New Zealand vs Australia, 5th Match at Auckland, Feb 16 2018, Trans-Tasman Twenty20 Tri-Series

RESULT
5th Match (N), Auckland, February 16, 2018, Trans-Tasman Twenty20 Tri-Series
(18.5/20 ov, T:244) 245/5

Australia won by 5 wickets (with 7 balls remaining)

Player Of The Match
76 (44)
d-arcy-short
Match centre 
Scores: @Cricket_Lama | Comms: Andrew McGlashan
Scorecard summary
New Zealand 243/6(20 overs)
76 (33)
2/64 (4)
Australia 245/5(18.5 overs)
76 (44)
1/35 (4)
59 (24)
1/42 (3.5)

Australia win by five wickets with the highest T20 chase in history. What an extraordinary match, even with the short boundaries. That winning six was the 32nd of the match and equals the most in a single game. Phew, I need to catch by breath! And, amid all this, the result means England are still alive in the tri-series. They played New Zealand at Hamilton on Sunday. In a match of 488 runs, did the way Australia finished with the ball win that?

Satish kumar: "This match was more like highlights of that Johannesburg match b/w Aus and SAF"

Jigar: "Finch is a silent contributor of this Aus team. his score of 36* of 14 ball is a clear difference between two team. While NZ middle order failed to accelerate Finch doing it without any fuzz. He can be long term no. 4 for Aus in ODI too."

Peter: "32 sixes in 39 overs..... I guess that is what the T20 crowds want, and hopefully there's not the thinking to make this the norm rather than the exception. But you never know what money can deliver."

Burli: "Can someone crunch the numbers for what extent England need to be New Zealand by on Sunday to get through to the final?" Being worked on now

Man of the match is D'Arcy Short. "Great run chase by the boys. We knew we had the firepower to do it."

Kane Williamson. "It was a very good surface, small ground. We've sometimes seen scores on the lower side here. At the halfway point you feel you have a fairly good score on the board. It's a very tough one, Australia played very nicely. Hard to be too critical of the bowlers. Half hits would go 20 rows back. Any time Mitch plays he's outstanding, you want to have him but injuries happen. All the bowlers will feel it today, tough to swallow, but we need to bounce back. Hamilton will be a different surface."

David Warner "Fantastic effort from the guys, you just have to take the scoreboard out of it. We brought it back slightly [with the ball], a fantastic knock by New Zealand as well. I said from day one to have a lot of energy, keep a smile on your face. Was a fantastic surface. 240 might not be enough in the final! We'll need to think about it. Early wickets are the key."

Well, what an evening that was. I'll wrap things up there. There'll be more reaction on the site over the next few hours. But for now, from Alan and Gnasher, it's goodbye and see you on Sunday.

18.5
6
de Grandhomme to Finch, SIX runs

that's the match! Finished, aptly, with another six...a full toss is drilled way back into the crowd at long-on

18.4
1
de Grandhomme to Carey, 1 run

full, wide outside off, carved over point to the sweeper

18.3
1W
de Grandhomme to Stoinis, 1 run, OUT

steers a full delivery through point, as he made it back for the second? No, he hasn't! A few inches short. Seifert did well to gather the ball and get it back to the stumps

Marcus Stoinis run out (Wheeler/†Seifert) 4 (5b 0x4 0x6 9m) SR: 80

Karthik K: "I remember reading an article in Cricinfo regarding how to build a T20 team, looks like AUS selectors hv read that, packed top 7 with 4 power hitters and with couple of accumulators (openers) and an allrounder (Stoinis) and 4 bowlers who cn hit some runs at the end." Here's that piece by Jarrod Kimber

18.2
1
de Grandhomme to Finch, 1 run

goes full, driven in the air into the leg side, lands between long-on and deep midwicket

18.2
1w
de Grandhomme to Finch, 1 wide

a slower short ball, allows it to loop through to the keeper and gets the wide call

18.1
1
de Grandhomme to Stoinis, 1 run

full, wide outside off, driven to deep cover

end of over 187 runs
AUS: 234/4CRR: 13.00 RRR: 5.00
Aaron Finch29 (12b 3x4 2x6)
Marcus Stoinis2 (3b)
Tim Southee 4-0-48-1
Trent Boult 3.5-0-42-1
17.6
Southee to Finch, no run

beaten this time as he tries to ramp a short ball to third man

17.5
4
Southee to Finch, FOUR runs

excellent placement, back of a length outside off, chopped down to third man...the fielder was inside the circle

17.4
1
Southee to Stoinis, 1 run

gets underneath this pull but it lands well short of fine leg

17.3
1
Southee to Finch, 1 run

paddles another short delivery down to fine leg

17.2
1
Southee to Stoinis, 1 run

short of a length, helped behind square on the leg side

17.1
Southee to Stoinis, no run

back of a length, misses an attempt pull and gets smack in the stomach

Less than a run-a-ball needed. Mind-boggling.

end of over 1725 runs • 1 wicket
AUS: 227/4CRR: 13.35 RRR: 5.66
Aaron Finch24 (9b 2x4 2x6)
Marcus Stoinis0 (0b)
Trent Boult 3.5-0-42-1
Tim Southee 3-0-41-1
16.6
6
Boult to Finch, SIX runs

that's just a nudge down the ground, full outside off and help over long-on with barely any fuss...a lot happened in that over

16.5
4
Boult to Finch, FOUR runs

lovely shot by Finch, Boult came round the wicket, was angling into the pads just a touch and it was flicked past short fine leg

Stoinis with the chance to win the game on the scene of his 146

16.4
W
Boult to DJM Short, OUT

top edge, and taken! A short ball, Short goes for the pull, it goes high in the air and Seifert has plenty of time to get around to short fine leg

D'Arcy Short c †Seifert b Boult 76 (44b 8x4 3x6 84m) SR: 172.72
16.3
1
Boult to Finch, 1 run

round the wicket, a wide yorker outside off, calmly steered down to third man

16.2
1
Boult to DJM Short, 1 run

full at off stump, drilled down to long-on and it's caught but won't count

Wheeler takes his cap, the New Zealanders are looking pretty shellshocked at the moment. Well, Boult is going to bowl. Williamson gambling. Free hit to come

16.2
2nb
Wheeler to Finch, (no ball) 1 run

it's all going badly wrong. Finds deep midwicket where it's taken, is it another no-ball for height?! They are checking it...this will be called again, over waist height. Wheeler is out of the attack after those two full tosses

Those two balls could seal the game

16.1
4
Wheeler to Finch, FOUR runs

oh dear, a full toss wide outside off, a free swing for Finch and he gets a thick edge past a diving wicketkeeper

Free hit

16.1
7nb
Wheeler to Finch, (no ball) SIX runs

that's costly! A huge full toss, takes a big top edge as Finch swings across the line and it flies down to fine leg

Wheeler will bowl his last over

Best performances - batters
Spike Graph
Wagon Zone
MJ Guptill
105 runs (54)
6 fours9 sixes
Productive shot
on drive
23 runs
0 four3 sixes
Control
75%
C Munro
76 runs (33)
6 fours6 sixes
Productive shot
flick
22 runs
1 four2 sixes
Control
71%
Best performances - bowlers
KW Richardson
O
4
M
0
R
40
W
2
ECO
10
FTYFGSGS
OFFLEG
RHB
1W
1W
LEGOFF
LHB
AJ Tye
O
4
M
0
R
64
W
2
ECO
16
FTYFGSGS
OFFLEG
RHB
1W
LEGOFF
LHB
1W
Match details
Eden Park, Auckland
TossNew Zealand, elected to bat first
Series
Season2017/18
Player Of The Match
Match numberT20I no. 649
Hours of play (local time)19.00 start, First Session 19.00-20.20, Interval 20.20-20.40, Second Session 20.40-22.00
Match days16 February 2018 - night (20-over match)
Umpires
TV Umpire
Reserve Umpire
Match Referee
PointsAustralia 2, New Zealand 0