MATCH REPORT
Follow UsAustralia looked dead and buried at one stage before Marcus Stoinis and Daniel Sams went berserk and put on 92 runs off just 37 deliveries - the highest 7th wicket stand in T20I history - to bring them right back in the game against New Zealand in Dunedin. The two smoked sixes for fun but New Zealand managed to hold their nerves and emerge victorious by just four runs. Australia failed to score 15 in the final over off James Neesham and are now 0-2 behind in the five-match series.
Earlier, Martin Guptill (50-ball 97) finally returned back to form and got the home side off to a superb start after Australia won the toss and opted to bowl first. The opener put on 131 runs with Kane Williamson (35-ball 53) before Neesham blasted 45* off 16 deliveries to propel New Zealand to 219/7 in their 20 overs. In reply, Mitchell Santner (4/31) reduced Australia to 113/6 but that's when Stoinis (37-ball 78) and Sams (15-ball 41) joined hands and almost took the game away from the Black Caps.
GUPTILL RETURNS TO FORM BEFORE NEESHAM GOES BERSERK
Guptill, who was dismissed for a duck in the first T20I, announced his arrival with a booming drive and looked positive from the word go. Having struggled of late, the dynamic opener was under a lot of pressure and Australian captain Aaron Finch kept him in check for a while by giving the new ball to Ashton Agar. Guptill however looked comfortable against pace and played a couple of solid lofted straight drives off Jhye Richardson. Meanwhile, Tim Seifert (3) couldn't get going and was dismissed by Kane Richardson in the fourth over. The key on this surface was to keep hitting the deck hard and that's exactly what Kane Richardson, forcing Seifert to play a needless heave despite getting into a terrible position.
The Australian bowlers realised pretty quickly that there was no point bowling full and the moment they bowled anything in Guptill's arc, the right-hander pounced on it. Guptill first got the better of Agar in the final over the powerplay and then smoked Adam Zampa for two massive sixes to complete his fifty off just 27 deliveries. The 34-year-old was impeccable with his shot selection and in the process also took over Rohit Sharma's record of most sixes in T20Is - 127. Guptill got good support from Williamson who took the backseat and allowed his partner to dictate terms.
Finch kept rotating his bowlers but Guptill was having none of it. Having not scored a fifty in his last 11 T20I innings, Guptill didn't allow even Stoinis to settle in and smacked him for two consecutive sixes in his first over. With nine wickets in hand, New Zealand went berserk in the final 10 overs. Guptill in particular scored boundaries for fun and got into the 80s by slamming Kane Richardson for 21 runs in his second over. Williamson too started batting with more freedom and took some pressure off Guptill who was operating in a different league altogether.
Williamson got to his 13th T20I half-century off 32 deliveries, but Guptill couldn't get to his third century as he was caught at long-off three runs short of a well-deserved hundred. The right-hander smashed six fours and eight sixes before falling to Sams. Williamson too couldn't hang around and was knocked over by Zampa. The stage was set for the New Zealand middle-order to go wild and that's what Neesham and Co. did. The left-hander looked in some mood as he smoked three sixes off his first three deliveries.
The likes of Neesham and Glenn Phillips were sent ahead of in-form Devon Conway who crafted 99* in the first T20I in Christchurch. Phillips (8) blasted a huge six, but that was it as he was knocked over by Jhye Richardson. Conway (2) and Santner (0) didn't contribute either but Neesham kept the boundaries flowing. Jhye Richardson (1/39) and Kane Richardson (3/43) managed to pull things back by delivering back-to-back tidy overs but Sams was clobbered for 20 in the final over.
SANTNER PUTS NEW ZEALAND ON TOP
The target was huge, but with a flat surface and short boundaries, it was quite chasable. Tim Southee and Trent Boult reduced Australia to 19/4 inside five overs in Christchurch but there was no movement on offer at University Oval. Matthew Wade walked out all guns blazing and took the attack to the New Zealand bowlers. The wicketkeeper-batsman slammed 24 off 16 and went after Boult and Kyle Jamieson in particular. Wade however couldn't carry on and was caught at mid-off in the fourth over. Southee was once again brilliant in the powerplay and got the key wicket of Wade.
But Jamieson was very inconsistent with his line and length and was smacked for 31 in his first two overs. Aaron Finch was steady but young Josh Philippe kept the scoreboard racing by hitting Jamieson for two sixes in his second over. Skipper Williamson wasted no time and straightaway introduced Santner and Ish Sodhi after the powerplay. Finch looked far from his best and could only score 12 off 14 before falling to Sodhi. Philippe however kept Australia in the game and scored boundaries at regular intervals. The right-hander played a couple of eye-pleasing lofted drives and also pounced on anything short.
The visiting side needed Glenn Maxwell to fire but the right-handed dasher could only manage 3 runs. Maxwell was caught superbly at short third man by Sodhi while trying to reverse sweep Santner. Philippe was going well but he needed some support and he finally got that from Stoinis. The big-hitting all-rounder smashed Sodhi for two fours and a six in an over and brought some momentum into the chase. Just when the partnership was starting to look dangerous, Philippe (32-ball 45) perished to Santner in his final over. The left-arm spinner also accounted for Agar and Mitchell Marsh in the same over and turned the game completely in New Zealand's favour.
THE STOINIS-SAMS SHOW
Santner was outstanding but Stoinis and Sams refused to throw in the towel. The powerful right-hander, along with Sams, clobbered Sodhi for 20 runs in an over and got the equation down to 78 off 30. Just when the game looked dead, Stoinis and Sams started hitting boundaries for fun and brought Australia right back in the game. Sams blasted Southee for three sixes in an over and the New Zealand bowlers looked clueless against the two hitters.
Stoinis completed his fifty off 22 deliveries and found outstanding support from Sams. Jamieson was hit for 17 in his final over as he finished with figures of 0/56. With 36 needed off 18 deliveries, Boult bowled a terrific 18th over, giving away just six runs. The onus was now on Southee but Stoinis struck him for a four and six, leaving 15 for the final over.
It had to be Neesham bowling the final over and the all-rounder got rid of Sams (15-ball 41) on the very first delivery. The next two deliveries were dot but Stoinis smashed the fourth ball for a maximum. The 31-year-old tried to do the same on the next ball but was caught at long-on by Southee. The hosts managed to prevail but were pretty ordinary in the second half of the second innings.
