New Zealand vs Australia

Home

Schedule

NZ vs AUS

New Zealand vs Australia

Australia tour of New Zealand, 2024

Match Info

Squad

Commentary

Scorecard

Criclytics

Overs

News

NZ vs AUS T20 1st T20I, Australia tour of New Zealand, 2024 - Match Info

Australia tour of New Zealand, 2024

1st T20I

Wellington

NZ New Zealand

215/3 (20.0)

AUS Australia

216/4 (20.0)

Australia beat New Zealand by 6 wickets

Player of the match

Mitchell Marsh - AUS

Match Summary

View full Scorecard

Player of the Match

Mitchell Marsh

AUS - All-Rounder

Runs

72 - 44

Wickets

1 - 21

New Zealand

215/3 (20.0 overs)

Top Batter

Top Bowler

Rachin Ravindra

68(35)

Devon Conway

63(46)

Mitchell Marsh

1-21(3)

Mitchell Starc

1-39(4)

Australia

216/4 (20.0 overs)

Top Batter

Top Bowler

Mitchell Marsh

72(44)

David Warner

32(20)

Mitchell Santner

2-42(4)

Lockie Ferguson

1-23(4)

Detailed Commentary

View Full Commentary

All

Wickets

AUS

Right then, that is it from this absolute nail-biting contest where Australia takes an early lead in the series but only just, they will look to seal it in the next game while New Zealand will be hoping to fight back and level it. The 2nd T20I will be played on 23rd February, Friday at 11.40 am IST (6.10 am GMT), but as you know, you can always join us early for all the build-up to the game. Until then, cheers and goodbye!

Mitchell Marsh is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his brilliant all-round performance.

Earlier in the game, New Zealand posted the highest T20I total at this ground courtesy of a couple of brilliant half-centuries from Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway. They were also helped with some quick-fire cameos from Finn Allen at the start along with Mark Chapman and Glenn Phillips at the death. Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Marsh chipped in with one wicket each for Australia, but except for the skipper, every other bowler was quite expensive. While chasing, it was the skipper who played the anchor, but they could not have done it without that special cameo from Tim David at the death.

New Zealand, on the other hand, knew that defending this one would not be easy at all. Southee started well conceding just 4 runs in the first over, but after that, the Aussies picked up the pace and started scoring freely. Adam Milne got them the first breakthrough inside the Powerplay while Mitchell Santner after getting hit for two sixes removed the dangerous David Warner in the same over. In the middle overs, they took a hammering from the visitors, but in between all of that Lockie Ferguson got rid of Maxi to settle some nerves for them. Santner was expensive but in his last over conceded just three runs and picked up a wicket while Ferguson followed it up with an 8-run over to shift the momentum back towards them. However, Milne went for 19 in the penultimate over and it was all on the shoulders of Southee. Tim Southee put in an excellent effort to defend 15 runs, but the hosts faced defeat on the very last delivery.

Australia needed a quick start in this big run chase, but Travis Head struggled to find the timing right. However, he still managed to score 24 off just 15 before holding out. David Warner was looking decent and he along with the skipper made sure to utilise the Powerplay and added 40 runs together, but the former just went for a big shot too many and lost his wicket. The 'Big Show' couldn't hang around for long but he did play a quick-fire cameos to keep the Aussies in the chase. Mitchell Marsh continued with his aggressive approach that did not let the asking rate go over the limit and notched up a brilliant half-century as well. He also found good support from Josh Inglis and they built up a partnership of 71 runs to take them closer to the total. The skipper remained unbeaten on 72 off just 44 balls but took a back seat at the death as it was all about Tim David. He smashed 31 runs off just 10 balls, they needed a 4 in the last ball, and he managed to hit that to take the Aussies home.

Tim David, you beauty! A fantastic finish to an extraordinary game of cricket. It all went to the 240th ball of the match, but Australia have just managed to get over the line here and take a 1-0 lead. This is only the first T20I of the series, and if this is anything to go by, we are surely in for some thrilling encounters. It is heartbreak for the Kiwis, but they gave their all on the field and it was just not meant to be for them.

AUSTRALIA

216/4 (20.0)

72* (44)

32 (20)

2/42 (4)

1/23 (4)

Over 20

1lb

Tim David*

31 (10)

Mitchell Marsh

72 (44)

Tim Southee

0/52 (4)

AUS

216/4

19.6

Tim Southee to Tim David ,FOUR! TIM DAVID, TAKE A BOW! Australia win by 6 wickets and it took the last delivery to decide the winner of this nail-biter. Pin-drop silence in the crowd. The Kiwis are in absolute disarray and why not? They were sniffing a win but David has just robbed it from them in the very last delivery. Not a bad delivery at all from Southee, as he bowls it fuller, and on the middle stump line, attempting to cramp him for room, but Tim David clears his front foot and smacks it hard past the gap between the long on and deep mid-wicket region for a boundary. Glenn Phillips slides to the left but cannot fetch it before the ropes. Australia win a thrilling match. What an initiation to this Trans-Tasman series. A good game of cricket overall but Australia ended up on the winning side courtesy of Tim David's 31 off just 10 rocks in the backend. Australia take the lead by 1-0 in the series.

19.5

Tim Southee to Tim David ,Excellent comeback this from Southee! Using all his experience! A precise yorker on off, Tim David drives it though covers and scampers back for the double. 4 needed from the final ball now. Can Tim David finish off in style for Straya?

19.4

Tim Southee to Tim David ,SIX! Just over the ropes and now the Aussies are just a hit away! Low full toss on offer down leg, Tim David bends a bit low and flicks it over deep square leg for a maximum. 6 needed of the last 2 balls.

1lb

19.3

Tim Southee to Mitchell Marsh ,Misses out the connection again! Full toss on the pads, Mitchell Marsh misses to pull and it runs a leg bye to the on side. 12 needed off the last 3 balls now.

19.2

Tim Southee to Tim David ,A gutsy delivery from Southee. A yorker on the middle, Tim David outside edges and squeezes it to the off side and takes a single.

1lb

19.1

Tim Southee to Mitchell Marsh ,An adamant appeal for LBW! But turned down. Southee fires a precise yorker on the leg stump line, Marsh misses to connect and it thuds his back boot. UltraEdge comes up and shows that no bat is involved. Ball Tracker confirms it is pitching outside leg. A desperate review though. They do cross for a leg bye.

Is that out? New Zealand goes upstairs for a LBW decision, but it looks like a desperate review. UltraEdge shows no bat involved and Ball Tracking clearly indicates it is going down the legs side. Marsh survives.

19.1

Tim Southee to Mitchell Marsh ,WIDE! Down leg and on a fuller length, Marsh misses out on the flick but it is a Wide anyways. 15 runs from the last 6 balls now.

Tim Southee (3-0-39-0) to bowl the last over. Can he defend 15 runs here?

Over 19

Tim David*

18 (6)

Mitchell Marsh

72 (42)

Adam Milne

1/53 (4)

AUS

200/4

18.6

Adam Milne to Tim David ,SIX! Clears the fence again! What a finish to the over. On the fullish length and around the middle and off channel, Tim David again swings it hard and clears the deep mid-wicket for a maximum. 16 needed now off the final over.

18.5

Adam Milne to Tim David ,SIX! Oh, my word! That's been hammered by David! He is on a mission here. Milne offers a half-volley on off, Tim David clears his front foot and bangs it over long on for a maximum. That flew 98 meters away. The biggest of the night.

18.4

Adam Milne to Tim David ,FOUR! A pressure-releasing boundary! Edgy but they will take it. Too full and outside off, even away from the tramline, Tim David throws his bat at it and squeezes it with a thickish outside edge which guns down to deep third man for a boundary.

18.3

Adam Milne to Mitchell Marsh ,On the back of a length around the off stump, Mitchell Marsh pulls straight to deep mid-wicket for just a single. 21 the required rate now.

18.2

Adam Milne to Tim David ,Swing and a miss but a bonus Bye. Full, wide of off, David swings and misses. Also, the keeper fails to collect it cleanly and it trickles behind. They cross for a Bye.

18.1

Adam Milne to Mitchell Marsh ,An attempted yorker on off, Mitchell Marsh squeezes it through cover-point for a single. Allen does well to just keep it to a single with a slide to his left.

Adam Milne (3-0-35-1) to bowl the penultimate over. Australia needs 35 runs in the last two overs.

Over 18

Mitchell Marsh*

70 (40)

Tim David

2 (2)

Lockie Ferguson

1/23 (4)

AUS

181/4

17.6

Lockie Ferguson to Mitchell Marsh ,On the back of a length and angles into the batter, Mitchell Marsh goes for a pull but he is too early on the shot and mistimes it over the bowler's head. Just a single then. What a terrific spell from Lockie Ferguson he ends up with (4-0-23-1).

17.5

Lockie Ferguson to Mitchell Marsh ,Just inside the tramline. Excellent response from Lockie Ferguson! Wide of off and full, Mitchell Marsh thinks it's a wide and lets it go but it's well inside the tramlne.

17.4

Lockie Ferguson to Mitchell Marsh ,SIX! Important six and this has been smoked away! Short and on the top of off, Mitchell Marsh clears the shorter boundary with a pull shot over deep square leg.

17.3

Lockie Ferguson to Mitchell Marsh ,Excellent stuff! Lockie Ferguson nails the yorker this time, on middle, Mitchell Marsh only manages to dig it out back to the bowler.

17.2

Lockie Ferguson to Mitchell Marsh ,Another crucial dot! Mitchell Marsh would have been in trouble if there had been a direct hit. Ferguson bowls it on the stumps and on a length, Mitchell Marsh attempts to smoke it over mid-wicket but ends up wearing on his body. He shoots off to sneak a single but gets a send-back from Tim David as the ball is too close to run. Lockie Ferguson kicks the ball to the stumps but has a shy.

17.1

Lockie Ferguson to Tim David ,On the back of a length and angling in from off, Tim David sways away and guides it to deep backward point for a single.

Lockie Ferguson (3-0-15-1) to finish his spell now.

Over 17

Tim David*

1 (1)

Mitchell Marsh

63 (35)

Mitchell Santner

2/42 (4)

AUS

173/4

16.6

Mitchell Santner to Tim David ,What a phenomenal over from Santner. Just three from it and a crucial, crucial wicket. Length ball just outside off, David uppishly drives it to long off for a single to end the over. 43 runs required of the last 18 deliveries. This is going down to the wire. Buckle up, folks.

Tim David is the next man in.

16.5

Mitchell Santner to Josh Inglis ,OUT! TAKEN! Rachin Ravindra has been electrifying in the field tonight! What a sensational catch! Santner drops a looped up delivery around the off and middle channel, Josh Inglis looks to slog it over the deep mid-wicket region but does not get enough timing on that one. The ball balloons up in the night sky and Rachin Ravindra settles himself underneath the ball at deep mid-wicket and takes a brilliant catch to dismiss the dangerous Josh Inglis.

16.4

Mitchell Santner to Josh Inglis ,Slower and spinning away from outside off, Josh Inglis drives it straight to cover.

16.3

Mitchell Santner to Mitchell Marsh ,Full and outside off, Marsh gets an inside edge to backward square leg for a single.

16.2

Mitchell Santner to Mitchell Marsh ,A crucial dot. Swing and a miss! Just around off from around the wicket on a length, Mitchell Marsh goes to pull but misses out on connecting it. That went past the off stump by just a few centimeters.