Cricket World Cup: How the Australian media reacted to nail-biting win

Black Caps players Trent Boult and Kane Williamson celebrate after beating Australia at Eden Park yesterday. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The Black Caps beat Australia in a thrilling Cricket World Cup match at Eden Park yesterday. The contest went down to the wire. Kane Williamson hit the winning runs with the Black Caps having just one wicket in hand. Here's what the Australian media had to say after the game.

"Australia's Mitchell Starc nearly steals show as Black Caps taken to wire" - Chris Barrett, Sydney Morning Herald:

Michael Clarke on Saturday night savaged his team's batting as "horrendous" but hailed the performance of Mitchell Starc as genius after the left-arm quick almost pulled off an extraordinary comeback win against New Zealand.

What a game. For most of the afternoon in Auckland, Australia seemed headed for a heavy defeat, their batsmen having fallen in a heap before a packed Eden Park. They were rolled for 151 following their worst ever collapse in one-day internationals.

Starc, however, had other ideas. With a brilliant display he set up the most dramatic of finishes, spoiled only when New Zealand's Kane Williamson snuck the Kiwis home with a six to clinch the epic World Cup clash with just a wicket to spare.

Australia will fly out for Perth on Sunday disappointed to have almost certainly conceded top spot in Group A but that was not the fault of Starc.

"Stumps fly in a day of routs for Australia and New Zealand" - Greg Baum, The Age:

The misshapen ground of a thousand theoretical runs became the ground of mishaps and almost the full quota of wickets.

In a World Cup tournament in which 300 has become par, old rivals and tournament favourites New Zealand and Australia barely made that between them at Eden Park.

Kane Williamson's nerveless six from the bowling of Pat Cummins won it for the Kiwis, but the margin was so negligible that if he had missed, Australia would have won. More than 40,000 Kiwi patrons laughed and cried and finally sighed, and were in the pubs before sunset, and this freaky World Cup took another twist.

"Cricket World Cup 2015 grudge match at Auckland's Eden Park" - Ben Horne, Fox Sports:

Mitchell Starc almost spearheaded one of the most remarkable turnarounds in World Cup history, but Australia must now resurrect its campaign after New Zealand inflicted an emphatic trans-Tasman humiliation with the ball.

The Wallabies haven't beaten New Zealand at the Auckland graveyard since 1986, but on Saturday in front of 40,053 raucous Kiwis, Australia's cricketers discovered what it's like when things go all-Black as they were dismantled for just 151 in 32.2 overs.

But the most frustrating part of Australia's crippling batting collapse was that Starc's six-wicket heroics got the visitors within one wicket of an astonishing Houdini effort at Eden Park.

"Australia falls short as New Zealand clinches one-wicket win in Auckland" - Dean Bilton, ABC Grandstand Sport:

New Zealand has prevailed in one of the greatest ever World Cup matches, holding off the late surge of Australia's bowlers to win by one wicket at Eden Park.

The match was billed as one of the biggest of the tournament as the two host nations met, and although the match only lasted 55.3 overs not one person in the capacity Auckland crowd went home disappointed.

Mitchell Starc finished with excellent figures of 6 for 28 as he led Australia towards the most unlikely of wins, only to fall agonisingly short as Kane Williamson's (45) blade steered New Zealand home

"NZ rebuff Aussies in World Cup" - Peter Lalor, The Australian:

New Zealand have won one of the most extraordinary World Cup cricket games, getting home against Australia with one wicket in hand in a low-scoring thriller in Auckland where the ball dominated the bat all day.

Australia now face the real prospect of returning to Auckland if they get through to the semi-finals but at least will come knowing their bowlers can almost match the opposition's.

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