Warner ton leads Australia to series win
Warner’s punishing 119 from 115-bal, backed by fiery half-centuries from Steven Smith, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh, meant Australia surged to a mammoth 378 for 5 from 50 overs.
This was the second time in two games that Australia had crossed the 300-run mark, and as was the case in the first match, where New Zealand lost by 68 runs, this time too, the visiting side found the going tough before being bowled out for 262 in 47.2 overs.
While it was Australia’s pace trio Mitchell Starc (2 for 52), Josh Hazlewood (2 for 42) and Pat Cummins (4 for 41) who applied the finishing touches to a clinical job, Australia scored its third highest ODI total to victory. And at the helm of that was Warner.
Warner smashed 14 fours and a six en route to his tenth ODI century — his third in his last five ODI innings.
Following his dismissal, Smith, the skipper, donned the role of an accumulator while Travis Head put the long handle to good use.
Head’s 57 came from 32 balls with six fours and a couple of sixes.
Smith, who had scored a career-best 164 in the previous game, fell for 72 from 76 balls.
New Zealand might have thought the worst was over then, but it had reckoned without Marsh.
Australia had scored under 250 with ten overs to go, and needed a big hitter to go past the 300-run mark. Marsh came to the party with seven sixes and two fours in a breath-taking 76 not out off just 40 balls.
New Zealand got off to a decent start but Tom Latham’s dismissal in the sixth over, and Martin Guptill’s scalp in the ninth put a dent in its run chase. The visiting side, however, recovered in fine fashion through Kane Williamson, the New Zealand skipper, and Jimmy Neesham.
The duo added 125 runs and carried New Zealand to 177 for 3 when Neesham fell for 74 from 83 balls.
Nine overs later, Williamson fell for 81 from 80 balls with five fours and two sixes.
With that wicket, New Zealand’s hopes of winning the game and levelling the series, slipped away.
The third and final ODI of the series will take pace in Melbourne on Dec 9.
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