Conway and Southee star in New Zealand’s first victory in Australia since 2011

The rematch of the 2021 World T20 final was identical to the original in that it was one-sided, but for the opposing team.

The defending champions and the hosts were humbled by the blackcaps, who have a point to prove in white-ball cricket. Devon Conway and Southee remain to be standout performers, but this was truly a team effort.

Playing XI’s of NewZealand and Australia

Devon Conway (wk), Finn Allen, Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.

Conway and Allen take New Zealand to a flying start

Finch may wish he could go back in time and make amends for his decision to bowl first.

Finn gave them a strong start, which revealed the Kiwis’ intentions. The hosts were caught aback when they reached 50 in the first four overs. Allen scored 46 runs in 16 balls as New Zealand won the first phase.

Conway and Williamson kept ticking the scoreboard in the middle overs to keep the pace going and carry on Allen’s start. They avoided taking excessive risks by playing intelligent cricket.

Kane lost his wicket to Zampa while attempting to play an unnecessary shot that contradicted the manner they were playing.

All-rounder Neesham and Conway added the finishing touches as the visitors scored 51 runs in the final 5 overs. Devon remained unbeaten for 92 runs huge kudos to Neesham’s 13-ball-26.

Demolition job by Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner

Demolition, annihilation, and decimation.

We’re still looking up words in the dictionary to ‘adjectify’ the destruction we witnessed.

Any cricket fan would be surprised to witness the Aussies go down in flames the way they did today. The fact that it took place in their own backyard made it a worthy World Cup start.

The first six overs of any T20 run chase are critical, and the Aussies lost four wickets in the first six overs with few runs on the board.

Following Warner’s humiliating dismissal, Marsh and Finch continued on their journey but were overtaken by the Southee express, which was driven by the clever Santner.

As a result, Australia was reduced to 50 for 4 in just 8.2 overs.

Middle order woes for Australia exploited earlier on in the tournament

Australia’s vulnerable middle order was exploited as it is powerful but lacks a true stabilizer.
Everyone that came returned as if they were in the midst of a procession. Maxwell and Tim David got a start but couldn’t convert it into something substantial. Others however failed to even reach a double figure mark.

In 17 overs, Australia was bowled out for Nelson. Tim Southee and Mitchell Santer being the pick of the bowlers who produced 3 wickets each.

While Glenn Maxwell was the highest scorer for Australia, he reached 28 run off 20 balls before being dispatched by Ish Sodhi.

Due to the enormity of their setback, their net run rate would suffer. The NRR is computed using the runs conceded and scored.

To make up for this, they’ll need to win big. Southee and Santner each took three, crushing Australia’s dreams.