Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Mitchell Marsh and player of the tournament David Warner scored half-centuries as Australia clinched their maiden Cricket T20 World Cup with an eight-wicket win over New Zealand in the final on Sunday.
New Zealand scored 172-4 after losing the crucial toss.
Captain Kane Williamson, 21, went ahead with 85 off 48 balls, but his side was overtaken by Josh Hazlewood, who finished with impressive figures of 3-16 in four overs.
Marsh, who hit pacer Adam Milne for a six to face the first ball, scored an unbeaten 77 off 50 balls and Warner scored 53 off 38, helping Australia reach 173-2 in 18.5 overs. The win also ensured that Australia retain their unbeaten record against the Black Caps in knockout games since 1981.
“It’s a big deal, to be the first Australia team to do so, proud of how people went about this campaign,” said Australian captain Aaron Finch. “Can’t believe people wrote him (Warner) a couple weeks ago, it was almost like hitting a bear, (and Mitch Marsh), what a way to start, put pressure from the start.”
Marsh and Warner powered Australia’s solid run-chase with a 92-run second wicket stand, coming together at 15-1, with Marsh and Glenn Maxwell (28 not out) taking another solid to take Australia home. Fifty partnership.
Earlier, Hazlewood grabbed the crucial wicket of in-form Daryl Mitchell (11) in an impressive three-over spell of the Powerplay with a superb slow delivery as the Black Caps crawled 57-1 to the halfway point of their innings.
But Williamson, dropped at fine leg by Hazlewood, fell loose against pacer Mitchell Starc, who returned 0-60 – the most expensive figures in a T20 World Cup final.
Williamson hit seven of his 10 fours against Starc and hit the left-arm pacer for one of his three sixes. Hazlewood bounced back in the 18th over and got both Glenn Phillips (18) and Williamson caught in the deep within four balls.
Australia had successfully chased down a target of 177 against Pakistan in the semi-final match in Dubai, and a dry pitch made things easy for the likes of Marsh and Warner.
Despite a short delivery from Finch (5) Trent Boult (2-18) at deep mid-wicket, both the batsmen guided the New Zealand pacers on a dry wicket.
New Zealand’s Ish Sodhi’s hopes of striking in the middle overs did not work as both Marsh and Warner dominated the legspinner, who conceded 40 runs in their three overs.
Boult came back and clean bowled Warner, but it was a night to forget when he could not catch a return catch off his last ball of the spell and Australia needed just 15 runs to win off 19 balls.
New Zealand’s total of 172 runs was the same which they had successfully defended in the group game against Scotland at the same ground earlier this month. The other 12 matches in the tournament at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium were won by other batting teams.
“They (Australia) are a fantastic side, had a great campaign and came out and turned it on,” said Williamson, whose team beat England by five wickets in the semi-finals. “They didn’t give us an inch of credit for the way Australia chased him. Didn’t have to be today, but we’re proud of the way we’ve worked… there are only two possible outcomes, a shame we couldn’t get things done. ,
New Zealand players have yet to win a title in either of the ICC’s white-ball World Cups.
In 2019, New Zealand and England met in the final of the 50-over World Cup at Lord’s. No team had ever won the trophy. The final ended in an unprecedented tie, and the result could not be decided after a tiebreaker – a so-called Super Over. England were awarded the title on boundary count.