Australia’s fortunes have taken a turn for the worse ever since their loss to India in the fifth ODI at the SCG. The first ODI in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy turned out to be a sheer nightmare for the Kangaroos as they were crucified by a margin of 159 runs. But one aspect which made the defeat look much worse was the fact that the visitors were bowled out in less than 25 overs.
None of the Australian batsmen seemed like applying their minds and escaping from the clutches of the New Zealand pacers was a task just too overwhelming for the Australians. Glenn Maxwell, ever since his controversial remarks against “batsmen playing for milestones” has batted like a grade level batsman. He does not apply his mind at all in the middle and his ego of clearing the rope is surely getting the better off him. It is high time that his role is monitored by the Australian think tank before Maxwell fades away into hindsight.
Chasing 308 to win, Australia should have gone about their task in precision. But they stood absolutely no chance against a rampaging Trent Boult and Matt Henry. Steve Smith, who is often classified as a batsman parallel to the likes of Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers was all at sea in alien conditions. Australia’s innings was a mere formality as they were bowled out within 25 overs.
Earlier, New Zealand got off to a flier thanks to the opening combo of McCullum and Guptill. Guptill was named the Man of the Match for his knock of 90. Below, are the statistical highlights for the first ODI.
1. 146. Australia’s innings lasted 146 balls, their lowest in ODI’s.
2. 7. The number of Man of the Match awards won by Martin Guptill in the last one year.
3. 10th. Martin Guptill’s run out today was the 10th instance of a New Zealand batsman being run out in the 90’s.
4. 7th. Brendon McCullum became the 7th batsman to hit 25 sixes or more against Australia in ODI’s.
5. 39. The number of 50+ scores by Martin Guptill in ODI’s. He stands fourth in the list for New Zealanders. Nathan Astle tops the list with 57 50+ scores.