AUCKLAND — Four years in the making, the Cricket World Cup group match between New Zealand and Australia lived up to all the hype. Not long before Australia's final wicket fell after scoring a paltry 151 runs on Saturday, Pharrell Williams' song “Happy” resonated around the ground at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand. It certainly was that kind of day — at least at that stage — for the home team. Trent Boult took five wickets and Australia lost its last nine wickets for 71 runs, and the crowd was in raptures. Two hours and two minutes later, New Zealand chased down the Australian total with just one wicket to spare, and not before some anxious moments for the 40,000-plus crowd. Pool A leader New Zealand, despite losing five late wickets for 15 runs, reached 152-9 in the 24th over to win for the fourth consecutive time in this tournament and all but clinch a place in the quarterfinals. The neighboring countries have met only rarely in One-Day Internationals in recent years. The last completed ODI between the teams was in 2011. They were due to meet at the 2013 Champions Trophy but that match was halted by rain. Boult (5-27) bowled a devastating second spell in which he took five wickets for three runs in 16 balls as Australia crashed from 80-2 in the 13th over to be all out when Brad Haddin (43) was dismissed 19 overs later. Then, Mitchell Starc took six wickets for Australia before Kane Williamson clubbed a six in an unbeaten innings of 45 to get New Zealand over the line. Australia may have been motivated by chants of “you're worse than England,” from the crowd. New Zealand beat England by eight wickets, chasing down the target in 12.2 overs after the English scored 123 runs in a match at Wellington, the New Zealand capital. Australia captain Michael Clarke made his return to the lineup after nine weeks out following hamstring surgery but was one of the many batting disappointments, scoring just 12 runs. “We backed ourselves all the way in but we fell one wicket short,” Clarke said. “But it was horrendous batting. Full credit to the Kiwis, they played outstandingly. They've been playing great cricket for a while now and we were not up to the challenge today.” Williamson, well on course to become New Zealand's finest ever batsman, demonstrated again his extraordinary composure under pressure. With Starc swinging the ball at high pace to scythe through the New Zealand batting and last man Boult at the crease, Williamson decided to take matters into his own hands. The first ball of Pat Cummins' next over was full and Williamson stepped calmly forward and struck the ball cleanly over the bowler's head and across the long-on boundary to hand New Zealand the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. “I was looking to hit a boundary,” Williamson told a news conference. “It was important to get across the line. I thought it was going to be a bit shorter. Australia made it very tough for us. Williamson and Corey Anderson (26) appeared to have made the game safe for New Zealand, when they took their team to 131 for four after wickets had fallen just before and just after the dinner break. But a poor shot from Anderson, who slogged off-spinner Glen Maxwell straight to Cummins at mid-on, sparked a New Zealand collapse against Starc's lively left-arm swing. Wickets fell swiftly and when Adams Milne and Tim Southee were bowled for ducks, Starc was on a hat trick for the second time in the match with the last pair at the crease. After a mid-wicket conference, Boult defended the fifth ball of the over carefully and left the last. It was then that Williamson decided to take matters into his own hands with the match-winning six. Williamson, who finished unbeaten on 45, praised Boult, who was chosen as the Man-of-the-Match following his first five-wicket haul after Australia had threatened to take the game away from the New Zealanders. “Trent showed that nerve,” he said. “He kept those two balls out.” “A lot of confidence is gathered from that,” added Boult. “I was pretty pumped and it was something pretty special. The most satisfying is doing it against the best side in the world.” “Trent Boult was outstanding for us, and so was Mitchell Starc for Australia,” said McCullum. “Some of the batting wasn't as good as it should have been but that can happen when you are up against high-class seam bowling.” — Agencies
