ICC World Cup 2019: Match 37, NZ v AUS – Australia Player Ratings

It was a sharp inswinger that did Aaron Finch yet again. It was a great contest between him and Trent Boult right throughout and it was the bowler who won it. The Australian skipper scored 8 runs off 15 balls and laced one boundary during his stay in the middle. However, his captaincy was spot on and made some clever changes which led to the team getting vital breakthroughs.

Usman Khawaja – 9/10

Usman Khawaja deserves massive applause for standing tall in times of adversities and bailing his team out of troubles. He batted beautifully and cautiously which helped Australia get to the score that they did. Khawaja scored 88 runs off 129 balls and hit just five boundaries in his innings.

Steve Smith – 2.5/10

Steve Smith was undone was an absolutely unbelievable catch from Martin Guptill. The New Zealand opener was fielding at the leg gully where he pulled off a one-handed stunner to send the former Australian skipper back for just 5 runs. Smith also had some fun bowling in this game. He dismissed Colin de Grandhomme for a golden duck and had a good day on the field plucking a sensational catch to send back Tom Latham.

Marcus Stoinis – 4/10

Marcus Stoinis showed some resistance with the bat but couldn’t stay in the middle for a long time. He scored 21 runs off 26 balls before he was dismissed. Stoinis bowled two overs with the ball where he conceded 12 runs.

Glenn Maxwell – 1/10

Glenn Maxwell was an utter disappointment with the bat in this match. In a situation where he should have bailed his side out of trouble, he threw his wicket away when he was on 1. The 30-year-old had a decent outing with the ball in hand.

Alex Carey – 9/10

Australia should give it a serious thought about sending Alex Carey higher up the order in situations like these. He showed great temperament and played a gem of a knock. With his big-hitting ability, he eased the pressure off Khawaja and was a delight to watch. However, he could have stayed in the middle for a little longer and possibly even got to the triple figures. Nevertheless, his 71 which came off 72 balls was a massive contribution given the context of the game.

Pat Cummins – 5/10

Pat Cummins played a nice little cameo towards the end of the innings where he remained unbeaten on 23. He had an excellent day with the ball as well and bowled a miserly spell. In his six overs, he only conceded 14 runs and also dismissed the big fish, Ross Taylor.

Mitchell Starc – 9.5/10

Mitchell Starc has been just unstoppable in this tournament. The left-arm pacer had a dream outing yet again and spearheaded the Australian attack brilliantly. He was darting in some cannonballs at extreme pace and most of the batsmen had no answers to his assault. The left-arm pacer finished with a five-wicket haul (5/26) and even accounted for the wicket of Kane Williamson.

Jason Behrendorff – 7.5/10

Jason Behrendorff followed up his five-wicket haul in the last game with a good performance in this match. He delivered tight lines and lengths and troubled the New Zealand batsmen. In his 9 overs, he gave away 31 runs and dismissed the likes of Henry Nicholls and Guptill.

Nathan Lyon – 4.5/10

Except for the last over that he bowled where he conceded 13 runs, Nathan Lyon was quite economical in all the other overs. He dismissed James Neesham and conceded 40 runs in his quota of 10 overs. Getting back amongst the wickets must have been a huge sigh of relief for the off-spinner.