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Nagpur: Mitchell
Johnson and Shaun Tait paved the way for defending champion
Australia's easy seven wicket win over New Zealand in a World Cup
Group A match at the Vidarbha Cricket Stadium (VCA) here Friday.
Openers Shane Watson (62) and Brad Haddin (55) smashed the Black
Caps all around as the four-time winners cruised to the target of
207 in 34 overs. With the win, Australia maintained their 31-match
unbeaten streak in the World Cup.
It also gave Australia the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy as the match was
given the status of the bilateral contest and dedicated it to the
earthquake victims of Christchurch.
Heavy overnight rain prompted Australian captain Ricky Ponting to
field at Jamtha and his fast bowlers Tait (3/35) and Johnson
(4/33) wrecked the Black Caps, though there was not a great deal
of movement. A gutsy 54-run eight-wicket stand between Nathan
McCullum (52) and captain Daniel Vettori (44) saw New Zealand
recover from a pathetic 63 for seven before being all out for 206
in 45.1 overs.
It was an easy chase for Australia as by the time they came out to
bat, the track had eased out and openers Watson and Haddin
mercilessly pounded the New Zealand bowlers.
Haddin drove fast bowler Tim Southee for a four through the covers
in the first over and chipped Vettori over mid-off for another in
the left-arm spinner's second over.
Vettori, who shared the new ball with Southee, did not have the
desired effect and the left-arm spinner took himself off after
only two futile overs.
Hamish Bennett, who came on for Vettori, was too erratic to create
an impact and the Australians carried on unruffled. The 50 of the
innings came up in the eighth over and 100 in 14th.
Watson made most of the life he got in the fifth over when he
successfully challenged umpire Kumar Dharmansena's lbw decision
off Southee and reached his half-century in style by hitting
Vettori for three fours in the 16th over. Watson, on 58, was
dropped by substitute Kane Williamson in the deep off Vettori.
After his four dismal overs, Bennett broke the 133-run opening
stand in the 19th over by dismissing both the openers. Haddin
pulled a slower bouncer to James Franklin at deep mid-wicket and
off the third ball Watson played on.
Haddin's 61-ball knock had six fours and a six while Watson
smashed eight fours in his 50-ball innings.
Ponting (12), for whom this was his 24th consecutive World Cup win
as a captain, was stumped by Brendon McCullum off a wide delivery
from Southee, but vice-captain Michael Clarke (24) and Cameron
White (22) carried Australia home.
Earlier, poor shot selection led New Zealand down. Nathan (52) and
Vettori (44) enabled them to cross the 200-run mark.
Opener Brendon McCullum (16) was severe on Tait. After hitting two
crisply-timed fours, and the wicketkeeper-batsman's slash could
not clear the third man Jason Krejza.
Martin Guptil crawled to 10 before being bowled by Shane Watson.
Double strikes from Johnson in the 14th over removed Jesse Ryder
(25) and James Franklin.
Ryder, who struck six fours, hardly moved his feet during his
31-ball knock and edged Johnson to wicketkeeper Haddin. Franklin,
who was promoted up the order, departed in a similar way chasing a
wide delivery.
Veteran Scott Styris went caught behind slashing wildly off Tait
and the fast bowler then rattled Ross Taylor's (7) stumps with an
fast in-swinging yorker.
Scoreboard
New
Zealand:
Martin Guptill b Watson 10
Brendon McCullum c Krejza b Tait 16
Jesse Ryder c Haddin b Johnson 25
Ross Taylor b Tait 7
James Franklin c Haddin b Johnson 0
Scott Styris c Haddin b Tait 0
Jamie How lbw b Smith 22
Nathan McCullum lbw b Johnson 52
Daniel Vettori c Haddin b Lee 44
Tim Southee c Ponting b Johnson 6
Hamish Bennett not out 0
Extras: (b 1, lb 8, w 13, nb 2) 24
Total: (all out in 45.1 overs) 206
Fall of wickets: 1-20 (B McCullum, 3.4 overs), 2-40 (Guptill,
8.5), 3-66 (Ryder, 13.2 ), 4-66 (Franklin, 13.5), 5-67 (Styris,
14.4), 6-73 (Taylor, 16.6), 7-121 (How, 28.6 ), 8-175 (N McCullum,
41.2), 9-206 (Vettori, 44.6), 10-206 (Southee, 45.1)
Bowling:
Brett Lee 8-2-29-1
Shaun Tait 7-0-35-3
Mitchell Johnson 9.1-3-33 4
Shane Watson 3-1-9-1
Jason Krejza 9-0-47-0
Steven Smith 9-0-44-1
Australia:
Shane Watson b Bennett 62
Brad Haddin c Franklin b Bennett 55
Ricky Ponting st B McCullum b Southee 12
Michael Clarke not out 24
Cameron White not out 22
Extras: (lb 3, w 29) 32
Total: (3 wickets in 34 overs) 207
Fall of wickets: 1-133 (Haddin, 18.1 overs), 2-136 (Watson, 18.3),
3-167 (Ponting, 26.4)
Bowling:
Tim Southee 10-2-45-1
Daniel Vettori 7-0-39-0
Hamish Bennett 7-0-63-2
Nathan McCullum 3-0-22-0
Jesse Ryder 5-0-24-0
James Franklin 2-0--11-0
Toss: Australia and chose to
field
Umpires: Kumara Dharamsena (Sri Lanka) and Bily Doctrove (West
Indies)
TV Umpire: Asad Rauf (Pakistan)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)
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