A day on from being a chance to win back the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy by rain, the Black Caps have fallen to a 2-0 series defeat to Australia, losing by three wickets at Mount Maunganui’s Bay Oval.
Hoping to level the three-match series at 1-1 after a 13-ball washout 24 hours earlier, the New Zealand batting unit again failed to set a total to challenge their Australian counterparts, who ticked off their target in the 18th over.
The Black Caps’ attack, led by Jimmy Neesham’s 4/26 in his first appearance of the series, could only watch as Australian captain Mitchell Marsh hammered an unbeaten 103 to guide his side to victory.
Even as his partners departed around him, Marsh hammered eight boundaries and seven sixes in a mature display to ensure Australia will depart Kiwi soil undefeated.
The Kiwi bowlers had done well to even keep New Zealand in the contest, but ultimately didn’t have enough runs to defend when push came to shove.
Having lost the toss and been asked to bat, the Black Caps made just 156/9 from their 20 overs, with their innings made up of 51% dot balls.
Tim Seifert stood tallest of the Kiwi batters with 48 from 35 balls. However, when taking away his five fours and three sixes, that score reads 10 runs from 27 balls.
That was symptomatic of New Zealand’s innings. While game one saw them fail to find the boundary, game three saw them struggle to rotate the strike. The innings’ highest partnership was just 39 runs, between Michael Bracewell (26) and Neesham (25).
As was the case in the series opener, the Black Caps lost a wicket inside the first over, when Devon Conway (0) was caught at mid-off by Marsh off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood (2/26).
After a short rain break, game one hero Tim Robinson went for 13 to give Hazlewood his second when he was caught behind by Alex Carey, while Mark man came and went for four, courtesy of a stunning catch from Tim David running backwards at mid-on off Sean Abbott (3/25).
With wickets falling around him, Seifert pressed on – also losing Daryl Mitchell for nine when he was caught behind off Marcus Stoinis’ (1/43) first delivery – as New Zealand crawled to 77/4 at the halfway stage.
Looking to accelerate the innings, Seifert fell within touching distance of his 50, when he scooped Xavier Bartlett (2/25) to Travis Head at short third man at 99/5.
Batting at No 7, and having limped to just three runs from his first seven balls, Neesham kickstarted his innings with a top-edged six over fine leg, before finding the middle of his bat to send Stoinis over midwicket, in taking the allrounder’s third over for 17 runs.
On 20, Neesham survived an LBW shout from Abbott, which Australia were unable to review after burning both of their umpire challenges earlier in the innings. He couldn’t make the most of that life, though, and holed out to deep midwicket for 25 off Bartlett in the next over.
That wicket left New Zealand with just Bracewell left as a recognised batter. But when he hit Adam Zampa (1/30) straight to long-off, caught by Matt Short for 26, any hope of a defendable total for the Black Caps went with him.
From there, at 144/7 when Bracewell went, Ish Sodhi at the very least took the score past 150 by pulling Marcus Stoinis over deep square leg in the final over, as the Black Caps finished at 156/9.
But against an Australian unit that bats down to No 8, a target of 157 was going to require something special to defend.
For the second time in two days, Jacob Duffy removed Head – this time bowling the Australian opener for eight.
Ben Sears’ first ball was sent over long-on by Marsh, before his fourth ball went over cover to raise Australia’s 50 in only 34 deliveries, as New Zealand’s fastest bowler’s first six balls yielded 21 runs.
At the end of the power play, Australia were 62/1, and needed 95 runs from 84 balls to take the series. Neesham’s introduction saw the end of Short for seven, when he was caught at deep midwicket by Chapman.
Back-to-back sixes off Sodhi saw Marsh move to a 21-ball half-century, with 46 of his first 55 runs coming in boundaries – including five sixes.
Neesham continued to keep the Black Caps in the contest, first when David gave Sears a catch at deep third man, before Carey departed when Chapman went horizontal at deep midwicket.
From 61/1, Australia wobbled to 85/4, and then 93/4 at the halfway – with Marsh unbeaten on 64 as the key. Neesham had a fourth after drinks, when Stoinis was caught at mid-off by Bracewell, leaving him on a hat-trick after the wicket of Carey in the previous over.
Mitch Owen survived the hat-trick delivery, but went to Sears when a top edge was excellently caught by Henry at point, to leave Australia 111/6, and needing 46 off the last 42 balls.
But with the game on the line, and running out of partners at the other end, Marsh stood up as Australia’s captain.
Two boundaries off Sears took Australia’s target to less than a run-a-ball, before six more over midwicket left the equation at 24 from 30 balls heading into the last five overs.
With Australia 134/6, Sodhi dropped Bartlett at mid-off off Duffy, only for Australia’s No 8 to perish next ball, when Robinson didn’t make the same mistake.
As Bracewell turned back to Neesham, Marsh moved to his highest T20 score, with six more over deep square leg, and then to 99 with a single out to deep cover.
With six needed to win, Marsh pulled two to fine leg to raise his first international century in the shortest format, before Australia completed the job to take the series 2-0.
The Black Caps will now regather, before their side to face England in three T20s is named next week.
New Zealand 156/9 (Seifert 48; Abbott 3/25)
Australia 160/7 (Marsh 103 not out; Neesham 4/26)
Australia won by three wickets