The Australian team secured a strong victory in the Christchurch Test with the help of their middle order. Despite New Zealand’s efforts, Alex Carey’s resilient score of 98 not out and Mitch Marsh’s 80 runs led Australia to win the series 2-0. Although the team faced a setback early on with a score of 4-34, they managed to reach a total of 281-7 and emerge victorious.

Marsh and Carey joined forces after the early dismissal of Travis Head (18) at a score of 80-5, and went on to score 140 runs together – the largest partnership of the series, during a crucial period. The introduction of New Zealand’s debut player, Ben Sears, caused Australia some trouble as he took out Marsh and then Mitchell Starc in just two balls, leaving the team at a score of 220-7.

Following Pat Cummins’ survival of the hat-trick ball, the captain and his wicketkeeper worked together to guide Australia to a win in their final game of the season.

Cummins took away Carey’s chance of scoring a century, as he made 32 runs off of 44 deliveries. This left Carey just short of a hundred runs. However, both players didn’t seem to mind as they celebrated together on the field. The captain sealed the victory with a four at the point boundary.

The end of Cummins’ presence was reminiscent of the first Ashes Test in the previous year, where Australia successfully chased 283 runs at Edgbaston in a crucial moment for the series. While Australia’s determination should be praised, their win at Hagley Oval was more of a patchwork victory due to several struggles with batting.

During a tense day in the South Island, the Kiwi bowlers were unable to capitalize on the game’s resumption after a one-hour rain delay. Despite expectations that Matt Henry would be the leading threat with nine wickets in the first three days, it was Tim Southee who caused the most difficulty.

Marsh and Head were both dismissed by Southee in the first over of the day when they attempted to cut the ball but hit it directly to a fielder at point, one after the other.

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Rachin Ravindra made a mistake by dropping a catch, giving Marsh a chance to continue batting and score a run. However, Will Young did not repeat the mistake and successfully caught Head’s similar shot, being a left-handed player. This mistake from Ravindra highlights the difference in fielding abilities between the teams, with the New Zealand team having dropped a total of nine catches in the two Tests.

Carey joined Marsh in the middle and the pair set about the chase at pace. Australia had two full days to reel in their target, but the new ball after 80 overs loomed large given the threat of the Kiwi seamers.

Their partnership of 100 runs was not without risk: Marsh nearly made contact with Southee’s delivery and Carey was fortunate to have two successful reviews. The player from South Australia continued to perform well, scoring a half-century just before the end of the second to last over before lunch.

Thanks primarily to the costly performance of Scott Kuggeleijn, who allowed 10 byes in one over, Australia managed to score 62 runs in the final 10 overs before the main break.

After the lunch break, Sears took a wicket by getting Marsh out leg before wicket, and then caught Starc at square leg, who was unable to keep up with the fast pace. In the evening session, Phillips, Southee, and Henry all attempted to take the eighth wicket, but were unsuccessful.

Australia has only won two out of their last 16 chases, one being at Edgbaston and the other at Hagley Oval in 2016. This win also highlights the dominance of Australia over New Zealand mentally. New Zealand has not beaten Australia on their home turf since 1993, which means that the Trans-Tasman Trophy has been in Australian hands for the past 30 years.

Source: theguardian.com