Super Sixes SRL | AUS vs NZ Evaluation Chart - Zampa and Agar spin Australia to comprehensive victory

ByAnirudh Suresh, SportsCafe Editor

04/25/2020

Spin twins Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar accounted for five Kiwi wickets as Australia bulldozed their way to a convincing 68-run victory over their arch-rivals. After Warner, Finch and Smith propelled Australia to a score of 181, bowlers made easy work out of the Kiwis, bowling them out for just 113.

Match Review

Batting first, the impregnable opening combination of Aaron Finch and David Warner posted their second 70+ run opening stand in as many games to instantly put Australia on the front foot in the contest. While Warner departed trying to accelerate, his void was filled by Steve Smith, who chipped in with a useful contribution of his own and together with Finch who scored an immaculate 58, the duo propelled Australia to a score of 181.

Chasing 182, the Kiwi opening stand of Martin Guptill and Colin Munro started off extremely positively - racing off to 32/0 in just 15 balls - but were then dismissed in the span of six balls by Cummins and Kane Richardson, respectively. The chase went downhill for the Kiwis after losing their openers, as Australia’s spin twins Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa spun a web around the Black Caps, ending with combined figures of 7-0-40-5, to ensure that the Kangaroos strolled to a convincing 68-run win.

Turning Point

The introduction of Adam Zampa into the attack in the 7th over of the chase turned out to be the single biggest turning point of the encounter, as the leggie dismissed Ross Taylor on just his third ball, ensuring that the fragile Kiwi middle-order was exposed. There was no coming back from that blow for the Kiwis as they were steamrolled by the exuberant Agar and Zampa.

Highs and Lows

Pat Cummins can do no wrong in SRL, can he? At the moment, it wouldn’t even be an overstatement to call him the greatest SRL player of all time. His 5-ball 15 towards the end - which included two sixes off Boult in the last over - left the Kiwis shell-shocked and that, in many ways, shattered the tiniest bit of hope Williamson’s side had of winning the contest.

There was one thing clear right from the word go, today - every single bowler who bowled today had left their discipline back in the dressing room before walking onto the field. The bowlers from both sides combined to bowl a staggering 24 extras, SEVENTEEN of which were wides. I mean, it’s beyond comprehension how professional bowlers can concede 17 wides with a ball that offers no movement whatsoever after the first 10 deliveries. Some sort of a weird bet, perhaps?

Rating Charts

Powerplay exploitation: - Australia 10/10 and New Zealand 7.5/10

Scoring close to 10 runs per over in the powerplay without losing a single wicket is any batting team’s dream in T20 cricket and today, the Aussie openers managed to do just that. The approach and the pattern were similar to what we’ve seen all tournament - see off the first two overs and then punish the bowlers mercilessly post that. The last three overs in the powerplay yielded SIX boundaries - including two sixes - and at the end of the 6th over, the Aussies were sitting might at 59/0. THE. PERFECT. START.

New Zealand’s powerplay bizarrely followed a trend exactly opposite to that off Australia - they started off aggressively, slowed down gradually and ended up losing wickets just at the wrong time. 48/2 at the end of the powerplay chasing 182 is not a bad start by any means, but that they lost both their openers - who threatened to tee off - meant that their chase was significantly hindered.

Middle overs manoeuvring: Australia 7.5/10 and New Zealand 3/10

Expectations were high after Australia got off to the perfect start in the powerplay, but the middle overs ended up being a tad disappointing as the team abided by the ‘safety first’ approach. After losing Warner in the 9th over, Smith and Finch combined for a tidy 67-run stand, with both batsmen pushing the score forward without taking much of a risk. Eventually, albeit losing a solitary wicket, 68 runs were all the Aussies managed in the middle overs.

The less spoken about New Zealand’s middle overs, the better. There was no intent nor was there any self-belief and the batsmen started throwing away the match as early as the 8th over of the chase. New Zealand’s tentative approach meant that both Zampa and Agar dictated play throughout the middle overs and that, eventually, proved to be enough to seal the Kiwis’ fate. Credit where due, though. It was a truly five-star performance from Zampa and Agar.

Death Bowling: New Zealand 6.5 /10 and Australia nil/10

I would have given New Zealand a 7 or maybe even an 8 if not for the last over, but when you let Cummins smack you for two sixes in the final over, you must realize that you’ve let your captain down - massively. The bowlers started off on the perfect note, dismissing both Finch and Smith in the 16th over, but some ill-disciplined bowling meant that the Aussies breezed through to 181 without breaking a sweat. Wickets don’t matter when you end up conceding 54 runs at the death, do they?

10 balls were all New Zealand batted out in the death overs and to be honest, it was more like afterlife overs; they’d died well before they reached the death overs. They could manage seven runs in those 10 balls - for the loss of 2 wickets - so I don’t really think that warrants a rating.

Match Frenzy O Meter - Bad

New Zealand have the ugly habit of surrendering the match wayyy too early and today was no exception. From a viewer’s perspective, to see the Kiwis throw the towel so early was infuriating and even delightful blows from the bat of Finch, Warner and Smith were not enough to overpower the feeling of frustration.