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The chase begins … NOW!
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Australia need 157 to win
Shot! Ish Sodhi clears the front leg and smears Stoinis over the leg-side boundary for SIX. A few heart in mouth singles completes the innings as New Zealand finish on 156–9. It feels a little below par from the home side but let’s see.
The rain has stayed away for now too. Back soon for the chase.
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Updated at 10.41 CEST
19th over: New Zealand 147-9 (Sodhi 1, Duffy 0) Ish Sodhi and Jacob Duffy in the middle now with one over left to haul New Zealand’s total up and over 150. Stoinis is going to bowl it.
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WICKET! Ben Sears b Abbott 0 (New Zealand 147-9)
Spears has his stumps splattered.
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WICKET! Matt Henry c Stoinis b Abbott 6 (New Zealand 146-8)
Gone! Henry skies a catch off Abbott. New Zealand falling in a bit of a heap at the last…
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18th over: New Zealand 144-7 (Henry 4, Sears 0) Ben Sears is the new man in the middle.
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WICKET! Michael Bracewell c Short b Zampa 26 (New Zealand 144-7)
Not what the Kiwi doctor ordered. Bracewell holes out to long on, Zampa doing the business, just four runs and the wicket off the over. Two to go.
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Updated at 10.31 CEST
17th over: New Zealand 140-6 (Bracewell 24, Neesham 21) Neesham’s wicket is a big one, Matt Henry is the new batter. What can the Black Caps muster?
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WICKET! Jimmy Neesham c Abbott b Bartlett 25 (New Zealand 138-5)
Neesham gets Bartlett away for four but perishes in the deep next ball!
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16th over: New Zealand 134-5 (Bracewell 24, Neesham 21) Abbott returns and nearly pins Neesham lbw but the umpire says no. The replay shows it was stone dead so that’s a let off for New Zealand. Seven off the over, four to go, we might see some fireworks now …
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Updated at 10.20 CEST
15th over: New Zealand 127-5 (Bracewell 20, Neesham 19) Neesham top edges Stoinis for SIX! Plays and misses next ball but then opens the shoulders to clear the fence at midwicket for SIX more! Brutal batting from Neesham, he rocks back and smashes Stoinis through the leg side for four more, seventeen runs off the over!
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14th over: New Zealand 110-5 (Bracewell 19, Neesham 3) Zampa gives one a bit too much air and is clubbed down the ground for SIX by Bracewell! New Zelaland looking to set a challenging target, they’ve got the foundation and these two can hit a looooong ball.
New Zealand’s Michael Bracewell at the crease. Photograph: Aaron Gillions/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 10.18 CEST
13th over: New Zealand 100-5 (Bracewell 11, Neesham 1) Jimmy Neesham is the new man, he can only get a single off the final ball of the over to bring up three figures for the home side.
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WICKET! Tim Seifert c Head b Bartlett 48 (New Zealand 99-5)
The danger man goes! An attempted scoop is plooped straight to Travis Head at backward point.
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12th over: New Zealand 99-4 (Seifert 48, Bracewell 11) Stoinis blots his copybook by firing five wides down the leg side. Bracewell then gets a top edge for four over Carey and follows up with a nifty scoop for four more!
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11th over: New Zealand 82-4 (Seifert 45, Bracewell 3) Zampa continues and is worked around for five off his second over. Both sides fighting for ascendancy.
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Updated at 09.50 CEST
10th over: New Zealand 77-4 (Seifert 43, Bracewell 0) Michael Bracewell is the new batter and he is well and truly tied down by Stoinis who starts with a lesser spotted T20 wicket-maiden.
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WICKET! Daryl Mitchell c †Carey b Stoinis 9 (New Zealand 77-4)
Mitchell lines up a big hoick but only gets a meaty edge to Carey. Australia pick up another.
Daryl Mitchell walks off the field after being dismissed. Photograph: Aaron Gillions/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 10.00 CEST
9th over: New Zealand 77-3 (Seifert 43, Mitchell 9) Zampa starts with four singles but is then cracked for two fours off the final two balls of the over by Seifert. He is the danger man who Australia want to see the back of pronto.
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8th over: New Zealand 66-3 (Seifert 34, Mitchell 7) Abbott continues. Seifert does too – smashing a SIX over long on with plenty of brute force. The Kiwis can only manage singles either side though, ten off the over. Adam Zampa is coming on for a twirl.
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7th over: New Zealand 56-3 (Seifert 27, Mitchell 5) Hazlewood bowls out. He is the pumped for four down the ground by Mitchell and bunted over cover for another boundary by Seifert but finishes his day’s work with the ball with 2-26. Not bat at all.
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6th over: New Zealand 46-3 (Seifert 22, Mitchell 0) Daryl Mitchell is the new man and he is beaten all ends up by his first ball. His second thuds into his box. Ouchy.
Take a breath there Daryl. I typed that to the tune of this:
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WICKET! Mark Chapman c David b Abbott 4 (New Zealand 46-3)
Sean Abbott given a whirl by Captain Marsh and his first ball is inexplicably sent upstairs for a review, it was missing another set so the less said about that the better.
Chapman trots down to the next ball and smacks it through the covers.
What a catch! Tim David then pulls off an over the shoulder stunna at long on to get rid of Chapman. That is such a tough one to take and he did it sublimely. Great athleticism.
Tim David takes an impressive catch off the shot of Mark Chapman. Photograph: Aaron Gillions/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 09.45 CEST
5th over: New Zealand 41-2 (Seifert 22, Chapman 0) Mark Chapman is the new batter and he is immediately pinned on the front pad by Hazlewood! It looks a smidge high… the umpire thinks so too but Australia send it upstairs… NOT OUT – going over. Hazlewood caps off a fine over by nipping one past the outside edge with his sixth ball.
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WICKET! Tim Robinson c †Carey b Hazlewood 13 (New Zealand 41-2)
Hazlewood is given a third over on the spin and picks up Robinson with a back of a length delivery that jags away and takes the edge!
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4th over: New Zealand 36-1 (Seifert 21, Robinson 13) Xavier Bartlett gets a second over. We don’t get many Xavier’s over here in Blighty either.
Anyway, Bartlett induces a swing and a miss from Seifert before a spawny four is gained from the inside edge. SHOT! Seifert then marmalises a slog sweep high and long over deep midwicket for SIX. Bartlett gets a slower ball all wrong and serves up a full bunger that Seifert smashes back past him for another four. Fifteen off the over, New Zealand on the charge!
Tim Seifert plays a shot. Photograph: Phil Walter/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 09.16 CEST
3rd over: New Zealand 21-1 (Seifert 6, Robinson 13) That’ll do. Robinson slaps the first ball back over point for SIX! It was short and wide and given the treatment. Hazlewood drops short again and is pulled away across the damp Bay Oval baize for four more! The tall fast bowler has a chunter to himself and then tightens up, finishing the over with three dots.
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The players are out there once more, Hazlewood has the ball. Tim Robinson on strike – Play!
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Good news! The covers are now being taken off, the rain has stopped and we’ll have a re-start in five minutes with no overs lost.
The ground staff at Bay Oval are being kept busy by the drizzle. Photograph: Aaron Gillions/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 09.11 CEST
As the rain falls and the cover are hauled on, we’ve got some nomenclature riffing in the OBO mailbag courtesy of Kandukuru Nagarjun.
“Hello James, I casually glanced at the OBO to see yet another Mitchell: Owen. To go with Starc, Marsh, Johnson, Swepson, McCleneghan, Santner and others I’m sure I’m forgetting.
“But before the modern era, I can’t recall one single cricketing Mitchell. Is this a statistical quirk, or was the name really popular for Antipodean babies born a few decades ago? And, has said popularity endured?
Hope your very erudite readership are able to shed some light.”
We don’t get many Mitchell’s or Mitch’s here in the UK, not as a first name at least, I reckon …
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Updated at 09.01 CEST
Rain stops play. Let’s hope it is just a passing shower.
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2nd over: New Zealand 7-1 (Seifert 6, Robinson 0) The batters clip and nudge to rotate strike but there’s no big shot in the offing. Gah! The rain gets heavier and the players scurry from the outfield.
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1st over: New Zealand 7-1 (Seifert 6, Robinson 0) Tim Robinson is the new batter, Xavier Bartlett is going to have the second over for Australia. There’s some drizzle in the air…
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WICKET! Devon Conway c Marsh b Hazlewood 0 (New Zealand 7-1)
It’s an all action start as Seifert moves across his stumps and scoops Hazlewood audaciously, dare I say bodaciously for SIX off the third ball of the game. A wry smile on the bowler’s face after that shot. A leg bye brings Conway on strike.
GONE!
Conway tries a drive but plinks a toe ender to Mitch Marsh in the ring. He won’t be happy with that, eventful first over, both sides landing an early blow.
Mitchell Marsh takes the catch to dismiss Devon Conway. Photograph: Aaron Gillions/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 08.45 CEST
Right then, let’s do this. Josh Hazlewood has the new ball and Tim Seifert is going to have first look with the bat. Devon Conway is at the non-striker’s. Let’s play!
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The players emerge onto the outfield but there is some more rain hovering… it might be one of those matches folks.
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New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell says he is happy to bat first and confirms his side is unchanged too:
TEAMS:
New Zealand Tim Seifert (wk), Devon Conway, Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell (c), Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy
Australia Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Matt Short, Tim David, Alex Carey (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Mitch Owen, Xavier Bartlett, Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Stand by your beds everyone, we might get some cricket!
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Australia win the toss and will bowl first!
Get in there! The coin has been flipped and it has landed Mitch Marsh and Australia’s way. Marsh confirms no changes to his side and expects there to be a bit of life in the wicket as it has been under the covers on and off for the last little while.
Mitchell Marsh of Australia and Michael Bracewell of New Zealand during the coin toss at Bay Oval. Photograph: Phil Walter/Getty ImagesShare
Updated at 08.13 CEST
Well it’s not good news, but it isn’t terrible either. The toss has been delayed for 15 minutes as there is some light drizzle doing the rounds. Start those sun dances now people.
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Preamble
James Wallace
Hello and welcome to the third T20I between New Zealand and Australia from the Bay Oval. After yesterday’s washout it is a case of fingers and toes crossed that the weather gods are kinder today and we get some sort of a game in.
The radar looks a bit dodgy but my sources at the ground tell me there is some blue sky knocking about, whether it is enough to make a sailor a pair of trousers remains to be seen.
We should have the toss and team news imminently. Please do get in touch if you are tuning in.
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Updated at 08.14 CEST
