Australia suffer T20 series defeat as Guptill blasts Black Caps to decisive victory

By Sports Desk March 06, 2021

Martin Guptill blasted New Zealand to a comprehensive seven-wicket victory in the decisive fifth Twenty20 international against Australia to secure a 3-2 series triumph on Sunday.

The Black Caps restricted Australia to 142-8 from their 20 overs after the visitors won the toss and elected to bat in Wellington, with Ish Sodhi taking 3-24.

Guptill (71 from 46 balls) eased any anxiety about a smaller run chase on a pitch being used for the third time this series, with New Zealand claiming victory with 27 balls to spare.

New Zealand's successful chase bucked the series trend of the side batting first winning every game.

Australia captain Aaron Finch said: "We probably just weren't aggressive enough with the bat. We probably let them dictate slightly, but we didn't get enough runs and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

"A couple of us put a fair bit of time into our innings, 20, 30, 40 balls and then to not go on with that it was probably the difference in the game. If one of us gets 60 or 70, that might be a 160-170 score and then you're a couple of good power-play overs away from really squeezing."

Sodhi was named as the player of the series, finishing with 13 wickets at an average of 12.07 across five games.

The win was set up by a disciplined bowling display led by Sodhi, while Trent Boult (2-26 with 10 dot balls) did early damage, Mitchell Santner (0-21 with 10 dots) was tight and Tim Southee (2-38 with eight dots) restricted Australia at the death.

Boult trapped Josh Philippe lbw early before Finch (36 from 32 balls) and Matthew Wade (44 from 29 balls) put together a 66-run second-wicket stand.

Finch, who came under pressure earlier in the series after a poor run of form on the back of the Big Bash League, managed one six and five fours during his knock, while Wade hit two maximums and three fours.

Sodhi got the breakthrough with Finch slicing to Santner at point, leaving Australia 74-2 after 10 overs before the innings fell away, with Glenn Maxwell falling for one, Ashton Agar for six and Mitchell Marsh for 10.

Australia lost 68-6 in the final 10, including being restricted to 36-4 from the last five overs, battling an inconsistent pitch and tight New Zealand bowling.

Devon Conway (36 from 28) and Guptill combined for a 106-run opening partnership in the chase, before Glenn Phillips (34 not out from 16) finished the job.

Guptill blasted four sixes and seven fours in his knock, going at a strike rate of 154.35.

Riley Meredith (2-39) took two wickets in two balls, with Conway caught in the deep by Agar and Kane Williamson trapped lbw for a golden duck, but it was too little, too late.

The defeat compounds a bad 24 hours for the Aussies, after India's Test win over England on Saturday confirmed Australia would miss the Test Championship final.

Black Caps captain Williamson said: "Incredibly hard-fought series and momentum shifts throughout. Then to finish with three games on a surface, try and get a read on it was a real challenge."

Related items

  • Greaves makes history with magnificent 151* to lead Hurricanes to seven-wicket win over Red Force Greaves makes history with magnificent 151* to lead Hurricanes to seven-wicket win over Red Force

    Justin Greaves made history to lead the Leeward Islands Hurricanes to an impressive seven-wicket win over the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force in CG United Super50 Cup action at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Sunday.

    Greaves, who is coming off scores of 111* and 112 in his first two games this season, became the first player in regional List A cricket to hit three consecutive hundreds when he hit his match-winning and career-best 151* to anchor a successful chase of 292 by the Hurricanes with two overs and three balls to spare.

    The Bajan’s knock came off 129 balls and included 13 fours. Opening partner Mikyle Louis was good in support with 57 while Chesney Hughes and Jahmar Hamilton chipped in with 33 and 25*.

    Earlier, the hosts made 291-6 off their 50 overs after being put in to bat by the Leewards. In form Amir Jangoo fell agonizingly short of a maiden List A hundred with 96 off 109 balls while Jason Mohammed and Tion Webster also got half centuries with 79* and 60, respectively.

    Oshane Thomas took 2-54 off eight overs for the Hurricanes who will next play the Guyana Harpy Eagles at the same venue on Tuesday.

    The Red Force will next oppose the West Indies Academy at the Sir Frank Worrell memorial Ground on Thursday.

    Full Scores:

    Trinidad & Tobago Red Force 291-6 off 50 overs (Amir Jangoo 96, Jason Mohammed 79*, Tion Webster 60, Oshane Thomas 2-54)

    Leeward Islands Hurricanes 292-3 off 47.3 overs (Justin Greaves 151*, Mikyle Louis 57, Chesney Hughes 33, Jahmar Hamilton 25*)

  • Demetrius Richards stars as Pride make it three-in-three with one-wicket win over Harpy Eagles Demetrius Richards stars as Pride make it three-in-three with one-wicket win over Harpy Eagles

    Barbados Pride registered their third win on the trot in the CG United Super50 Cup as they downed Guyana Harpy Eagles to by one wicket in a nail-biting contest at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday.

    Demetrius Richards’ patient unbeaten 65 off 121 balls, including five fours and one six, steered Barbados Pride past their target at 204-9 after they won the toss and bowled out Harpy Eagles for 203 inside 48 overs.

    With the win, Barbados Pride moved to the summit of the standings on 22 points, one point ahead of Trinidad and Tobago Red Force (21 points), while Harpy Eagles sit fourth on 12 points.

    Scores: Guyana Harpy Eagles 203 (47.3 overs); Barbados Pride 204-9 (49.3 overs)

    Asked to take first strike, the Harpy Eagles, who lost their first encounter and had their second contest end in a no-result, would have been intent on opening their account but were let down by a sub-standard batting performance.

    They lost in-form Matthew Nandu (14) with the score at 19-1, but Tagenarine Chanderpaul (34) and captain Tevin Imlach (35) gradually got the innings back on track with a 49-run second wicket stand.

    Chanderpaul had three boundaries and a six in his 59-ball knock before he fell to Nyeem Young, while Imlach followed shortly after, as he became the first of Javed Leacock’s three scalps.

    Demetrius Richards celebrates his half-century.

    Leacock also accounted for Kemol Savory (seven) and Kevin Sinclair (zero) with the Harpy Eagles at 117-5. However, a 46-run stand between topscorer Kevlon Anderson (52) and Keemo Paul (25) breathed new life into the innings, but when they fell, it signalled a writing on the wall for the Harpy Eagles.

    Anderson, who used 72 balls for his 52, had two boundaries in the knock, while Paul had two sixes and a four in his 15-ball cameo.

    Ashmead Need (19) offered little at the backend.

    Leacock (3-43) was the pick of the Pride bowlers, with Dominic Drakes (2-38), Nyeem Young (2-29), and Jomel Warrican (2-27) offering support.

    The Pride’s response started shakily, as they lost Kadeem Alleyne (four), Leniko Boucher (29), Zachary McCaskie (18), and Kevin Wickham (zero), with a mere 58 runs on the board. Three of those four wickets fell to slow left-arm orthodox bowler Nedd, with the other going to Veerasammy Permaul.

    Captain Kyle Mayers (22) and Dominic Drakes (13) offered very little resistance as the Pride slipped to 115-6 before a 55-run stand between Richards and Nyeem Young (30) brought them within touching distance of victory.

    Even after losing Young, Richards pushed on to ensure they got across the line.

    Nedd ended with 3-43.

     

  • Sammy lauds Hope’s knock but urges stronger bowling effort ahead of ODI decider against England Sammy lauds Hope’s knock but urges stronger bowling effort ahead of ODI decider against England

    West Indies white-ball coach Darren Sammy was both encouraged and frustrated after his team’s five-wicket loss to England in the second ODI in North Sound, Antigua, on Saturday.

    Despite a standout batting performance that saw West Indies post a formidable 328-6, Sammy believes missed opportunities in the bowling department ultimately handed England the edge. England chased down the total with relative ease, finishing on 329-5 with captain Liam Livingstone’s masterful unbeaten 124 leading the way.

    “It is tough. Obviously, when you put 328 on the board, you expect to win. However, that is the beauty of international cricket; at the halfway stage, when one aspect of the job is done, you can never be complacent about it. Yes, Liam Livingstone played a brilliant innings to get his team home, but I thought as a bowling group our execution was really off, hence we lost a record chase here in Antigua,” Sammy said in a post-game interview.

    While disappointed with the loss, Sammy found reasons for optimism, particularly in captain Shai Hope’s exceptional 117—his 17th ODI century—which was the highlight of the innings and pushed him to joint third on the all-time West Indies ODI century list.

    Hope received ample support from Keacy Carty (71) and Sherfane Rutherford (54), whose solid contributions underscored the team’s depth in the middle order.

    “I think we did some really good things; Shai Hope another 100, the joint fourth most by a West Indian, the way Keacy Carty batted, as well as Sherfane Rutherford making a fourth-consecutive 50. The way Matthew Forde bowled and the way Roston Chase came back after being put under pressure in the second over,” Sammy reasoned.

    “So we were right in the game until the last 10 overs, where I think they scored 100 off seven overs; that is not good enough. But I think as a team, it is about understanding where we are at and the small steps that we have to take to improve,” he noted.

    With Livingstone anchoring England’s chase alongside contributions from Phil Salt (59), Jacob Bethell (55), and Sam Curran (52), Sammy acknowledged that the West Indies bowling attack could have been more effective in applying pressure to seal the win after Hope’s brilliance.

    “I think Shai will be the first one to tell you that it (his knock) doesn’t matter because it came off a losing cause. But, as I said before, Shai Hope is a class act and one of our icons in ODI cricket, but I know he would want nothing more than a win instead of a hundred.

    “Again, it (the overall performance) shows that we are still far off but we are making little strides that will help us along our way with the goal that we have moving forward,” Sammy explained.

    With the three-match series now tied 1-1, Sammy expressed hope that West Indies will bring their best game to the decider in Barbados on Wednesday.

    “This is a rivalry, so we have all to play for at home. The last time we played in Barbados, we made history and won, so I am hoping we can again. It is two young teams looking to develop and get better in ODI cricket. Again, it is all to play for, so if the fans come out and support, in return, we have to give you guys something to smile about in Barbados,” Sammy ended.

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.