AUCKLAND: D’Arcy Short anchored a high-powered Australian batting order to produce the highest successful run chase in Twenty20 international cricket to beat New Zealand by five wickets in their tri-series clash at Eden Park on Friday.

Short, who started his innings with several edges and false shots that went for boundaries at the small ground, scored 76 from 44 balls as the Australians reached 245 for five with seven deliveries remaining.

The run chase eclipsed the 236 for six West Indies achieved in beating South Africa in Johannesburg in 2015.

Martin Guptill scored the fastest T20 century by a New Zealander, from 49 balls, and put on a blistering 132-run opening partnership in 10.4 overs with Colin Munro (76 from 33). Guptill went on to make 105 and take his tally of runs in T20 cricket to 2,188 the highest by any player from any country.

Short and captain David Warner (59), however, put on 121 runs in 8.3 overs to give the visitors the ideal start before Glenn Maxwell, who scored 31 from 14 balls, and Aaron Finch (36 not out) ensured they got home.

“When you’ve got a total like that and an outstanding innings [Guptill] you’ve just got to take the scoreboard out of it and back yourself and we did,” Warner said. “Don’t get caught up in the small boundaries (at Eden Park) and just keep playing natural strokes.”

The match also had its share of bizarre moments, including New Zealand batsman Mark Chapman’s dismissal, when a fizzing Billy Stanlake ball knocked off his helmet and sent it rolling into the stumps.

The umpires also ordered Black Cap seamer Ben Wheeler out of the attack after two high no-balls, with the unfortunate bowler conceding 64 runs off 3.1 overs.

Having won their previous three matches before Friday, Australia had already qualified for the final of the tri-series, that also includes England, at the same ground on Feb. 21.

New Zealand had been strong favourites to join them in the final at the innings break after Guptill and Munro scored at more than 12 runs an over, exploiting the short boundaries down the ground.

Munro hit Andrew Tye for three successive sixes off the first three balls of the 11th over but was then undone by a cleverly-disguised slower delivery on the next and was caught at wide long on by Maxwell.

Guptill then picked up where Munro had left off, reaching his second Twenty20 international century in 49 deliveries before Tye had him caught by Maxwell at deep midwicket to leave the hosts 212 for three in the 17th over.

Australia then dragged the New Zealand innings back with three wickets for four runs in six deliveries. Ross Taylor hit two sixes in an 18-run final over from Tye to propel New Zealand to their equal-highest T20 score.

Warner and Short ensured Australia began at a pace even greater than New Zealand’s, taking 11 runs from the first over and reaching their 50 partnership from only 24 balls.

“It’s definitely the biggest run chase I’ve been involved,” Short said. “We had the firepower to do it, we knew that and we knew we had to go out hard and get us off to a flier.”

Warner’s half century came off just 20 balls before spinner Ish Sodhi bowled the Australian captain on 59.

His departure did not slow down Short, who guided Australia towards victory in a vital partnership with Maxwell.

Short was out with the total at 217-4 with 3.2 overs remaining. The match seemed in the balance but Finch guided Australia home.

New Zealand’s bowlers produced a nervy display that did not help their cause, conceding 18 wides.

But captain Kane Williamson refused to be too critical of his attack after a run-fest that featured 32 sixes over both innings.

He said such a high-scoring game was bound to happen at Eden Park when conditions were right and there was little his players could do to stem the flow of boundaries.

“Even at times when we did execute things, [the ball] would go 20 rows back [into the stands] and that makes things quite tough,” he said.

New Zealand face England in Hamilton on Sunday, with the hosts holding the advantage having won their game in Wellington on Tuesday by 12 runs.

Scoreboard

NEW ZEALAND:

M. Guptill c Maxwell b Tye 105
C. Munro c Maxwell b Tye 76
T. Seifert c Finch b Agar 12
M. Chapman hit wicket b Stanlake 16
C. de Grandhomme b Richardson 3
R. Taylor not out 17
K. Williamson c Tye b Richardson 1
B. Wheeler not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-3, NB-1, W-8) 12

TOTAL (for six wkts; 20 overs) 243

FALL OF WKTS: 1-132, 2-155, 3-212, 4-220, 5-222, 6-224.

DID NOT BAT: T. Southee, T. Boult, I. Sodhi.

BOWLING: Richardson 4-0-40-2 (2w), Stanlake 4-0-43-1 (1w), Tye 4-0-64-2 (4w), Stoinis 4-0-50-0 (1w,1nb), Agar 3-0-24-1, Short 1-0-19-0.

AUSTRALIA:

D. Warner b Sodhi 59
D. Short c Seifert b Boult 76
C. Lynn c Guptill b de G’homme 18
G. Maxwell b Southee 31
A. Finch not out 36
M. Stoinis run out 4
A. Carey not out 1

EXTRAS (NB-2, W-18) 20

TOTAL (for five wkts; 18.5 overs) 245

FALL OF WKTS: 1-121, 2-143, 3-199, 4-217, 5-238.

DID NOT BAT: A. Agar, A. Tye, K. Richardson, B. Stanlake.

BOWLING: Boult 3.5-0-42-1 (2w), Wheeler 3.1-0-64-0 (3w), Southee 4-0-48-1 (1w), Sodhi 4-0-35-1 (1w), de Grandhomme 3.5-0-56-1 (3w).

RESULT: Australia won by five wickets.

UMPIRES: Paul Wilson (Australia) and Shaun Haig (New Zealand).

TV UMPIRE: Wayne Knights (New Zealand).

MATCH REFEREE: Javagal Srinath (India).

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2018