Australia 121 for 3 (Short 50) beat New Zealand 150 for 9 (Taylor 43*, Agar 3-27) by 19 runs (DLS method)
AUCKLAND: After the boom at Eden Park swiftly came the bust. Five days on from Australia’s world-record T20 chase, New Zealand opted to set a target again; this time, after an excellent bowling display on a less-frisky surface, the requirement over 120 balls was almost 100 runs fewer. D’Arcy Short capped an excellent debut series by crunching his second T20I fifty and the match descended into a hit’n’gurgle as the rain swept in for the second time.
That Australia did not have to resort to the spectacular with the bat was down to a canny display with the ball. Where 32 sixes had streaked the Auckland skies when these two teams met in the group, the tally barely managed double-figures in the final. Short dismissively swatted three early on to ease Australia on to the front foot as they hunted down a fifth successive win that gave them the trophy as well as taking them second in the ICC rankings – a remarkable turnaround, given they started the month languishing at No. 7.
The T20 tri-series is a new-ish innovation but defeat for New Zealand followed a familiar script. In a variety of multi-team tournaments, including most recently at the 2015 World Cup, Australia has held the whip hand over their Trans-Tasman neighbours: their record now 12 wins in a row in finals going back to 1981.
Despite a flinty inning from Ross Taylor, New Zealand’s decision to bat first abruptly back-fired. Striving for a suitably stratospheric score to challenge a powerful Australia line-up, they lost wickets throughout the innings – only two partnerships, the first and the ninth, managed more than 18 runs. Kane Williamson had perhaps been hoping a used pitch would break up further for his spinners to exploit, but New Zealand’s batting cracked first, with Ashton Agar particularly impressive in taking career-best figures.
David Warner successfully muzzled the New Zealand innings with 16 bowling changes and then helped establish a base for the chase, Australia’s openers combining for 72 in eight overs. Short was the more aggressive, striking two rapier straight drives and then hoisting Trent Boult for the first six in the fifth over; he cleared the ropes twice more in the next, off Tim Southee, as Australia finished the Powerplay comfortably set on 55 without loss.
A short rain delay allowed New Zealand to regroup and although they removed Short after he had completed a 28-ball fifty, it was near-impossible to build pressure in the field. Warner was bowled by Ish Sodhi and Agar, promoted to No. 3, fell to a stumping against fellow left-armer Mitchell Santner; had a wild slog from Glenn Maxwell gone to hand a couple of balls later, New Zealand might have had some leverage.
Even as the game slipped away, their commitment in the field remained impressive. Williamson almost ran out Aaron Finch with an elastic, sliding pick-up-and-throw from mid-off, while Mark Chapman performed a relay catch on the rope to deny Finch six after he had latched on to a Santner no-ball.
Maxwell and Finch had taken Australia within range, needing just 30 from 32 balls, when a second, heavier shower swept through. With Duckworth-Lewis-Stern looming in the gloaming, most of the crowd had disappeared disappointed into the night when the umpires finally decided at around 10.40pm that no further play would be possible.
It was always going to be a struggle to match the fireworks of Friday but New Zealand did get off to a rapid start through Martin Guptill and Colin Munro once again. A frenetic opening featured several boundaries, although timing the ball on a worn surface looked a little harder, and New Zealand had 48 on the board inside five overs when Billy Stanlake made the breakthrough, Guptill toe-ending a blow down the ground straight to Warner at mid-off.
Munro was next to go, mistiming another big shot to the edge of the ring, and Australia began to make regular inroads. Williamson and Chapman managed a boundary apiece before falling in the space of three balls to Agar, who was the only bowler to deliver consecutive overs. Agar also removed the powerful Colin De Grandhomme, who was tempted to hit across the line to the longer boundary, and when Santner fell first ball pulling at AJ Tye, New Zealand had lost 6 for 45.
With Warner changing things up relentlessly, Australia presented a moving target. Tim Seifert was flummoxed by a Marcus Stoinis yorker and Southee under-clubbed another boundary catch, but Sodhi at least managed to hang around alongside Taylor for a few overs to give the scorecard some respectability. New Zealand managed to save face, but saving the match was beyond them.
