Australia broke their semi-final jinx at the Champions Trophy with a
34-run triumph over a spirited New Zealand at Mohali to enter their first
final
The Bulletin by S Rajesh01-Nov-2006
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
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Australia broke their semi-final jinx at the Champions Trophy with a
34-run triumph over a spirited New Zealand at Mohali to enter their first
final. In a game which turned out to be a lot closer than expected, New Zealand,
seemingly down and out at 35 for 6 chasing 241, fought back with an
incredible 103-run stand between Daniel Vettori and Jacob Oram. Vettori
made 79, his second-highest score in ODIs, but even his effort wasn’t
enough to make up for the shocking collapse of their top order.As has been the norm in this tournament, this pitch was another on which
run-scoring wasn’t easy. The New Zealand bowlers showed that after Stephen
Fleming won the toss, as Kyle Mills – who finished with 4 for 38 – reduced
Australia to 4 for 2 by the third over. Half-centuries by Ricky Ponting
and Andrew Symonds – both scored 58 – lifted Australia to a competitive
240, but that seemed more than sufficient when New Zealand’s top order was
blown away by Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken.Perhaps wary of the fact that this was the same pitch on which South
Africa’s bowlers bundled Pakistan out for 89, New Zealand’s approach at
the start was to play cautiously and see off the new-ball
challenge posed by Lee and McGrath. They survived five overs without
losing a wicket, then lost six in a heap as their technical deficiencies
were horribly exposed.McGrath began the slide, defeating Lou Vincent outside off like he has
done countless batsmen in his distinguished career. A peach of a delivery
from Lee – pitching just off, and ducking in at a furious pace – was far
too much for Nathan Astle to handle, while Hamish Marshall soon became
McGrath’s second victim. Fleming shaped well, then edged a drive, while
Peter Fulton and Brendon McCullum were soon swept away as well.The crowd at Mohali would have been preparing for a very early finish, but
Vettori and Oram had other ideas. Australia had an early chance to nip the
partnership, but Michael Hussey made a mess of a regulation slip catch
when Vettori was on 5. Neither batsman needed a second invitation as they
slowly got on top of the attack, as the pronounced seam movement gradually
eased. The fast bowlers, so potent at the start, suddenly looked
insipid as Oram and Vettori found the gaps at will. Oram stood tall and
clipped the ball effortlessly through the on side, while Vettori preferred
to move to leg and squeeze it through backward point and third man.The runs came thick and fast, the asking rate hovered at around six an
over, and Ponting was forced to turn to the spin of Symonds, who finally
broke the stand, turning it enough to beat Oram and have him stumped.
Vettori kept the fight going, audaciously shuffling outside off and
clipping it to leg when Ponting packed the areas square on the off side.
Even after he was bowled off the pads, Mills and Bond continued the fight,
adding 26 for the last wicket before finally succumbing.New Zealand fought hard with the bat, and they were similarly competitive
in the field earlier in the afternoon, as all the bowlers except James
Franklin gave the Australian top order plenty to ponder about. However, unlike New
Zealand’s shockingly brittle top order, Australia had the class to combat
the conditions.
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After their openers left early, the rest of the batsmen all contributed
crucial knocks, with Ponting and Symonds leading the way. The key was
regular partnerships – the third, fourth and fifth wickets put together
66, 54 and 65, ensuring that New Zealand never had the luxury of bowling
to two new batsmen during the middle overs.Ponting and Damien Martyn – whose innings of 26 was worth a lot more –
started the recovery process. The early part of his knock was patchy, but
once Ponting got into his stride the Mohali crowd was treated to some
gorgeous strokeplay, with his driving down the ground being absolutely
exhilarating. When Martyn was trapped on the sweep, Michael Hussey,
promoted to No.5, took over, playing second fiddle perfectly to an
increasingly aggressive Ponting.Fleming marshalled his resources well, shuffling his bowlers around and
delaying the third Powerplay when Ponting and Martyn were tonking it all
around, but Australia’s depth in batting ensured that New Zealand never
seized the initiative. Ponting’s dismissal, for example, brought Symonds
to the middle, which meant little respite for New Zealand as he
immediately got stuck into Vettori. A straight hit over long-on for six
was followed by a slog-sweep for four as Vettori leaked 28 in his last
four overs after conceding 13 in his first six.Australia lost their way in the last ten overs, though – despite having
six wickets in hand, they only managed 52 as New Zealand finished strongly
in the field. A total of 240 promised a competitive match, and despite the
washout at the start, there was enough drama to keep the Mohali crowd
entertained till late at night.How they were outAustraliaShane Watson c Fulton b Mills 0 (3 for 1)
Fetched one from outside off and top-edged a pull to mid-offAdam Gilchrist c Oram b Mills 3 (4 for 2)
Lobbed a flick to square legDamien Martyn lbw b Vettori 26 (70 for 3)
Missed a sweep and trapped plumb in frontRicky Ponting c Vettori b Mills 58 (123 for 4)
Miscued a pull to mid-onMichael Hussey c Marshall b Franklin 35 (188 for 5)
Short ball cut straight to pointAndrew Symonds b Bond 58 (211 for 6)
Shuffled too far across; leg stump pushed backMichael Clarke c Vettori b Mills 14 (220 for 7)
Slogged to third manBrett Lee b Bond 5 (223 for 8)
Made room to flay and missedMitchell Johnson run out 3 (236 for 9)
Direct hit by the bowler at the non-striker’s endNew ZealandLou Vincent c Ponting b McGrath 1 (16 for 1)
In the corridor, edged to second slipNathan Astle b Lee 0 (20 for 2)
Perfect indipper, crashed between bat and pad into middle stumpHamish Marshall c Gilchrist b McGrath 5 (30 for 3)
Tried to cut, and edged to the keeperStephen Fleming c Ponting b Bracken 15 (30 for 4)
Full delivery swinging away, edged to second slipPeter Fulton b McGrath 2 (34 for 5)
Shouldered arms to a straight ball on off stumpBrendon McCullum c Martyn b Bracken 1 (35 for 6)
Inside-edged a flick to mid-onJacob Oram st Gilchrist b Symonds 43 (138 for 7)
Daniel Vettori b Johnson 79 (180 for 9)
Kyle Mills c Gilchrist b Lee 21 (206 all out)
