Twitter Hails Steven Smith's Match Winning Effort Against New Zealand At The SCG 1
Steven Smith of Australia.

What a night it was for the Australia captain Steven Smith, who first smashed a record breaking 164 and then took a blinder to inspire Australia to a 68-run win over New Zealand in the first One Day International of Chappell-Hadlee series at Sydney.

Opting to bat first, Australia got off to a poor start, losing four wickets under 100 runs. It was Smith, who took charge to sail his side out of danger. The right-handed batsman notched up his seventh ODI ton and later registered the highest individual score (164) at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Well assisted by Travis Head and Matthew Wade on the other hand, the host put up 325 runs on the board.

In reply, it was Martin Guptill, who was making some fans out there after skipper Kane Williamson and Tom Latham got out early on. Whacking few big ones, Guptill was timing the ball like never before. Before the momentum could shift the visitors way, Smith came into the fray and took a blinder to dismiss Jimmy Neesham on 34. Continuing to find gaps, Guptill brought up his 11th limited-over century in no time. His celebrations was though cut short by Adam Zampa.

Martin Guptill raise his bat after scoring a century against Australia in the first ODI of Chappell-Hadlee series.
Martin Guptill raises his bat after scoring a century against Australia in the first ODI of Chappell-Hadlee series.

Late cameos from Colin Munro and Matt Henry did some damage but wasn’t enough to seal the victory as the hosts took one-nil lead in three match series.

The social media on the other hand heaped some praise for the captain for his match winning efforts on the ground. Apart from the win, there were a few surprises too. Here are few of the reactions.

Gautam Sodhi

I am more than just a cricket lover. I have been breathing this game since I was three, and now I am making a living out of it. Also, FC Barcelona happens to be my second love, and evidently, I prefer...