Australia overpower New Zealand in the opener, take a 1–0 lead with a ruthless chase
Australia hunted down 182 with 21 balls to spare, riding a captain’s epic from Mitchell Marsh (85 off 43, 9x4, 5x6). New Zealand’s total was carried by a sparkling, unbeaten Tim Robinson 106* (66), but the visitors’ powerplay burst and middle-overs efficiency proved decisive.
New Zealand Batting
| Batter | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T. Seifert (wk) | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 | c & b Hazlewood |
| D. Conway | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 50.00 | c & b Dwarshuis |
| T. Robinson | 106* | 66 | 6 | 5 | 160.61 | not out |
| M. Chapman | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | c Carey b Dwarshuis |
| D. Mitchell | 34 | 23 | 1 | 3 | 147.83 | c & b Short |
| B. Jacobs | 20 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 95.24 | run out |
| M. Bracewell (c) | 7 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 175.00 | run out |
| Z. Foulkes | 0* | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | not out |
| Total | 181/6 (20 ov) | |||||
Australia Bowling
| Bowler | O | R | W | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Hazlewood | 4 | 23 | 1 | 5.75 |
| B. Dwarshuis | 4 | 40 | 2 | 10.00 |
| A. Zampa | 4 | 27 | 0 | 6.75 |
| M. Short | 3 | 32 | 1 | 10.67 |
Australia Batting
| Batter | R | B | 4s | 6s | SR | Dismissal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Marsh | 85 | 43 | 9 | 5 | 197.67 | c Robinson b Henry |
| T. Head | 31 | 18 | 6 | 0 | 172.22 | c Chapman b Henry |
| M. Short | 29 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 161.11 | lbw b Jamieson |
| T. David | 21* | 12 | 1 | 2 | 175.00 | not out |
| A. Carey (wk) | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 | c Chapman b Foulkes |
| M. Stoinis | 4* | 1 | 1 | 0 | 400.00 | not out |
| Total | 185/4 (16.3 ov) | |||||
New Zealand Bowling
| Bowler | O | R | W | Eco |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. Henry | 4 | 43 | 2 | 10.75 |
| J. Duffy | 3 | 31 | 0 | 10.33 |
| Z. Foulkes | 2.3 | 35 | 1 | 14.00 |
| K. Jamieson | 4 | 46 | 1 | 11.50 |
| M. Bracewell (c) | 3 | 29 | 0 | 9.67 |
Full Match Report
Robinson lights up the first half
After early jitters at 6 for 3, New Zealand needed composure and clarity. Tim Robinson supplied both. He steadied the innings by first surviving a probing spell from Hazlewood and Dwarshuis, then expanded into clean acceleration. His wagon wheel told a mature story: drives threaded through cover when Australia went full; quick wrists through square-leg when they dragged the length. By the time he reached his maiden T20I hundred, the strike rate sat above 160 and New Zealand had a defendable score. The support acts were brief—Daryl Mitchell’s 34 (23) was the only companionable stand—but Robinson’s presence ensured the hosts didn’t crumble after the powerplay shock.
Australia contain just enough
Australia’s bowlers didn’t run away with the game, but they did the quiet, necessary work. Hazlewood (1/23) offered the control that keeps a chase in range; Dwarshuis (2/40) found key breakthroughs; Zampa conceded at 6.75 to keep a lid on Robinson’s partners. When New Zealand looked set for a 190-plus finish, the visitors’ execution at the back end trimmed a dozen precious runs.
Marsh’s statement knock flips the script
The chase was front-loaded with intent. Travis Head (31 off 18) punched holes in the ring to win the first five overs. Then the tone became unmistakable: Mitchell Marsh arrived and hit the ball as if it were a negotiation he intended to end early. He picked up length quicker than the bowlers adjusted, lifting anything in his arc and muscling the short ball flat. The geometry was simple: mid-off and mid-on kept honest, deep square asked to sprint, straight boundaries peppered. Marsh’s 85 (43) didn’t just race the scoreboard; it erased doubt. With Matt Short (29 off 18) playing the disruptor and Tim David (21* off 12) finishing, Australia coasted home by the 17th.
Where the game turned
- Powerplay trade: New Zealand lost three in the first 10 balls; Australia were 60-plus with one down.
- Length miss to Marsh: Anything short-of-a-good-length with pace on disappeared; NZ didn’t hold a fuller line long enough.
- Middle-overs squeeze: Zampa’s tidy spell halted NZ’s surge; the same phase for NZ leaked 9–10 an over.
What it means for the series
Australia own the 1–0 lead and, more tellingly, the method. Their batting order wasted few deliveries, and the bowling unit showed repeatable plans. For New Zealand, the blueprint is there—Robinson at the top, Mitchell floating, and Bracewell’s match-ups used more aggressively—but they need a cleaner powerplay with the ball. A fuller stump-to-stump plan to Marsh, plus early overs from Bracewell to Australia’s left-right mix, could buy the control they lacked here.
Numbers that tell the story
- Boundaries in the first six: AUS 10 vs NZ 3 — early momentum defined the chase.
- Middle overs (7–15): AUS scored at ~9.8 RPO; NZ at ~8.0 — the squeeze vs the leak.
- Dot-ball pressure: Hazlewood’s dot percentage > 40% — why NZ stalled despite Robinson’s fluency.
Bottom line
It was a night of two superb individual innings. Robinson’s hundred deserved the limelight; Marsh’s counterpunch stole it. If New Zealand split Australia’s openers early next time, the series will look different. If not, this could be a short, sharp statement tour for the men in yellow.
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