‘Ek baar fir New Zealand ne dil jeeta’ – Fans react as Australia beat New Zealand in last-ball thriller by 5 runs in ODI World Cup clash

Fans were treated to a high-scoring thriller in Dharamsala during the 27th match of the ODI World Cup 2023, which took place on Saturday, October 28. Despite posting a massive total on the scoreboard, the Kangaroos managed to secure victory by a slim margin of just 5 runs.

Talking about the match, Australia’s explosive opening par, Travis Head and David Warner propelled their team to a formidable total of 388 runs after New Zealand opted to field first. Right from the outset, Head and Warner launched a relentless assault on the boundaries, accumulating 118/0 by the end of the initial powerplay. Both batsmen notched up rapid half-centuries, with Head reaching the milestone in just 25 balls, closely followed by Warner in 28 deliveries.

The opening pair constructed an imposing 175-run partnership before Glenn Phillips dismissed Warner for a well-compiled 81 off 65 balls. Soon after, he also removed Head, who departed after a remarkable 109 off 67 deliveries. However, Australia faced a slight setback as Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh struggled to maintain the momentum, offering New Zealand a glimmer of hope for a late resurgence.

Nonetheless, an explosive display by Maxwell once again swung the game in Australia’s favour. After Maxwell’s departure with 41 runs from 24 balls, Josh Inglis contributed 38 runs from 28 deliveries, while Pat Cummins blazed his way to 37 runs from just 14 balls, ensuring Australia concluded their innings with a commanding total.

Brilliant fightback by New Zealand batters

Chasing the target, New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Will Young started well by stitching a 61-run stand for the first wicket. However, the former found himself unlucky as he got out in the 8th over of the 2nd innings by Josh Hazlewood. The Australian pacer shone once again and dismissed Young too in his next over.

However, New Zealand’s two in-form batters Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell steadied the ship and stitched a 96-run stand for the 3rd wicket. Mitchell smashed a brilliant half-century but couldn’t convert it into a big one as he got dismissed on the score of 54 runs. 

As the required run rate started getting increased, Ravindra changed his gears and started hitting boundaries. He also completed his century off just 77 deliveries, however, he couldn’t remain at the crease till the end of the match and departed after scoring 116 runs. But the hopes were not fully ended for the Blackcaps as their star allrounder James Neesham was still at the crease.

The left-hander tried his best and took the match to the last ball but unfortunately got run out in the penultimate ball of the match due to which the Kiwi fell 5 runs short of victory which could’ve created history.

Here’s how fans reacted:

https://twitter.com/Mohdyasir6911/status/1718251057929732171