Travis Head’s massive hundred and game awareness at crucial moments helped Australia cancel out a stunning century from Rachin Ravindra to register a thrilling five-run win over New Zealand in their World Cup match in Dharamsala on Saturday. The destruction of Head (109 off 67 balls) and his opening partner David Warner (81 off 65 balls) during their 175-run alliance beforehand went well, with some late-order biffing as the Aussies overcame a middle-order meltdown to post 388 all- outposting, after being put into the bat.
Ravindra made a scintillating 116 off 89 balls and James Neesham a manic 39-ball 58, but the Kiwis could only manage 383 to suffer their second successive defeat in the tournament.
The two teams’ cumulative score of 771 is the highest aggregate score in a World Cup match, surpassing the 754 achieved jointly by South Africa (428) and Sri Lanka (326) in New Delhi on October 7 at the event.
With this win, Australia have eight points from six matches, just like New Zealand, and they are currently firmly entrenched at number 4.
But that position didn’t come without moments of fear. Ravindra gave them the biggest of them all with an innings that belied his young age of 23.
The left-hander doesn’t have a big frame, but what he does have is tremendous timing that allows him to send the ball miles into the stands when he needs to.
Pat Cummins will be in charge of that. Ravindra took a long ball outside the off-stump from the pacer and dragged it over the covers for a six, and it was a stunner.
His striking is also easy on the eyes – sufficient backlift and a smooth follow-through make him a good addition to the elegant left-handed club.
But apart from these technicalities, his temperament should also be patted down as Ravindra batted against a bunch of battle-hardened Australians without an iota of pressure.
The Wellington lad, who was dropped on 100 by Glenn Maxwell on his home bowling alley, also put together good stands with fellow opener Devon Conway (61), 96 with Darryl Mitchell (54) for the third wicket and 54 with Tom Latham (21) for the fourth wicket.
Ravindra reached his hundred off 77 balls with a fine six off Maxwell over deep mid-wicket. It was his second hundred at this World Cup, after the one in the tournament opener against England in Ahmedabad.
He also joined Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill and Glenn Turner as the only Kiwi batters to score two hundreds in the World Cup.
But all that ended when Ravindra gave a catch to Maxwell deep off Cummins.
Neesham did his best to take Black Caps home with a breezy fifty, but some limb-forgotten fielding by the Aussies on a dodgy HPCA Stadium outfield in the last few overs denied Kiwis a remarkable win.
Australia, especially Marnus Labuschagne, was quite exceptional at that stage and even had to play with five field players in the final due to a slow overrate.
But they mustered every ounce of experience and athleticism to come out on the right side of the outcome.
Earlier, Head, who replaced Cameron Green in the playing 11, and Warner amassed 175 runs in just 19.1 overs.
Head was too aggressive in his partnership with Warner and took on New Zealand bowlers with disdain, and it was difficult to imagine that this was actually his first match of the tournament.
The left-hander replaced Mitchell Marsh, who came in at number 3, on pole position and ensured Australia never really felt the absence of the great ‘Bison’.
Fortune also favored Head as he cruised to his fourth ODI hundred. The header was dropped by Mitchell Santner off his own bowling when the batsman was on 70.
Five runs later, Glenn Phillips at covers let the ball whiz through his hands as Head spinner Ravindra tried to clatter.
But those blips apart, Head and Warner were super slick, pulling, cutting and driving at will to run down the field.
But the Kiwis bowlers, normally a frugal unit under Trent Boult, could not hit the right lines and their fielders were also butter-fingered, dropping five catches.
New Zealand were also not helped by the absence of pacer Lockie Ferguson, who conceded 38 runs in three overs as he left the field with pain in his right Achilles tendon.
The two left-handers exploited these mistakes and bits of fortune to the utmost. In fact, Warner reached his fifty in 28 balls and Head reached his half-century in 25 balls.
With the openers in overdrive, 118 runs flowed in the first Power Play, which featured a total of 10 sixes: six from Warner and four from Head.
But the breaks came after Warner’s dismissal, caught by spinner Phillips off his own bowling alley. The spin trio Phillips, Santner and Ravindra suppressed the Australian middle order.
Phillips cleared Head with a faster one, while Marsh, Steve Smith and Labuschagne also fell prey to the gang of slow men as the Aussies lost four wickets for 74 runs in the period.
Australia needed some momentum at 274 for five, and Maxwell (41 off 24 balls), Josh Inglis (38 off 28 balls) and captain Cummins (37 off 14 balls) provided that.
Maxwell and Inglis made 62 runs between 44.4 and 47th, which ultimately proved the difference. But only by ordinary.
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