Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Oct 22: In order to kick off the T20World Cup Super 12 in style and get revenge for their loss in last year’s final, New Zealand crushed the hosts and defending champions Australia by 89 runs on Saturday.
When Australia were skittled for 111 in Sydney, Devon Conway carried his bat with a magnificent unbroken 92 to enable New Zealand thrash 200-3 and give Australia’s title defence a disastrous start. Conway’s knock, which included seven fours and two sixes off just 58 balls, helped him join a small club of World Cup players who have scored 90 runs or more. Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner each claimed three wickets.
Since 2011, New Zealand had not defeated Australia in any format at all. It was a rematch of the 2021 final in Dubai, where Australia swept to its first championship with an eight-wicket victory. The Sydney Cricket Ground was sold out for the game.
Now that Afghanistan, England, and the qualifiers Ireland and Sri Lanka are waiting for Aaron Finch’s team in difficult Group 1, they have their job cut out for them to duplicate the accomplishment. The top two alone advance to the semifinals.
Finch chose to put New Zealand into the batting order, and off Mitchell Starc’s first over, Finn Allen smashed two fours and a six. Conway followed suit by smashing two blazing boundaries off Josh Hazlewood as the Black Caps amassed 29 runs off the first two overs.
The next over saw Pat Cummins get similarly punished after being taken for 17 after Adam Zampa dropped Allen. But when Hazlewood reappeared, the sly pace spearhead bowled the youthful right-hander for 42 off just 16 balls as he raced down the crease.
The addition of Marcus Stoinis and Zampa helped to stop the run flow, but Conway reached his fifty with a six off the spinner, who also bowled out Kane Williamson (23) for 23 runs in the same over.
Glenn Phillips was dismissed by Hazlewood for 12 before Jimmy Neesham smashed a six off the last ball to reach 200.
