Cricket: It's heartbreak at the death

Andrew Symonds celebrates the dismissal of Scott Styris in Sydney last night. Picture / Reuters

New Zealand were beaten but unbowed last night after their tailenders almost snatched an outrageous win in the second limited-over international against Australia.

Eventually dismissed 17 runs short of the target, New Zealand brought a dying game back to life after some scintillating hitting from No 10 batsman Kyle Mills and a brave last stand from the injured Chris Harris, who is returning home with a shoulder injury.

The side tipped to challenge Australia as the No 1 one-day side in the world lived up to their billing at the Sydney Cricket Ground, launching an exhilarating rearguard that reversed the momentum of the game.

Only a cool head from seasoned paceman Glenn McGrath thwarted the bid. Last-man Harris was defeated in the 48th over as Australia levelled the best-of-three series 1-1 to set up a decider in Brisbane tomorow night.

Chasing what would have been a ground-record winning score of 262, New Zealand were eventually dismissed for 244 in 47.1 overs, but not until after Mills had crashed an unbeaten 44 off 26 balls, including four consecutive sixes, two each off Darren Lehmann and Brad Hogg.

He and Daniel Vettori added 70 for the ninth wicket, a New Zealand record against allcomers, eclipsing the 63 posted by Richard Hadlee and Gary Troup against England at Brisbane in 1982-83.

Harris, who didn't seem likely to bat as New Zealand fell off the pace early in the innings, came to the wicket with a runner after Vettori's loss, but his brave attempt to stay with Mills was quickly undone by McGrath's accuracy.

Playing in his 250th one-day international, Harris led his team-mates onto the SCG and would have almost certainly played a role with the ball had he not landed awkwardly on his right shoulder while diving to make a save.

The popular Cantabrian will return home as soon as possible to have his injury assessed in Christchurch, but there are already suggestions that he might be forced out of the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, or perhaps even the rest of the season.

New Zealand looked out of the game when they slumped to 86 for six, and it was only the late rally from Chris Cairns and Brendon McCullum that breathed a degree of life back into the chase, the pair adding 68 for the seventh wicket.

Cairns was particularly destructive, slapping Hogg into the Noble stand to move to eight and later repeating the dose on Lehmann, speeding to his 50 off 39 balls, including four fours and a brace of sixes.

Unable to make a meaningful contribution with the bat at Melbourne, Cairns compensated in part by unleashing some scintillating strokes, but eventually holed out off Jason Gillespie in the 35th over, at which stage New Zealand seemed gone.

Having won the toss and chosen to bat first, Australia again put the New Zealand pace attack to the sword at the start of the game, Mills, Jacob Oram and Cairns being pasted all over the park as Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden frolicked along at more than eight an over.

The only real consolation involved Mills, who rebounded from a horror start to send back Ricky Ponting with a slower ball and begin a collapse that would account for four Australian wickets in the space of nine balls.

Charged with the salvage operation were Lehmann (52) and Hogg (41 not out), who combined to add 74 for the seventh wicket and push their team's total towards the bounds of respectability.

Hogg, with three wickets, emerged as the man-of-the-match, his late contribution with the bat ensuring New Zealand would face a tough chase, and his dismissal of Stephen Fleming and Oram proving pivotal breakthroughs for the hosts.

AUSTRALIA

A. Gilchrist c Astle b Styris 60

M. Hayden run out 43

R. Ponting c Fleming b Mills 32

D. Martyn lbw b Mills 5

A. Symonds lbw b Vettori 0

D. Lehmann run out 52

M. Clarke c McCullum b Cairns 6

B. Hogg not out 41

B. Lee not out 10

Extras (2lb, 2w, 8nb) 12--

Total (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 261

Fall: 1/86 (Gilchrist), 2/140 (Ponting), 3/147 (Hayden), 4/148 (Martyn), 5/148 (Symonds), 6/161 (Clarke), 7/235 (Lehmann).

Bowling: K. Mills 10-0-49-2 (3nb, 1w), J. Oram 10-0-77-0 (3nb), C. Cairns 10-0-60-1 (2nb), S. Styris 10-0-37-1, D. Vettori 10-1-36-1 (1w).

NEW ZEALAND

S. Fleming lbw b Hogg 34

N. Astle c Gilchrist b Lee 11

M. Sinclair c Hayden b Gillespie 17

S. Styris lbw b Symonds 5

H. Marshall b Lee 9

J. Oram lbw b Hogg 2

C. Cairns c McGrath b Gillespie 50

B. McCullum lbw b Hogg 21

D. Vettori run out 33

K. Mills not out 44

C. Harris b McGrath 4

Extras (5lb, 6w, 3nb) 14--

Total (47.1 overs) 244

Fall: 1/27 (Astle), 2/63 (Sinclair), 3/68 (Styris), 4/78 (Fleming), 5/84 (Oram), 6/86 (Marshall), 7/154 (Cairns), 8/166 (McCullum), 9/236 (Vettori).

Bowling: B. Lee 9-0-48-2 (3nb, 4w), G. McGrath 7.1-0-27-1, J. Gillespie 10-1-41-2 (2w), A. Symonds 10-1-47-1, B. Hogg 8-0-45-3, D. Lehmann 3-0-31-0.