One of Brendon McCullum's fondest ODI memories was a match in Hamilton in 2007 when he helped New Zealand run down an Australian tally of 346 to complete a Chappell-Hadlee sweep. This time around McCullum's team-mates honoured him with a rousing defence of 246 at Seddon Park, ensuring their captain retired from ODI matches with the trophy in his keeping.
Steven Smith's Australian side had been happy to restrict the hosts via a collapse of six wickets for 23 after McCullum, Martin Guptill and Grant Elliott all made starts, a meagre target to defend on the small outfield of Seddon Park. However a slowing pitch and excellent spells by Doug Bracewell, Ish Sodhi, Corey Anderson and Matt Henry combined with a moment's controversy to carry New Zealand home.
The visitors were still a chance of chasing down the target when an in-form Mitchell Marsh jammed a Henry delivery back down the pitch. New Zealand appealed only half-heartedly but the umpires were moved to refer after a big screen replay showed the ball had hit boot rather than ground. Marsh was livid at his dismissal, and Australia may yet query the protocol that resulted in his exit.
Nevertheless, the night was New Zealand's, and it was an important win in the context of a tour that now moves into two Test matches. Smith's run of outs is significant for the Australians, who lost their fifth consecutive match in Darren Lehmann's absence - having recovered from DVT, he was in Wellington for the previous ODI but remained there with the Test players.
Josh Hazlewood, John Hastings, Scott Boland, Mitchell Marsh and the legspinner Adam Zampa kept New Zealand in check before making life difficult for a succession of new batsmen at the crease later in the innings. New Zealand's total was the smallest the Australians had managed to restrict an opponent to in the eight ODI matches they have played this year.
Usman Khawaja and David Warner began as if intent upon chasing the target down inside 25 overs, a flurry of boundaries and sixes providing a decidedly rapid start. However the difficulties to be tackled later were foreshadowed when Warner was out to a ball that stopped on him, the catch shovelled to cover.
Khawaja was to follow without making a match-shaping score, victim of an excellent spell by Bracewell in which the ball that dismissed him was actually one of the bowler's looser offerings. These wickets left the match in the hands of Australia's middle order, which apart from Marsh had not functioned at all this series.
Sodhi had not played until this night, but it was his excellent spell that accounted for Smith and the out of sorts Glenn Maxwell. Smith was lbw sweeping, before Maxwell threw his hands at a legbreak and was pouched at slip by McCullum, who had smartly left himself there.
Source: ESPNCICKINFO
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