Australia saved by rain in Champions Trophy
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND — Rain came to the rescue for Australia as its Champions Trophy match against New Zealand was frustratingly abandoned as a no result at Edgbaston on Friday.
Set a victory target of 235 off 33 overs, the world champion was struggling at 53-3 after nine overs when the players went off the field for a third rain delay of the match.
They did not come back on and both teams collected a point in Group A.
The Australians can consider themselves fortunate as they were behind the run rate and lost explosive openers David Warner (18) and Aaron Finch (8), as well as Moises Henriques (18).
Earlier, Kane Williamson’s assured knock of exactly 100, after Luke Ronchi’s 65 off 43 balls against the country he once represented, helped New Zealand post a competitive total of 291 all out in 45 overs.
The innings was interrupted early on by a rain delay of nearly two hours, before the showers arrived as soon as paceman Josh Hazlewood skittled out the bottom order with three wickets in four balls in what proved to be the final over.
Hazlewood had career-best figures of 6-52 off nine overs, and the second best figures in trophy history.
The group game between the transTasman rivals at Edgbaston in the 2013 Champions Trophy was washed out, too. Neither country reached the semifinals that year.
England beat Bangladesh by eight wickets in Group A on Thursday and is top on two points.