Australia beats New Zealand by four wickets

Australia’s John Hastings (left) and Mitchell Marsh celebrate their four-wicket win over New Zealand in the second one-day international at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington, New Zealand, on Saturday. — AP

Australia, propped up by 98 from David Warner, held their nerve to beat New Zealand by four wickets to win the second ODI in Wellington on Saturday and send the series to a decider.

After Warner’s dismissal, Australia were still 90 runs short of their target with an unbeaten 69 from Mitchell Marsh and John Hastings not out 48, getting them over the line.

Warner was nudging his sixth ODI century when he was undone by New Zealand’s match ace Mitchell Santner, but by then he had done enough to ensure the world champions were in a dominant position.

Australia lost six wickets as they chased down New Zealand’s 281/9 with 21 balls to spare.

After New Zealand won the first match by 159 runs, the series will now go to a decider in Hamilton on Monday.

Both sides suffered middle-order batting blues, but Australia had better padding with Warner and Usman Khawaja in a 122-run opening stand.

Warner’s 98 came off 79 deliveries and included eight fours and four sixes, while Khawaja batted at a run-a-ball for his 50.

They made it clear at the start of the innings they would attack New Zealand’s strike bowlers Trent Boult and Matt Henry.

Khawaja hit the first and fourth balls he faced in Boult’s opening over to the boundary while at the other end, Warner also smacked Henry’s first delivery for four.

By the end of the sixth over Australia had 50 on the board and Boult and Henry were pulled from the attack.

New Zealand’s 281 owed much to Mitchell Santner and his tail-end partnership with Adam Milne as well as Kane Williamson’s 60.

McCullum produced his trademark onslaught But the rest of New Zealand’s top order were unable to maintain momentum and even Williamson’s 60 took 74 balls.

Scorecard New Zealand: M. Guptill c Khawaja b Marsh 31 B. McCullum b Boland 28, K. Williamson c Smith b Zampa 60, H. Nicholls c Wade b Marsh 4, G. Elliott c Maxwell b Zampa 32, C. Anderson c Wade b Hazlewood 16, L. Ronchi c Marsh b Boland 19, M. Santner (not out) 45, A. Milne c Smith b Hazlewood 36, M. Henry b Hazlewood 0, T. Boult (not out) 2. Extras: (lb4, w4) 8. Total: (for 9 wkts, in 50 overs) 281. FoW: 1-35, 2-88, 3-95, 4-158, 5-164, 6-193, 7-205, 8-266, 9-266. Bowling: Hazlewood 10-0-61-3, Hastings 10-1-42-0, Boland 10-0-61-2, Zampa 10-0-57-2, Marsh 6-0-30-2, Maxwell 4-0-26-0.

Australia: U. Khawaja c&b Santner 50, D. Warner lbw Santner 98, S. Smith c Ronchi b Henry 2, G. Bailey b Henry 0, G. Maxwell b Boult 6, M. Marsh (not out) 69, M. Wade c Milne b Santner 2, J. Hastings (not out) 48. Extras: (lb2, w6) 8. Total (for 6 wkts, in 46.3 overes) 283. FoW: 1-122, 2-133, 3-133, 4-144, 5-191, 6-197. Bowling: Boult 9.3-0-66-1, Henry 10-0-57-2, Williamson 2-0-16-0, Milne 9-0-58-0, Santner 10-0-47-3, Elliott 3-0-20-0, Anderson 3-0-17-0.