Kane Williamson scored 85 of 48 balls for New Zealand, only for Australia to top the Black Caps’ 172-4 total in Dubai and win by eight wickets; Mitchell Marsh reaches 77 for Aaron Finch’s team in their first T20 World Cup title and leaves New Zealand waiting for the first win
Mitchell Marsh reached an undefeated 77 when Australia won the T20 World Cup
Kane Williamson’s batting masterclass was to no avail for New Zealand as Mitchell Marsh and David Warner led Australia to their first ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title with an eight-wicket victory in Dubai.
Williamson (85 of 48), after being dropped at 21 by Josh Hazlewood (3-16), drove New Zealand 57-1 after 10 overs to 172-4, hitting 10 fours and three sixes and disarming Mitchell. Starc (0-60 of four overs).
However, for the 10th time out of 10 in this tournament in games under the lights in Dubai, the second batting came out in the lead, with Marsh (77th vs. 50), Warner (53 vs. 38) and Glenn Maxwell (28th vs. 18). ) playing the crucial shots when Australia, who unsurprisingly chose to go bowling after winning the toss, hit their goal with seven balls to spare.
Australia maintained their 100 percent winning record against New Zealand in ICC knockout games, which is now five matches, as they added a first T20 title to five at the 50-year World Cup.
Few backed Australia to win the World Cup after they entered the tournament having lost their previous five T20 series, while England defeated them in the Super 12 stage.
But Aaron Finch’s team regrouped and will now head to next year’s T20 World Cup as defending and host champions.
New Zealand’s hopes of an inaugural title and becoming Test and T20 champions in the same year were dashed as they suffered further disappointment in a white ball final, following their 50-plus losses to Australia in 2015 and England. , on the countdown of the limits. in 2019.
Another high-profile loss was tough for Williamson, who had revived his team after Hazlewood’s 1-11 from three overs in the power play had restricted New Zealand to their tournament low of 32-1 after. out of six overs: Hazlewood had the Kiwis’ hero in their semi-final over England, Daryl Mitchell, trapped behind a slower delivery of 11.
Williamson hit back-to-back limits off Marsh in the ninth and then really flared up in Starc’s 11th race of 19 races, during which Hazlewood knocked him down with the thin leg, with the ball then bouncing off the boundary rope; the next two deliveries were also shot over the fence by Williamson.
Australian spinner Maxwell was hit six in a row over the side of the leg in the 13th plus when Williamson secured a 32-ball half-century, while later marbling Starc’s 16th for 22, with two fours cut followed by a sublime six on square leg and two exquisite offside.
Hazlewood was the man to finish off Williamson’s majestic strike, with the batter caught in the long of the 18th with a leg cutter, three balls after a Hazlewood knuckle ball had represented Glenn Phillips (18 of 17). , with whom Williamson had sent to a booth of 68 out of 37 deliveries.
Jimmy Neesham (13th in 7) and Tim Seifert (8th in 6), the latter coming to the New Zealand team for the injured Devon Conway, marked a limit each at death, while starter Martin Guptill made his way to 28 from 35 balls up before falling to Adam Zampa (1-26).
New Zealand’s total looked grueling, especially in the pressure cooker environment of a final, and the Black Caps scooped up the early scalp of Aaron Finch (5), caught by Mitchell in front of Trent Boult in the midwicket.
However, Warner and Marsh shared a joyous 92-of-69-ball position – Marsh signaled his intention early on by going four, four, six against fast New Zealand Adam Milne in a 15-run quarter over.
Legged shooter Ish Sodhi (0-40) and mid-pace shooter Neesham (0-15) also took a bunt, and Warner completed a 34-ball half-century when he threw the latter over the middle of deep field for six in. the eleventh second.
Marsh did the same with Sodhi at 14 to grab fifty-fifty percent, after Warner was thrown by Boult on the sweep.
Warner’s departure gave New Zealand hope, but Maxwell stepped forward, who used his power and invention to whip Milne (0-30) and Tim Southee (0-43) over the limits, earning him Australia the title with a change in the latter to the 19th plus when his unwavering position with Marsh ended with 66 of 39 balls.
For New Zealand, it’s T20 cricket once again, with a three-game series in India starting on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports Cricket starting at 1.20pm. The Black Caps will stay for two test matches against India, in Kanpur starting November 25 and then in Mumbai starting December 3.
For Australia, are the ashes. The Baggy Greens have not lost at home to England since 2010/11 and will look to extend that streak this winter, with the five-game series in Brisbane beginning December 8.
Then there are more games in Adelaide from December 16, Melbourne from December 26, Sydney from January 4 and then in Perth, at the time of writing, from January 14. If they can add holding the ballot box to their T20 win, what a few months Australia will have had it.
