Guptill hits critics for six
The Black Caps have taken a 2-0 series lead against Australia after a superb innings by Martin Guptill was enough to get them home despite a second-innings fightback from the visitors’ Marcus Stoinis.
Guptill smashed 97 runs in a brutal innings in front of more than 5000 at University of Otago Oval in Dunedin yesterday, vindicating his selection despite some patchy recent form.
‘‘The beauty about cricket is that it doesn’t matter about what’s happened in the past,’’ Guptill said after his innings off 62 balls, sprinkled with right sixes and six fours.
‘‘You move forward. You go on. I was lucky enough to spend a bit of time at the wicket today and get a few runs, but having Kane [Williamson] out there in that partnership really set the game up for us.
‘‘I’m looking forward to hopefully going 3-0 up in Wellington.’’
The Black Caps set Australia a target of 220 and then hung on as Stoinis threatened to chase them down with some lusty hitting, with Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult and final-ball closer Jimmy Neesham producing key contributions with the ball.
Guptill also paid tribute to the Black Caps ‘‘clutch’’ bowlers for sealing the nerve-jangling victory.
‘‘Our guys held their nerve,’’ he said.
‘‘Tim [Southee] and Trent’s last overs were really clutch, and they bowled fantastically to keep Australia at bay.’’
Neesham was also powerful with the bat and some sharp work in the field almost captured Australian captain Aaron Finch early in the chase, but new IPL millionaire Kyle Jamieson experienced contrasting fortunes and was taken for 31 runs in his first two overs.
Tim Southee got the first wicket, teasing a mistimed shot from Matthew Wade in the third over, but the visitors raced to 50 after five overs.
The momentum shifted when spin was introduced and Glenn Phillips took a good catch in the deep to remove Finch off Ish Sodhi’s bowling in the eighth over.
Sodhi then took a wonderful catch to get rid of Glenn Maxwell off Santner’s bowling, reducing the Australians to 87-3, and Santner then captured the wicket of Josh Philippe.
Santner, in his 50th T20 international, couldn’t be kept out of the action, taking two more wickets – Ashton Agar and Mitch Marsh – with his last two balls to finish with superb figures of 4-31.
But the danger was far from over, and it came in the shape of Stoinis.
The powerful right-hander blasted a half-century in just 22 balls, smashing new IPL millionaire Jamieson to all parts of the ground, and at 185-6 the Black Caps were suddenly under pressure with three overs left.
Experienced paceman Boult delivered an over with the control and accuracy that had been missing, and the six runs conceded steadied the ship for the Black Caps.
But Stoinis wasn’t finished yet, and the Australians took 14 runs off Southee to need just 15 runs from the final over.
Up stepped Neesham. The allrounder grabbed the wicket of Daniel Sams with his first ball and then delivered again with the crucial wicket of Stoinis as he attempted another six but was caught by Southee for 78. It was finally game over, with the Black Caps securing a four-run win.
Williamson reached his halfcentury with Guptill on 97, but the opener’s hopes of making his ton were dashed as he was caught at long off from the bowling of Sams.
The series now shifts to Wellington, where the teams play next Wednesday, Australia needing to win to keep the series alive.