
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