Australian team outplayed New Zealand by five runs in a nail-biting thriller of the ongoing 2023 World Cup clash in Dharamshala on Saturday.  While chasing 389, New Zealand had a flying start with openers Devon Conway and Will Young showing good shot selection. Conway and Young however got dismissed for 28 and 32 respectively but then Rachin Ravindra revived the innings for the Black Caps with a brilliant century. He ended up smashing 116 runs for 89 balls. 19 runs were required in the final over with James Neesham looking to win the game for New Zealand but was snared in the second last ball. New Zealand scored 383/9 in 50 overs.

Earlier, it was David Warner and Travis Head who led a brutal attack, helping their team to pile up a huge 388 on the board after being invited to bat first by New Zealand. The pair only dealt in fours and sixes and collected 118/0 at the end of 1st powerplay. Both the batters went on to complete their respective fifties with Head taking only 25 balls to reach the feat. Warner on the other hand took 28 balls to do the same with the pair adding 175 runs for the opening stand before Glenn Phillips got rid of Warner for 81(65). He also followed up by cleaning up Head for 109(67).

A late blitz by Glenn Maxwell ensured Australia’s huge total as he scored 41 runs in just 24 balls. Inglish also played a useful hand of 38(28), while Cummins hammered 37 in just 14 balls. For New Zealand, Trent Boult and Glenn Phillips picked up three wickets each while Santner scalped two wickets.

Previously, the duo of Devon Conway and Will Young went on to add 61 runs in 7.2 overs before Josh Hazlewood got the better of Conway. Soon after a breakthrough,  Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra took the onus and kept New Zealand intact in the run chase. Mitchell added 96 runs for the third wicket with Ravindra before getting dismissed by Zampa for 54(51).

Ravindra then went on to add another 50-plus stand alongside Tom Latham but Zampa once again chipped in with a wicket and broke New Zealand’s momentum by removing the Kiwi captain for 21(22). Adam Zampa ended the game with three scalps while Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins two wickets each for Australia.