New Zealand v Australia, 1st ODI- 5 Talking Points

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Marcus Stoinis of Australia
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Marcus Stoinis of Australia. (Photo by Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

A New Zealand-Australia contest at Eden Park can spring out some butterflies on any given day, considering the showdown they had during the World Cup 2015. The 1st ODI didn’t disappoint either. An inspiring all-round show from Marcus Stoinis almost got the visitors over the finish line with his unbeaten 146 before Josh Hazelwood’s desperate dive fell short, handing Kane Williamson’s men a thrilling win.

The Kiwi bowlers floored Aaron Finch’s men with early jolts, leaving the visitors at 67/6 at one stage but it took a herculean effort from the Western Australian all-rounder to get them a hit away from victory. New Zealand had earlier posted 286/9 on the board, courtesy a handy 73 from Neil Broom. Martin Guptill (61) and Jimmy Neesham (48) added vital contributions. Stoinis was the pick of the bowlers, bagging 3/49 in his 10 overs.

1. Guptill’s onslaught laid the foundation:

Explosive opener Martin Guptill freed his arms and went after the Australian pack from the very start. He lost his openings partner Tom Latham at the other end but that didn’t calm his case. He covered up his base facing the express deliveries and edged a few before going into a ramping.

The Auckland-born basher brought up his 32nd fifty as the Eden Park crowd fastened their seat belts with the show getting a perfect boost up early in the morning. He skied eight boundaries giving New Zealand the start they needed, before heading back in the 24th over as Stoinis cleaned him up.

Also read- NZ v AUS, 1st ODI Review: Marcus Stoinis blitz goes in vain as Kiwis clinch nervy encounter

2. Broom’s vital 73 comes in a winning cause:

Neil Broom came into bat in the 23rd over and steadied the Kiwi innings in the middle part. He started off slow but changed the gear as the innings progressed. He made full use of the short boundaries and most of his scoops found the fence. New Zealand kept losing wickets at one end but Broom ensured that hosts reach a fine ground.

He hardly cared for reputation, smacking Mitchell Starc’s 145 km/hr for maximum and middling most of the white that came his way. He ensured the Kiwi’s doesn’t loose grip in the middle overs and was dismissed in the 49th over after a well-made half-century.

3. Indiscipline bowling hurt Australia bad:

29 extras were conceded by the men in yellow and gold during New Zealand’s innings. The numbers look huge, especially when the match ends up in a close finish. Pat Cummins proved to be too expensive, going for over seven runs an over, ending with figures of 2/67 in his 9 overs.

Stoinis bowled five extras early in the innings but he got a redemption as Trent Boult returned the favor in the next half. The likes of Starc and Hazelwood found it hard to beat the bat as the ‘Black Caps’ recovered from being 134/5 at one stage.

4. Santner’s 3/44 breaks the chase:

Mitchell Santner got the wicket of Shaun Marsh in his first over of the chase, after the southpaw played a poor shot, getting out of the crease and missing a straight ball. The spinner found a good grip, bowling around the wicket, as he angled the ball pressing the charge. He bowled a lot flatter and nailed the ball slower whenever required.

His presence of mind resulted in the wicket of Pat Cummins at a stage when Stoinis was going after the Kiwis at one end. He saw Cummins walk down the track and bowled away from his body, the ball spun a bit and Tom Latham did the rest, standing behind the stumps. He wrapped up ambitious Starc to end with three sticks to his credit.

5. Marcus Stoinis’ all-around brilliance:

Not very often we get to see a medium-fast bowler cracking down the back of the opposition’s batting line-up and then padding up to score a sublime hundred that came very close to being termed as match-winning one. 27-year-old Marcus Stoinis did something similar against hosts New Zealand. Playing just his 2nd ODI, Stoinis angled the ball beautifully and drew first blood by scalping his maiden international wicket in the face of Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson in his very first over.

But it wasn’t all smooth for the Western Australian boy, as he conceded five extras in his next over but came back well to nip one in to get the better of opener Martin Guptill, who looked dangerous from the start. He added one more wicket and acted as the chief architect in restricting the hosts under 300. He came in to bat with the visitors reeling at 56/5. The all-rounder sized up the loose ones while finding gaps at ease. He plundered 11 sixes and nine boundaries but left stranded as his all-round show could not salvage a victory.

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