Australia v New Zealand, 1st ODI: New Zealand Players Ratings

Skipper Steven Smith lead his side to a 68-run win over the Kiwis in the first match of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series at the SCG. Coming to the crease in the first over after Aaron Finch was bowled for a golden duck, Smith plundered a record breaking 164 in an innings and set a 325 runs target for New Zealand to chase. The visitors stayed in the contest riding on the superb knock of 114 from opener Martin Guptill. However, his efforts couldn’t be enough as New Zealand eventually fell short of the target. Colin Munro and Jimmy Neesham were the other two batsmen who tried doing their bit in helping their team nail the target but the collective bowling effort from the hosts proved to be superior eventually.

1. Martin Guptill – 8.5/10:

Opener Martin Guptill left behind his poor string of performances and came up with a superb knock for his team. Guptill, who was dropped from the Test series against Pakistan, made it point to prove his worth as the most reliable opener and smashed 114 off just 102 balls to help New Zealand stay in contention of the victory. Although his outstanding knock went in vain, it surely will help him gain rhythm for the remainder of the series.

2. Tom Latham – 1/10:

Tom Latham was a huge disappointment today. After outplaying his struggling opening partner Guptill in India and proving his potential, Latham’s failure today was uncalled for. With a huge target to get, a sensible start was the requirement for the visitors and the left-hander carried part responsibility for it. But, unfortunately, Latham could not produce a substantial knock and was dismissed in the 2nd over of the match at the score of just two runs.

3. Kane Williamson – 2.5/10:

Skipper Kane Williamson had a very bad time as far as batting was concerned. While his counterpart smashed century coming into a similar situation like he did after the early loss of the opener, Williamson, unfortunately, fell victim to a beauty from Josh Hazlewood and did get any chance to enjoy the slice of luck which Smith enjoyed throughout his innings. The right-hander could survive only 16 balls and managed just 9 runs. Leadership-wise, he seems to have committed no huge blunders. The loss can be blamed on his fielders, though.

4. Jimmy Neesham – 5/10:

Jimmy Neesham had quite a satisfying day today despite failing to convert a good start while batting. The all–rounder first contributed with 2/58 with the ball, snapping the wickets of George Bailey and Mitchell Starc in important situations. He was bit expensive though as he leaked runs at an economy of more than 9.50.

Neesham, later on, did a commendable job in the second innings scoring a nearly run a ball 36 runs in the important 3rd wicket stand with Guptill. His knock was appreciable given the fact that he came in during a critical situation where the Kiwi’s had lost two of the top order batsman cheaply.

5. BJ Watling – 2.5/10

It won’t be wrong to call BJ Watling as the ‘biggest’ villain of the match as the wicketkeeper dropped Steven Smith when the Aussie skipper was on 13 runs. His drop literally cost his team the match as the Smith went on to hit a record-breaking century. He could have compensated the big mistake by performing well with the bat. He had a great opportunity as well. But, Watling squandered that chance also and failed to make any impact. The right-hander had a good platform set to adjust and help Guptill in building another worthy partnership to chase the target. But,all he could manage was a 13 ball stay which yielded him just 6 runs.

6. Colin Munro – 6/10:

Colin Munro was the second best batsman for New Zealand today. The hard-hitting left-hander was perhaps the only other batsman who came close to help his team win the match apart from Guptill. Walking in after the sudden departure of Watling, Munro first forged a vital 45 runs stand with Guptill before taking the matter in own hand after the latter’s departure. Unfortunately, he could not finish the job for his team as he lost his wicket at a crucial juncture in the 44th over, falling one short of his fifty. The held the new Zealand innings together for a considerable time before the team fell apart after his departure.

7. Mitchell Santner – 5/10: 

The left-arm spinner could not create any huge impact but did a satisfying work in his primary role. The youngster ended up with 0/40 in his 9-over spell and finished as the most economical bowler for his team in the match where his teammates were getting plundered by Steve Smith. An opportunity to star arrived with the bat also when he came out to bat at number 7. But he could not make any difference and was dismissed for a seven-ball duck.

8. Colin de Grandhomme – 5/10:

Colin de Grandhomme, who starred hero in a famous win a few weeks ago, is easily the other villain for New Zealand today after BJ Watling. His first and the biggest error in his ODI comeback was dropping Smith when on 151. Smith, who had earlier survived two chances had already made 151 by the time the opportunity came to him but New Zealand would have perhaps had a 20 – 25 runs less to chase had he grabbed the catch and not allowed Smith reach 164 eventually. Coming back to his basic responsibilities that of being an all-rounder, Grandhomme had a mixed day where he took 0/27 in his six-over spell but failed to do well with the bat managing just 6 runs during the chase.

9. Matt Henry – 6/10:

Matt Henry gave a good all-round performance by registering figures of 2/74 and an aggressive cameo of 27 runs off just 15 balls.  He bowled with good pace and gave his team an early breakthrough in the form of Aaron Finch. His second wicket also was an important one as he broke the Smith- Wade stand with the wicket of Mathew Wade. With the bat, Henry tried his bit during the final stages of the chase. But, unfortunately, he could create a huge impact other than igniting some hopes in the minds of the visitors.

10. Lockie Ferguson – 5/10:

Debutant fast bowler Lockie Ferguson had a good debut. The right arm fast bowler from Auckland set the speedometer on fire with his fiery opening spell he consistently clocked over 145 KMPH. His quick bowling brought him his first ODI wicket in his very first over of international cricket when he got better of David Warner off the last delivery in the 10th over. But, his later spell proved bit expensive and he had to eventually settle down for figures of 1/73.

11. Trent Boult – 7.5/10:

The leader of the fast bowling attack ended with the best bowling figures for the BlackCaps. The left arm fast bowler opened the innings with the ball but could not get any immediate success. However hi later spell proved to be fruitful for him as he snapped the important wickets of Steven Smith and Travis Head. Both of wicket came in short successions.  In the 42nd over, he caught Head of his own bowling and later added Smith his tally in the 48th over. In all, he finished with a tally of 2/51