Australia remained top of the points table with 14 points with a thumping 86-run win over Trans-Tasman rival New Zealand at Lord's.
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◘ ALL OUT! Mitchell Santner holes out to fine leg and Mitchell Starc has a five-for! New Zealand bowled out for 157, handing Australia a 86-run win.
◘ New Zealand 157/9 in 43 overs: A six and four off the blade of Mitchell Santner, who slog sweeps Nathan Lyon over deep midwicket for six and then gets an edge past the wicketkeeper for a four. New Zealand is trying to get as many runs and minimise the margin of defeat to ensure the run-rate doesn't take a massive hit. It still might, but Santner and Trent Boult are trying.
◘ New Zealand 144/9 in 42 overs: It's a wicket-maiden from Mitchell Starc. Trent Boult does well to deny Starc a five-for, for now. Shows good defence and gets bat to ball when it's full and in line with the stumps.
◘ WICKET! It's Mitchell Starc again! He cleans up Lockie Ferguson with a fast, straight delivery from round the wicket.
◘ New Zealand 144/8 in 41 overs: Mitchell Santner goes for the big shot against Nathan Lyon. He steps down the pitch and tries to loft one over mid-on, where David Warner makes a great attempt and gets his left hand to the ball but can't cling on.
◘ WICKET! Mitchell Starc traps Ish Sodhi lbw. He comes round the wicket and angles the ball into the right-hander. Sodhi misses the line and is hit on the kneeroll of his front pad. The umpire gives him out and he reviews the decision, but it returns as umpire's call and he's on his way. Lockie Ferguson is the new batsman in. New Zealand 141/8 in 40 overs.
◘ New Zealand 136/7 in 39 overs: New batsman Ish Sodhi pulls a short ball drifting onto leg stump behind square and over short fine leg for a four to open his account. That was a bad delivery from Nathan Lyon to finish the over, but New Zealand has a mountain to climb. Mitchell Starc continues, on for the eighth over of his spell.
◘ WICKET! James Neesham top-edges a sweep and Nathan Lyon takes the catch off his own bowling. Gone for 9, New Zealand 131/7 in the 39th over. Ish Sodhi is the new batsman in.
◘ New Zealand 131/6 in 38 overs: Just one run off the Mitchell Starc over. The left-arm pacer gets a couple of balls to rear from a length, hitting the splice of James Neesham's blade. Neesham and Mitchell Starc play out this over quietly.
◘ New Zealand 130/6 in 37 overs: Three dot balls to start with but the last three balls of the Nathan Lyon over fetch New Zealand four runs. James Neesham whips one using his bottom hand to midwicket for a couple and then punches the last ball through extra cover for a single to keep strike for the Mitchell Starc over.
◘ WICKET! New Zealand 126/6 in 36 overs. Just the two runs and the wicket of Tom Latham in Mitchell Starc's comeback over. He has struck in the first over of a new spell again! Mitchell Santner opens his account with a solid backfoot defence against Starc, but New Zealand needs to get a move on. More off-spin in play here: Nathan Lyon comes into the attack.
◘ WICKET! Tom Latham flicks a half-volley from the Mitchell Starc to the right of short midwicket, where Steve Smith flies to his right and takes a one-handed catch! Another beauty to the catalogue of great catches today. Gone for 14, New Zealand 125/6. Mitchell Santner is the new batsman in.
◘ New Zealand 121/5 in 34 overs: Just a single off the over. James Neesham being defensive against the offspin of Nathan Lyon. Australia bowling more offspin with two left-handers out in the middle for New Zealand.
◘ New Zealand 120/5 in 33 overs: Colin de Grandhomme's been in good form, so removing him for nought is huge from Australia's perspective. But New Zealand has depth in its batting line-up and James Neesham has walked in at No. 7 to join Tom Latham. He opens his account with a defensive shot to the offside for a single.
◘ WICKET! Colin de Grandhomme goes for en expensive shot on the first ball he faces and holes out to long-off. Steve Smith picks up the wicket, Australia is gaining a stranglehold over this match. James Neesham is the new batsman in.
◘ WICKET! Ross Taylor looks to up the ante and plays one shot too many and he gets a top edge trying to flick one onto the legside. The ball swirls in the air and Alex Carey sets himself nicely, keeps his eyes on the ball and holds on. New Zealand 118/4. Two dot balls to end the over.
◘ New Zealand 112/3 in 31 overs: Four runs off the over, but New Zealand batsmen are having to work hard for every run. Glenn Maxwell beats Ross Taylor on the outside once in the over and he continues to be uncomfortable against the spinners. Pat Cummins continues.
◘ New Zealand 108/3 in 30 overs: Pat Cummins gets a couple of balls to bounce awkwardly from back of a length in this over. Tom Latham and Ross Taylor manage them quite well, but the over produces just one run and the required run-rate is creeping up. Glenn Maxwell comes into the attack, replacing Nathan Lyon.
◘ New Zealand 107/3 in 29 overs: Ross Taylor top-edges a sweep against Nathan Lyon but fortunately, the ball drops short of Aaron Finch at fine leg. He then taps a fuller-length ball on middle leg onto the legside and takes off for a single, but Glenn Maxwell gathers the ball and affects a direct hit at the striker's end. Tom Latham saves himself with a dive, sliding the bat in. Latham knocks the ball onto the onside off the back foot for a single to round off the over. It's just a two-over spell for Mitchell Starc, with Pat Cummins coming back into the attack from the Pavilion End.
◘ New Zealand 104/3 in 28 overs: Just one run off the over. Tom Latham guides a rising delivery outside off stump down to third man for a single. The key for New Zealand is not give Mitchell Starc another wicket in this spell, but Ross Taylor and Latham need to get a move on soon enough. Nathan Lyon continues.
◘ New Zealand 103/3 in 27 overs: Five runs off Nathan Lyon's comeback over. Tom Latham has been in poor form but he's looking to settle in quickly with his team in a spot of bother. Paddles Lyon behind square on the onside for a brace and collects a single to rotate strike. Lyon is getting appreciable turn and is bowling the right length to keep the batsmen in check. Ross Taylor, in particular, is not quite confident against him. Mitchell Starc continues.
◘ New Zealand 98/3 in 26 overs: Six runs off Mitchell Starc's comeback over but he gets the biggest wicket in New Zealand's batting line-up! Williamson's out for 40. Tom Latham walks out and flicks one on leg stump to deep midwicket to open his account.
◘ WICKET! He's done it again! Mitchell Starc has come back into the attack and as he's done throughout this World Cup, provides Australia a crucial breakthrough in the middle overs. It's a length ball angled away from Kane Williamson, who cannot avoid the temptation to run the ball down to third man and gets a faint outside edge through to Alex Carey. Gone for 40 and it's a wicket against the run of play, brings Tom Latham to the middle.
◘ New Zealand 92/2 in 25 overs: Kane Williamson's stepping on the gas here. He, a little unconventionally, uses his bottom hand and drives Glenn Maxwell down the ground, past mid-off for a four. The over produces three more runs and it's big overs back to back for New Zealand.
◘ New Zealand 85/2 in 24 overs: Kane Williamson's rising to the occasion here! He uses his wrists and flicks a fuller-length ball on leg stump from Marcus Stoinis towards the short square boundary for a six and follows it up with a slash outside off stump for a couple. A big over, 8 runs off it, under the circumstances. Williamson becomes the third-fastest to 6000 international runs, getting there in 139 innings.
◘ New Zealand 77/2 in 23 overs: Ross Taylor plays a fuller-length ball from Glenn Maxwell through square leg and scampers back to complete the second run, making it a four-run over. The required run-rate is nudging six runs an over.
◘ New Zealand 73/2 in 22 overs: Five runs off Marcus Stoinis' first over. Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson are comfortable against the others, compared to Jason Behrendorff, who had them tied down with his impeccable line, length and getting the odd ball to move off the seam. They collect five runs off Stoinis without breaking sweat. Glenn Maxwell comes into the attack; just the one over for captain Aaron Finch.
◘ New Zealand 68/2 in 21 overs: Aaron Finch brings himself into the attack. He bowls slower through the air but errs with his length. He gets one to drift towards Ross Taylor's leg stump and the New Zealand batsman goes down on one knee, takes the ball on the full and sweeps it behind square on the onside for a four. Seven runs off the over, but can it break the shackles for New Zealand? Marcus Stoinis comes into the attack, replacing Jason Behrendorff.
◘ New Zealand 61/2 in 20 overs: Another Jason Behrendorff over that tests the New Zealand batsmen. Ross Taylor is rapped on the front pad and it's a huge appeal for lbw. Not out is the umpire's decision and Australia decides against reviewing the decision. A couple of wides in the over help New Zealand garner four runs in the over.
◘ New Zealand 57/2 in 19 overs: Four singles off Steve Smith's first over. A couple of full-tosses in the over and a couple fractionally short from the former Australian captain. Four runs scored relatively easily. Jason Behrendorff continues, on for his ninth over.
◘ New Zealand 53/2 in 18 overs: Four runs off the Jason Behrendorff's eighth over. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor are having to fight for every run. Kane Williamson gets a thick outside edge that evades Alex Carey and fetches two runs for New Zealand, but the final five deliveries produce only two more runs. Bowling change: Steve Smith's into the attack, replacing Nathan Lyon.
◘ New Zealand 49/2 in 17 overs: Another over that produces just two runs. Ross Taylor clips a ball on his hips for a single before Kane Williamson paddles Nathan Lyon down to fine leg; he takes off for a brace but slips at the non-striker's end and they have to settle for one. The over ends with a dot ball. Australia has New Zealand in a tight leash. Jason Behrendorff continues, on for his eighth over.
◘ New Zealand 47/2 in 16 overs: Runs coming in trickles here, just two off the 16th over. Ross Taylor clips the final ball on leg stump for a brace down to fine leg. Behrendorff continues to bowl full and on the stumps, trying to get one to just straight but Taylor plays his well and with caution.
◘ New Zealand 44/2 in 15 overs: Ohhhh! Steve Smith drops Kane Williamson at first slip. Head in hands for Nathan Lyon and the Australian fielders! It's a full back that lures Williamson to play the drive, the ball ricochets off Alex Carey's pads and carries at a good height to Smith at first slip. The former Australian captain seems to grab at the ball and the ball pops out. Again, Australia has a short-leg fielder to apply pressure on the two batsmen. Ross Taylor plays the sweep shot to deep square leg, a result of the pressure being applied, and Williamson is very cautious playing Lyon with a short midwicket fielder in a catching position again. But Lyon nearly had him.
◘ New Zealand 43/2 in 14 overs: Another probing over from Jason Behrendorff that brings him the wicket of Martin Guptill. He's sowed seeds of doubt in the batsman's mind by getting the ball to move both ways after pitch. Kane Williamson is watchful but this is incisive from Behrendorff. Williamson and Ross Taylor have a big task to get through this spell. Nathan Lyon continues.
◘ WICKET! Jason Behrendorff traps Guptill lbw, gone for 20, New Zealand 42/2. It's a ball that straightens after pitching on leg stump, skids on and raps Guptill on his front pad. This time, Joel Wilson has little doubt in putting his finger up.
◘ New Zealand 42/1 in 13 overs: Two runs off Nathan Lyon's first over. Aaron Finch is on the attack here: he positions himself at backward short leg to put pressure on Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill. The latter sweeps to deep square leg for a single and then Williamson is very watchful, mindful of the fielder at short leg, and plays the ball with soft hands, smothering the spin and bounce on offer for Lyon.
◘ New Zealand 40/1 in 12 overs: Kane Williamson plays a sublime backfoot punch for four to begin the over and he clips a length ball on leg stump off his hips for a single to midwicket. In between, some good running between the wickets from Guptill and Williamson to steal another single. Nathan Lyon comes into the attack.
◘ New Zealand 33/1 in 11 overs: Just two runs off the 11th over. Pat Cummins bowling length and on off-stump. Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill are playing with a straight bat and looking to hit the ball straight. Williamson runs one down the third man for a single by meeting the ball under his eyes. Jason Behrendorff continues.
◘ New Zealand 31/1 in 10 overs: Two runs and a wicket off the last over of the first powerplay. Henry Nicholls caught down the legside for eight before Kane Williamson collects two runs to open his account. Pat Cummins to continue from the Pavilion End with Martin Guptill on strike.
◘ WICKET! Sustained pressure brings Australia its first wicket! Henry Nicholls out caught down the legside, out for 8. New Zealand 29/1. It was a pretty ordinary ball, but Nicholls gets a touch through to Alex Carey.
◘ New Zealand 29/0 in 9 overs: A maiden from Pat Cummins. Impeccable line and length from the New South Wales fast bowler and Martin Guptill plays the ball on its merit. Check drives a couple of deliveries down the ground but those drives find the mid-on and mid-off fielder.
◘ New Zealand 29/0 in 8 overs: Bowling change nearly does the trick for Australia. Jason Behrendorff raps Martin Guptill on the front pad by getting one to straighten after pitching on middle stump from over the wicket. Guptill looked like he was a candidate for lbw but umpire Joel Wilson says not out! Australia contemplates reviewing and decides against it eventually. Replays show it'd have come back as 'umpire's call'. Guptill played the rest of the over pretty well, playing with the bat in front of his pad. Behrendorff and Starc are getting the ball to tail in to the right-hander, but Guptill has managed the seam movement quite well so far and gets the rub of the green his way on this occasion. Pat Cummins to continue.
◘ New Zealand 28/0 in 7 overs: Another probing over from Pat Cummins, bowls five straight dot balls to Henry Nicholls, rapping him on the front pad once (the ball pitched outside leg stump and hit him high on the front pad) and even getting a thick outside edge which didn't carry to the backward point fielder. Nicholls and Guptill are keeping the Australian bowlers at bay but equally, Starc and Cummins are finding their rhythm.
◘ New Zealand 27/0 in 6 overs: Mitchell Starc closes out the over with three straight dot deliveries, the second-last measured at 153.8 kmph. But Henry Nicholls played a couple of sublime shots on the up to collect eight runs off the first two deliveries: the first ball driven down the ground, past mid-on for a four, the second flicked off the pads past square leg for another four. Starc is working up serious pace but Martin Guptill and Nicholls have been up to the task so far. Pat Cummins continues.
◘ New Zealand 18/0 in 5 overs: A terrific first over from Pat Cummins, tests Martin Guptill's technique outside his off-stump after a wayward first delivery which Guptill clipped off his hips for a four. Cummins responded by getting one to hold its line after pitching on off-stump, beating Guptill's outside edge. Guptill then creams a length delivery on off-stump off the back foot but is acrobatically saved by the fielder at cover. A fantastic contest between bat and ball. Mitchell Starc continues.
◘ New Zealand 14/0 in 4 overs: A very watchable over from Mitchell Starc! Martin Guptill was up to the task, playing with a straight bat to the balls full and targeted on the pads. When the ball was short of length and angled away, Guptill showed good awareness of his off-stump to leave the ball. Pat Cummins replaces Jason Behrendorff from the Nursery End. Behrendorff bowled just two overs.
◘ New Zealand 12/0 in 3 overs: Martin Guptill has had the majority of the strike. Here, he creams Jason Behrendorff for four through cover, opening the face the find the gap between cover and point. He begins the over with a square cut for a brace to third man and ends the over with three runs down to square leg with some good running between the wickets. Mitchell Starc continues.
◘ New Zealand 2/0 in 2 overs: An excellent first over from Mitchell Starc. Bowls length and on off-stump. Gets a couple to hold its line and one straightens after pitch but Martin Guptill shows good judgment to shoulder arms the ball goes over the stumps. Guptill, again, takes a single and gives the strike to Nicholls, who's hit the pads and plays out a dot ball to round off the over. Jason Behrendorff continues.
◘ New Zealand 1/0 in 1 over: Just a single off the first over. Jason Behrendorff is accurate with his line and bowls just short of length and Henry Nicholls is happy to play according to the merit of the ball. Mitchell Starc to bowl from the Pavilion End.
◘ Martin Guptill opens the innings with Henry Nicholls, Jason Behrendorff will bowl the first over. New Zealand needs 244 to win and secure its place in the semifinals.
END OF THE INNINGS: What an end to the Australian innings! Trent Boult takes a hat-trick, the second of this World Cup and second in the final over, again, as Mohammed Shami's. Australia finishes with 243/9, a score that looked far away when Glenn Maxwell fell with just 92 on the board! Join us in 30 minutes for the New Zealand run-chase.
◘ HAT-TRICK: Trent Boult hits Australia No. 10 Jason Behrendorff full on the back leg and the umpire Richard Illingworth raises his finger without hesitation! Behrendorff reviews but there was little doubt!
◘ WICKET! Castled. Trent Boult with a perfect yorker to remove Mitchell Starc for a first-ball duck!
◘ WICKET! Usman Khawaja walks across his stumps and looks to help one angled into leg stump round the corner, but the ball dips and hits the base of leg stump. Gone for 88. Three balls left, Mitchell Starc strides out to the middle.
◘ Australia 241/6 in 49 overs: Pat Cummins cuts the final ball for four through the offside, making it a big over for Australia. Can it get to 250?
◘ Australia 232/6 in 48 overs: Usman Khawaja collects a four off the inside edge, but Trent Boult pulls his length back on the following deliveries and concedes just four runs. Terrific fielding on the boundary, it must be said, to deny Australia two more fours in the over.
◘ Australia 224/6 in 47 overs: Pat Cummins plays the entire over and collects nine runs, a touch fortuitous. He begins the over with a bottom-handed slog across the line to deep midwicket before two skiers fall in no-man's land but fetch two runs each. Some good work on the midwicket boundary to deny Cummins a four in the over. Trent Boult replaces Lockie Ferguson from the Pavilion End.
◘ Australia 215/6 in 46 overs: Usman Khawaja cuts Lockie Ferguson over point for a four off the first ball of the over and picks up a single off the second. Ferguson concedes just one run off the next four deliveries, with Pat Cummins not taking on the two short deliveries in the over. He keeps the strike with a single off the final ball.
◘ Australia 209/6 in 45 overs: Usman Khawaja improvises and collects four playing the reverse sweep against Ish Sodhi, but the other five deliveries produce only three runs. Khawaja collects a single off the final ball and keeps the strike. Lockie Ferguson continues.
◘ Australia 202/6 in 44 overs: Another quiet over for Australia. Lockie Ferguson goes short against Usman Khawaja, who's reluctant to take on the short ball yet. Just three runs off the 43rd over! Ish Sodhi comes into the attack.
◘ WICKET! Captain Kane Williamson provides the breakthrough and it's Alex Carey who's gone for a 72-ball 71! It's a benign delivery that Carey could have hit anywhere. Instead, he toe-ends it and the ball flies to Martin Guptill at cover, he takes a few steps to his right and catches it. Australia 199/6 in 43 overs. New Zealand gets the wicket at the right time and it could make a difference of the Blackcaps having to chase 10-20 runs less. Lockie Ferguson comes into the attack for Trent Boult.
◘ Australia 194/5 in 42 overs: Alex Carey is showing signs of cutting loose. He plays an inside-out shot for a couple off Trent Boult before a swipe across the line gets an inside edge and runs away to deep midwicket for a single. New Zealand bowlers have kept a leash on Carey and Usman Khawaja over the last two-three overs but a wicket now would be ideal from New Zealand's perspective. Kane Williamson continues.
◘ Australia 190/5 in 41 overs: A tight over from Kane Williamson, keeps both Alex Carey and Usman Khawaja in check with a tight line around off-stump. The batsmen are content to play the ball on merit. When is the charge going to come from the Australian batsmen? Trent Boult continues.
◘ Australia 188/5 in 40 overs: Alex Carey has been relentless and unforgiving on anything full from the New Zealand bowlers. Here, he punishes Trent Boult for over-pitching by driving the left-arm pacer through extra cover for a four. Six runs come off the over. Kane Williamson continues.
◘ Australia 182/5 in 39 overs: Kane Williamson induces an outside edge off Alex Carey, but the difficult chance is spilt by Tom Latham behind the stumps. The over produces four runs. Trent Boult comes back into the attack, replaces Lockie Ferguson from the Nursery End .
◘ Australia 178/5 in 38 overs: A four and a brace off Lockie Ferguson's comeback over. Alex Carey punishes him for being short: collects a two off a short and wide delivery outside the left-hander's off-stump and then pulls Ferguson nonchalantly in front of square for another four. Kane Williamson continues.
◘ Australia 172/5 in 37 overs: Two singles off Kane Williamson's over. The off-spinner beats the outside edge against Usman Khawaja with a ball that bounces viciously. Lockie Ferguson's into the attack, replaces James Neesham from the Nursery End.
A look at Martin Guptill's stunning catch to dismiss Steve Smith!
◘ Australia 170/5 in 36 overs: Alex Carey reaches his fifty with a four off the inside-edge past his off-stump and the 'keeper, which follows a authoritative pull for a four in front of square off James Neesham. Two more singles make it a 10-run over for Australia!
◘ Australia 160/5 in 35 overs: Usman Khawaja is nearly run-out by Martin Guptill at the non-striker's end: Khawaja cuts Kane Williamson and sets off for a single thinking the ball is going to go past a diving Guptill. But the New Zealand dives, picks up the ball cleanly and shies at the stumps. He'd have caught Usman Khawaja short with a direct hit. The over yields three more singles. James Neesham is back into the attack, replaces Colin de Grandhomme from the Nursery End.
◘ Australia 156/5 in 34 overs: A four and two singles to end the over. Alex Carey with a short-arm jab for a four through the gap between midwicket and mid-on against Colin de Grandhomme. He's batting on a run-a-ball 41 and is the danger man for New Zealand.
◘ Australia 150/5 in 33 overs: Three singles in the over, but Kane Williamson is posing problems for Alex Carey and Usman Khawaja. Carey top-edges a sweep that fetches him a single to deep midwicket, he then goes for a lofted drive through the offside but is beaten on the outside. Carey gets a single on the final ball of the over. Colin de Grandhomme continues.
◘ Australia 147/5 in 32 overs: Six runs off the over, without needing to take any risk. Alex Carey and Usman Khawaja are looking comfortable. Khawaja, meanwhile, has reached his half-century: just two fours in his innings so far and he's been dropped a couple of times, but he's grinding it out for Australia.
◘ Australia 141/5 in 31 overs: Kane Williamson almost gets a wicket with his second hall: Usman Khawaja goes for an expansive drive and gets an outside edge but is reprieved by the lack of a slip fielder. Khawaja gets an outside edge again off the penultimate ball and again, there's no slip to take the catch. A good over from Williamson, but he'll rue the fact it hasn't produced a wicket. Colin de Grandhomme continues.
◘ Australia 136/5 in 30 overs: Alex Carey turns what had been a good over for New Zealand until the final ball into a good one for Australia with a drive down the ground for four. Colin de Grandhomme sighs, but runs are coming freely for Australia. Kane Williamson, off-spinner, comes into the attack, replaces Lockie Ferguson.
◘ Australia 131/5 in 29 overs: Alex Carey keeps out the short deliveries from Lockie Ferguson and when the ball was finally pitched up, he makes the bowler pay with a flick off the pads for a four behind square on the legside. Colin de Grandhomme continues.
◘ Australia 126/5 in 28 overs: Two runs off Colin de Grandhomme's comeback over. Tom Latham is upto the stumps and De Grandhomme bowls back of a length, which doesn't trouble either Alex Carey or Usman Khawaja. Carey times a fuller-length delivery through the cover region for a couple. Lockie Ferguson continues.
◘ Australia 124/5 in 27 overs: Another sublime cover drive from Alex Carey, punishes Lockie Ferguson for over-pitching. It's a below-par over from Ferguson to begin his second spell. Carey has raced to 22 runs off 18 balls and New Zealand quickly needs a wicket. Colin de Grandhomme comes into the attack, replaces James Neesham from the Nursery End.
◘ Australia 118/5 in 26 overs: Alex Carey gets a leading edge which flies through the vacant cover region for a single off James Neesham and the Australian 'keeper pierces the same gap for a four to round off the over. Another good over from Neesham, but Carey and Usman Khawaja are managing the variable pace and bounce in the surface. Lockie Ferguson replaces Mitchell Santner from the Pavilion End.
◘ Australia 112/5 in 25 overs: Alex Carey goes down on one knee and sweeps Mitchell Santner for a single to deep square leg to round off the over. Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey are comfortable playing the conventional and reverse sweep against Santner's left-arm orthodox spin. New Zealand has short fine leg and short third man in place for a catch should a top edge be found. Carey and Khawaja, from Australia's perspective, are being proactive and are looking to score runs, which is a very good sign. James Neesham continues.
◘ Australia 108/5 in 24 overs: Usman Khawaja survives again! This time, wicketkeeper Tom Latham goes flying to his left after James Neesham induces an outside edge but can't hold on to an extremely tough chance. Three singles in the over, but it could easily have been six down for Australia!
◘ Australia 105/5 in 23 overs: Eight runs off Mitchell Santner's second over, which is not short of action! A big appeal for lbw against Alex Carey but New Zealand chooses to not review the 'not out' decision, Carey then responds with a reverse sweep for four behind square on the offside off a full delivery from Mitchell Santner. Thrill-a-minute stuff, this! James Neesham continues.
◘ Australia 97/5 in 22 overs: Alex Carey opens his account with a cover drive for four off James Neesham but that's after Neesham produce another magic moment for New Zealand to remove Glenn Maxwell and rip out the heart of the Australian batting line-up. Mitchell Santner on for his second over.
◘ WICKET! Individual brilliance from James Neesham reduces Australia to 92 for five! Glenn Maxwell toe-ends his attempted pull and Neesham takes a one-handed catch on his followthrough. Alex Carey is the new batsman in.
◘ Australia 92/4 in 21 overs: An expensive over to begin with for Mitchell Santner. Usman Khawaja cuts him for a four square of the wicket on the offside before Santner concedes five wides and the over ends with 1 leg bye, again Santner straying onto the pads of the right-hander, Glenn Maxwell. James Neesham continues.
◘ Australia 81/4 in 20 overs: WICKET! James Neesham is wayward for the first five balls of the over but bowls an absolute peach - a leg-cutter, it is - on the final ball and gets the wicket of Marcus Stoinis! The ball pitches on fifth stump, Stoinis reaches out to defend and gets an edge through to Tom Latham. Earlier in the over, Usman Khawaja walked across the stumps thrice to try and whip the ball through midwicket but wasn't successful and was nearly bowled round his legs. Mitchell Santner's into the attack.
◘ Australia 77/3 in 19 overs: Four singles off Ish Sodhi's over. Usman Khawaja and Marcus Stoinis are not quite picking Sodhi's googly but are otherwise comfortable against the leg-break bowler. Sodhi is looking for a bit of drift but he has to get his line right to pose more problems for the Australian batsmen.
◘ Australia 73/3 in 18 overs: A good first over from James Neesham, bowls full and draws the batsman forward. Usman Khawaja plays a couple of crisp drives off the front foot, but he's unable to get the ball past Kane Williamson at mid-off. Ish Sodhi continues.
◘ Australia 72/3 in 17 overs: Ish Sodhi is finding his rhythm. He confounds Marcus Stoinis with a googly and hits the right-hander on the pads but it hits him high and it's only half a appeal. Four runs off the over, but it was a probing over from Sodhi's perspective. James Neesham's into the attack, replacing Lockie Ferguson.
◘ Australia 68/3 in 16 overs: Another action-packed Lockie Ferguson over, which produces just one run. Marcus Stoinis is lucky to not be walking back after another uppish drive drops just short of Kane Williamson at mid-off. That's followed by a short ball that Stoinis sways out of the way to and Ferguson rounds off the over with a yorker that's also kept out.
◘ Australia 67/3 in 15 overs: Marcus Stoinis is living dangerously. He lofts Ish Sodhi over mid-on but it was only just over a leaping Kane Williamson. The four is followed by a couple of singles in the over. Lockie Ferguson continues.
◘ Australia 61/3 in 14 overs: Six runs off Lockie Ferguson's third over, which was not short of action. Marcus Stoinis drives on the up for a four to the point boundary but Ferguson responds with an effort ball that gets big on Stoinis, making him fend and the ball flies just over the fielder at slip. Reprieved! Ferguson rounds off the over with another short ball, this time to Khawaja.
◘ Australia 55/3 in 13 overs: Five singles off Ish Sodhi's first over. Usman Khawaja and Marcus Stoinis put the ball into the gaps on the field with the field spread out a bit. Lockie Ferguson continues. Can he make it 3 in 3?
◘ Australia 50/3 in 12 overs: A wicket and five runs off Lockie Ferguson's second over. Steve Smith falls to the trap of trying to hook a short ball at the armpit with a fielder stationed at leg gully! That was an absolute ripper from Martin Guptill, though, to hold on with just one hand. Marcus Stoinis opens his account with a four, but Australia is in trouble. Ish Sodhi comes into the attack, replaces Trent Boult from the Pavilion End.
◘ WICKET! Lockie Ferguson strikes again. New Zealand has a leg gully (Martin Guptill) for Steve Smith and Ferguson bowls short and into the armpit of Smith, who goes for the hook and times it quite nicely, but Guptill sticks out his left hand and hangs on! WHAT A CATCH! Gone for 5, Marcus Stoinis is the new batsman in.
◘ Australia 45/2 in 11 overs: Wickets are the order of the day for New Zealand. The bowlers and captain Kane Williamson have been proactive so far. Steve Smith drives an over-pitched delivery from Trent Boult from round the wicket for three through the vacant mid-on region, while the over yields two more runs. Lockie Ferguson continues.
◘ Australia 40/2 in 10 overs: A wicket and just two runs off Lockie Ferguson's first over. Gets the in-form David Warner for 16 before disconcerting Steve Smith with length deliveries that are bouncing awkwardly. Trent Boult continues.
◘ WICKET! Lockie Ferguson strikes with the first ball of his spell. No loosener this, hits the pitch hard from over the wicket, gets the ball to bounce awkwardly and induces a faint edge with David Warner trying to leave the ball. Gone for 16, Steve Smith joins Usman Khawaja.
◘ Australia 38/1 in 9 overs: An expensive over from Trent Boult, who's punished for his lack of discipline in line and length. Usman Khawaja helps himself to his first four with a flick off the pads, getting it past short fine leg for a four before a misfield at mid-off gifts him a couple. Lockie Ferguson comes into the attack
◘ Australia 30/1 in 8 overs: David Warner is getting into his groove here. He drives a half-volley on off-stump for a four down the ground and plays out the rest of the over with little fuss. Five runs off it, Trent Boult continues
◘ Australia 25/1 in 7 overs: Six runs off the over, but Trent Boult was close to taking the wicket of David Warner. A length ball kicks off the surface and Warner is surprised by the bounce but opens his face and guides the ball over point for a couple. Two balls later, Boult drops it short and again, the ball doesn't quite come on but Warner delays his pull and gets it past the fielder at midwicket for a four. Remember, this is the same pitch that was used for the match between Australia and England, so it's on the slower side. Colin de Grandhomme continues.
◘ Australia 19/1 in 6 overs: An excellent over from Colin de Grandhomme, goes for 3 runs but nearly had Usman Khawaja caught behind! He bowls full and on off-stump, goes past the outside edge with the fourth ball of the ball. Bowls a straight-ish line to finish the over and Khawaja flicks the ball and the man at deep square leg makes tremendous ground and prevents the ball from hitting the boundary cushion. Trent Boult continues.
◘ Australia 16/1 in 5 overs: New Zealand has the early wicket it would have wanted! Bowling spearhead Trent Boult delivers the breakthrough, sends back in-form Finch for just 8. Usman Khawaja walks in and is lured into a drive, gets a thick outside edge, ball flies low to the right of Guptill at second slip and he drops it. Gets two hands to the ball but can't hold on. Huge reprieve!
◘ WICKET! Trent Boult gets one to straighten from over the wicket and Aaron Finch is hit on the pads, playing across the line! According to the ball tracker, the ball's crashing into off-stump, gone for 8. Usman Khawaja is the new batsman in.
◘ Australia 11/0 in 4 overs: A couple of singles and a leg bye off the over. Colin de Grandhomme gets a lot straight and goes stump to stump this over. David Warner missed the opportunity to punish the one over-pitched delivery in the over, picking out extra-cover with a firm drive. Trent Boult continues.
◘ Australia 8/0 in 3 overs: Trent Boult strays onto the pads of Aaron Finch and David Warner, the latter dispatches him for a four to shorter square boundary, Finch picks up a couple. Some good work on the boundary to save two runs for New Zealand. Colin de Grandhomme continues
◘ Australia 0/0 in 2 overs: Back-to-back maiden overs! Colin de Grandhomme bowls full and just outside off-stump to Aaron Finch, with Martin Guptill at extra-cover. Finch goes for an expansive drive on the third ball and it flies to the right of Guptill, who sticks out his right hand but it doesn't stick! Good start from the New Zealand bowlers, the line and length has been precise. The pitch sports a good covering of grass and the bowlers have gotten some movement already.
◘ Australia 0/0 in 1 over: A maiden to start with from Trent Boult. All six deliveries are on and around off-stump to David Warner, induces the outside edge off the last ball, but it doesn't carry to the slips. Kane Williamson has three slips in place. Colin de Grandhomme to bowl from the Nursery End!
◘ No surprises with who are opening the proceedings for the two teams: Aaron Finch and David Warner open the batting for Australia, while Trent Boult will bowl the first over, from the Pavilion End at Lord's. Warner's on strike, here we go!
◘ The teams are walking out for the national anthem and the start of play is just seven minutes away.
So, Australia is unchanged from the victory over England, while New Zealand has made two changes: Ish Sodhi has come in for Matt Henry and Henry Nicholls has replaced Colin Munro at the top of the order.
TOSS UPDATE: Australia captain Aaron Finch has won the toss and he has opted to bat first. He says he expects the first hour to be testing. Kane Williamson says he'd have batted first as well had he won the toss.
A lot's happening in the middle at Lord's already!
We'll have the toss in 35 minutes. The previous two matches at Lord's were won by the teams batting first, but this is a day-night match and the decision of the captain winning the toss will be a point of interest.
Australia has booked its place in the semifinals but it still has plenty to play for, particularly with its final league position still undecided. New Zealand, which has 11 points and dropped to third on the table after the loss to Pakistan and India beat West Indies in Manchester on Thursday, can secure its place in the semifinal but also go above Australia. New Zealand's openers, Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, have faltered in consecutive matches and we might see Henry Nicholls replace Munro. The rest of its line-up pretty much picks itself. Australia will look to not affect the balance of the side should it contemplate changes to the playing XI. Shane Warne was vocal on Twitter over Steve Smith's batting position for the match against England. The second-highest wicket-taker in Tests wants to see the former captain bat at No. 3 ahead of Usman Khawaja.
Here is the full preview of the Trans-Tasman rival clash
Immediately after its unbeaten run at the cricket World Cup was ended by Pakistan, New Zealand’s players were joking and laughing in their changing room.
It wasn’t that they took Pakistan lightly or failed to give their best effort. Far from it.
It was just time to enjoy the gratification of going down swinging, to accept that a better team beat them on an overcast Wednesday in Birmingham, to cop it on the chin, and look forward to the next assignment.
“A bit of a blip,” was how allrounder Jimmy Neesham described New Zealand’s first defeat in seven group matches.
“We’re not the type of team that takes losses really hard,” Neesham added. “We’ll have a couple of beers as a team and kind of talk about how that game went, and then we’ll pretty much park it, and we’ll hit our scouting in the morning pretty fresh.”
Related: Australia peaking at the right time, says Steve Waugh
The scouting report on Saturday’s opponent at Lord’s will have been impressive.
Australia is on top of everything. The Australians lead the standings, one point above the Kiwis.
It is the first and only team to have nailed down a semifinals berth. To join the defending champion in the playoff stage, the Kiwis need one point from its last two group games.
Australian paceman Mitchell Starc leads the wicket-takers list with 19, three more than anyone else. His usual new-ball partner Pat Cummins has 11. The Kiwis’ best is Lockie Ferguson with 15. Of the five bowlers to take 5-wicket hauls at the tournament, two are Australian- Starc and Jason Behrendorff, whose combined left-arm pace and guile blew away England on Tuesday at Lord’s, and stripped the home side of the No. 1 ranking in one-day international cricket.
The bowlers have successfully defended 307, 334, 381, and 285 in their last four matches, all but one after being sent in to bat first.
David Warner leads the run-scorers list with 500, only four more than his opening partner and Australia captain Aaron Finch. They are averaging 91 as a pair. They have scored five fifties each, including two centuries each.
The best Kiwi is also its captain, Kane Williamson, who has 414 runs including two centuries.
“Australia are a team we have played a lot over the last two or three years. We know how they go about the game,” Neesham said. “They’re obviously a really good team but we certainly wouldn’t prepare for them any differently than we would any other game.”
Related: Finch, bowlers lead Australia to semifinals
In stark contrast to Warner and Finch and the great platforms they are providing, New Zealand’s openers have become brittle.
After batting through to beat Sri Lanka in the opening match, Martin Guptill and Colin Munro have deteriorated. In the following matches, No. 3 batsman Williamson has been forced to come in with the new ball still practically new- Bangladesh (sixth over), Afghanistan (first over), South Africa (third over), West Indies (first over), and Pakistan (second over).
Meanwhile, waiting in the wings is Henry Nicholls, the established opener with Guptill until he hurt his left hamstring on the eve of the tournament, and fast bowler Tim Southee, who has watched his team-mates concede centuries to Carlos Brathwaite and Babar Azam in their last two matches. Nicholls and Southee have been available since the third match against Afghanistan but unable to break back into a starting XI that has been mainly winning.
Related: Behrendorff grateful to play in World Cup after England heroics
“We’ve potentially got a few guys who externally have a lot of pressure on them but, internally in our team, we believe in their ability,” Neesham said. “The nature of the game is you’re going to have lean trots here and there, but it’s all about the quality of the player.”
Australia has the luxury of resting some front-liners, but coach Justin Langer says pace pair Starc and Cummins will likely play on.
After a fairly hectic schedule, Australia has breathing room of a week between its last group games against New Zealand and South Africa. That should be enough time for some players to refresh. Worryingly for New Zealand, the Australians don’t want to take their foot off the pedal.
“We want to try and finish as high as we can building toward the final series of matches,” Starc said.
The match will be streamed live on Hotstar .
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