New Zealand and Australia kick-started the Super 12 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 today at the Sydney Cricket ground in Australia. The Kiwis were sent into bat first and put up a total of 200 in their 20 overs. A revengeful performance indeed from New Zealand to beat Australia in their own home.
Australian captain Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to bowl first. Finn Allen and Devon Conway walked in to open the innings. Finn Allen took off from the first over itself, smashing Mitchel Starc for 14 runs. Allen continued the destruction for the following three overs as well. Allen scored 42 runs in just 16 balls giving New Zealand the perfect start.
His blistering start came to end in the penultimate over of the powerplay. Josh Hazelwood came to the rescue for Australia. Following up his short balls in the previous over, Hazelwood bowled a yorker to disturb Allen’s stumps. From then on, it was a Devon Conway show. Conway went on to score an unbeaten 92 at a strike rate of 158. Cameos from Williamson and Neesham helped New Zealand put up a gigantic total of 200 in the first Innings.
For the second innings, Australian openers Aaron Finch and David Warner walked to the middle with an asking rate of 10 runs an over. Trent Boult opened the bowling attack for New Zealand, putting Warner in some difficult situations. The second over was when New Zealand took the game away from Australia. Tim Southee bowled an exceptional first over, toppling David Warner’s stumps in the very first ball. In his second over, he came back to pick up the wicket of Mitchel Marsh with a slower ball.
New Zealand was picture-perfect in all aspects of the field. The batting, bowling, and fielding were spotless. Australia was left in dire states. Chasing a target of 201 seemed to big a task for Australia. Devon Conway is definitely the star of the match, but Tim Southee and Finn Allen need to be given equal credit for their powerful starts.
Australia needs to regroup and get their focus back on track. It is just the first loss, and they will surely use the home advantage ahead in the tournament. New Zealand will look to build on this win and carry the confidence into the next game.
