On this day in 2015: Australia and New Zealand play out a low-scoring thriller

Exactly on this day six years ago, 2015 World Cup co-hosts Australia and New Zealand locked horns in the 20th game of the tournament in Auckland and played out one of the most thrilling games in the history of the tournament. Australia and New Zealand collectively scored only 303 runs but the game turned out to be arguably the best of the 2015 World Cup as the Black Caps won the clash by one wicket.

The stage was set for both the teams to play out a classic in front of a packed and partisan Auckland crowd and they did not disappoint. Michael Clarke won the toss and decided to bat first before Aaron Finch and David Warner came out all guns blazing. The two added 30 runs in just 13 balls before Tim Southe castled Finch to give the home side the first breakthrough. New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum relied on three bowlers – Southee, Trent Boult and Daniel Vettori – to do the work and they did not disappoint.

Australia fall apart

Southee dismantled Australia’s top-order and Boult made light work of the middle and lower-order. The Black Caps bowled out their Trans-Tasman rivals for a paltry 151 in 32.2 overs. For the first 27 overs, only three bowlers had bowled before McCullum turned to a fourth bowler to finish the job. At one stage, Australia were staring down the barrel at 106 for 9 but Brad Haddin’s 43-run knock took them to a respectable 151.

Boult finished the innings with the-then career-best figures of 5 for 27 while Southee and Vettori picked two apiece. The Auckland crowd was rocking and it had every reason to do so. With a meagre 152 runs to chase, Brendon McCullum was in a hurry to finish the game and made a typically quick start.

Any chance of an upset looked all but over when McCullum and Martin Guptill shared a 40-run stand off just 23 balls for the first wicket. The New Zealand skipper then went on to smash a 21-ball fifty. Australia took wickets in a heap but Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson steadied the ship.

The final twist

But there was a final twist left in the game. At 131 for 4, New Zealand were looking set to register an easy win before the floodgates opened with Anderson’s dismissal. Starc was the destructor-in-chief, dismissing Ronchi for 6 before sending back Adam Milne and Southee for ducks to reduce New Zealand to 146 for 9. Starc had two more balls left in the 23rd over with Boult on strike. But Boult did well to see out the two deliveries before Williamson hit the first ball of the 23rd over bowled by Cummins for a straight six to guide his team to a thrilling win.