WC'11: Australia thump Kiwis by seven wickets

NAGPUR: Assuming that captain Daniel Vettori was not pulling a faster one at the toss (they would have batted first anyway), he was expecting his batsmen to put their hands up and deliver.

New Zealand's top order indeed put their hands up. But it was an act of surrender (all out 206) in overcast conditions against a varied Australian pace attack on a tricky track.

The four-time champions accepted the gift, with part of their heart sympathetic to quake victims and part of their sleeves sporting black armbands. They won by seven wickets with 4.4 overs to spare at the VCA Jamtha stadium on Friday.

Australia recorded their 25th successive win at the World Cup (starting with the 1999 final against Pakistan) and extended their unbeaten streak to 31 games.

Left-arm seamer Mitchell Johnson, ICC's Player of Year in 2009, ended with 4-33 and Shaun Tait 3-35. Openers Brad Haddin (55) and Shane Watson (62) shared the top gear between them to put on 133 for the first wicket. And though they perished one after the other, the twist was not on offer.

With Aussies needing 68 runs in 31 overs, Vettori opted for the powerplay (he could have set the same field without powerplay too), clearly hinting that he was practising for powerplays for remaining group games. With injured paceman Kyle Mills and consultant Allan Donald in the dressing room, he can't be too criticised for opening the attack with a spinner either.

Ricky Ponting's decision to win the toss and field was open for debate after 13 overs. He had to remove Shaun Tait from the attack after the speed demon conceded 20 in two overs. At 40/1, the Kiwis were trying to find their bearings when drinks were taken.

They must have taken proper care while selecting their bacteria-free drink at that time. But suddenly they lost the stomach for fight.

Johnson asked a probing question to left-handed Jesse Ryder. The ball was angled in and straightened a little bit after pitching. Luck was unavailable to ride for Ryder as the keeper did his job.

James Franklin and Scott Styris got out in reckless fashion (both caught behind for blobs) while Tait castled Ross Taylor who went with the front-foot flow and played over and across. In a spell of four overs, the contest was almost decided.

Nathan McCullum (52) and skipper Vettori (44), batting at No. 9, took the tally to 206.

Some impressions from the match include Ryder's consecutive fours between deep square-leg and fine leg before his punched fours on the off side; Martin Guptill using Brett Lee's pace to guide him for four over first slip; Haddin swivelling his bat and Kiwi paceman Hamish Bennett with chest on action losing precious momentum just before his leap.

It was an easy day in the park for the defending champions. A decent crowd from the cricket-mad city gave a spirited account of themselves from the stands. But the stadium remained half-empty and so were the hearts who hoped for a good contest.

Stats Box:

It was Australia's sixth win against New Zealand in as many 'day' games in India since they regained world title in 1999. In four of these games, teams had opted to bowl first. The Kiwis had opted to bat in Faridabad in 2003 and got all out for 97. After becoming World champs in 1999, Oz have played 15 'day' games in India, winning 13. In nine of these games, they bowled first regardless of the toss, clearly indicating that the opponents are scared to bat against them early morning (ditto India, 2003 final).

source: TOI