By Australia secured a comprehensive victory in the rain-affected third T20I in Auckland, marking their 100th win in the format and completing a clean sweep of the series against New Zealand. Despite multiple interruptions, Australia batted aggressively, setting a challenging target for the hosts.
Winning the toss, New Zealand’s captain, Mitchell Santner, chose to bowl first, hoping to restrict Australia. However, his bowlers struggled, leaking runs in the powerplay, allowing Australia to score quickly. New Zealand’s fielding was also below par, with several dropped catches adding to their woes.
Matthew Wade, leading in the absence of Mitchell Marsh, and Travis Head attacked from the start, with Head hitting three consecutive boundaries off Trent Boult. Matthew Short joined the onslaught, hitting three sixes and a four in his quick innings. Despite a brief rain delay and a wicket for New Zealand, Glenn Maxwell’s aggressive start further boosted Australia’s score before another rain interruption ended their innings at 118/4 in 10.4 overs.
Chasing a revised target of 126 from 10 overs, New Zealand started positively, scoring 26 off the first two overs. However, Australia’s bowlers tightened the screws, restricting New Zealand’s scoring rate. Spencer Johnson’s excellent third over, including the crucial wicket of Tim Seifert, turned the tide in Australia’s favor.
Despite Glenn Phillips’ late flurry of boundaries, New Zealand fell short, managing only 98/3 in 10 overs. Australia’s bowlers, particularly Johnson, Nathan Ellis, and Adam Zampa, controlled the middle overs, ensuring a comfortable 27-run victory for Australia through the DLS method.
Brief scores: Australia 118/4 in 10.4 overs (Matthew Short 27; Mitchell Santner 1-16) beat New Zealand 98/3 in 10 overs (Glenn Phillips 40*; Spencer Johnson 1-10) by 27 runs [DLS method]
