In order to complete a 2-0 series sweep and further establish their dominance over Tasman neighbours New Zealand in the format, Australia chased down 279 runs led by Alex Carey (unbeaten 98) and Mitchell Marsh (80), who shared the highest sixth-wicket partnership in a fourth innings against New Zealand. The Black Caps have only won once in the previous 31 years.
Australia faced a rare chance to lose just their second Test match against their Tasman neighbours in three decades as they entered the last day of the series down four wickets. At the beginning of the third evening’s play, they were down to 34/4, and victory was still 202 runs away. The first hour of the morning practice was swept away by ominous rain, forcing them to wait. But before long, they were bathed in both real and figurative sunlight.
With a run-a-ball score of 29 yesterday night after launching a counterattack, Mitchell Marsh was going to be their main beacon of hope. Rachin Ravindra, off the bowling of Tim Southee, slammed down his furious cut shot in the second over of the day, making him the benefactor of some Black Caps kindness this morning. Travis Head, his overnight batting companion, wasn’t as fortunate as a similar hit two balls later proved to be his undoing.
Carey was pushed to the centre by the early discharge. The keeper-bat, under pressure from Josh Inglis to maintain his spot in the side, started well, driving Southee down the ground and smashing Matt Henry past backward point for boundaries. Australia’s pursuit was notable for its ability to sustain a scoring rate above 4 (4.32 at the finish) in spite of the strain they were under.
Carey had a heartbreaking moment as Henry’s nip-backer called him out for leg foul play even though DRS appeared to have the ball rolling down leg. After he went to 37, there was another near miss. In the end, Scott Kuggeleijn’s request for a caught-behind and his captain’s use of a review were in vain. Carey and Marsh were mainly unaffected in the interval, and Southee’s attempts to switch up his four seamers and Glenn Phillips failed to contain the score. With a powerful pull shot, Marsh reached his half-century, and three overs later, Carey reached his own fifty with two boundaries off Ben Sears. The two had piled up 94 by lunchtime, and victory was only 105 runs are lost.
Play began in the second session with runs coming in a glut on the 43-over-old ball, which was much simpler to deal with. Southee was forced to revert to his pace ace in an attempt to make a breakthrough after Marsh sliced him for two boundaries. Matt Henry ended up costing New Zealand 16 runs in his opening over, with Carey luring a legside delivery for four before Marsh unleashed one of his signature pulls over deep square-leg for a six.
When Southee sent Ben Sears into the attack with the score down to 59, the rookie speedster gave New Zealand’s dwindling hopes a second wind. He broke the partnership with his second delivery, a full ball that was moving quickly and that Marsh mishandled while trying to flip. Australia was reduced to seven runs when Mitchell Starc made a straightforward catch down the mid-wicket’s neck with the very next delivery.
Abruptly, the clouds moved in, the floodlights came on, and the people gathered at Hagley Oval discovered their voice. However, Australia possessed a No. 9 with experience in similar tight spots in Cummins. The Australian captain had only just seen his team across the finish line in a similarly frantic chase during the Edgbaston Ashes Test last year. Australia’s first chase of 279 or more to be successful in nearly a decade occurred in Birmingham. After he made it through the hat-trick ball, which he edged just past second slip for four, Cummins utilised all of his expertise to the fore.
Carey persisted in making his strokes, and Australia came near thanks to a lap from Sears and two sweeping boundaries from Phillips. When the strike ended, he was two runs shy of a century and Australia need an equal amount of runs. To cap off a superb chase, Cummins struck the ball square off the wicket for a boundary.
Brief scores: Australia 256 & 281/7 (Alex Carey 98*, Mitchell Marsh 80, Pat Cummins 32*; Ben Sears 4-90) defeated New Zealand 162 & 372 by three wickets.
