CHRISTCHURCH: A blazing unbeaten 116 from Brendon McCullum and a cool-headed Tim Southee spurred New Zealand to a thrilling Twenty20 cricket victory over Australia in a Super Over contest in Christchurch Sunday night.
\nChasing New Zealand’s 214 for six, Australia needed three to win off the final ball only for captain\u00a0Michael Clarke to be run out by Nathan McCullum attempting a third, leaving them 214 for four.
\nThe tie forced a Super Over and young Southee, who replaced Daryl Tuffey, was preferred to Shane Bond. He stepped up superbly, conceding just six runs and dismissing big-hitting David Warner before a roaring AMI Stadium crowd of 26,148.
\nMcCullum and Martin Guptill saw New Zealand home in their turn at bat, with Shaun Tait bowling two wides and Guptill hitting his fourth ball for four.
\nAustralia looked home thanks to Clarke’s 67 off 45 balls and a whirlwind unbeaten 64 off 26 balls from Cameron White.
\nWhite hit five fours and five sixes, and having taken 18 off the penultimate over bowled by Jacob Oram, it left Australia needing just 12 off Southee’s final six deliveries.
\nBut Southee stepped up again, conceding just a solitary boundary to White off the fourth ball to help force the tie.
\nIt was New Zealand’s first win in five Twenty20 attempts against Australia and avenged Friday’s heavy six-wicket defeat in Wellington as the teams prepare for the five-match ODI series starting in Napier on Wednesday.
\nMcCullum’s 56-ball knock spurred New Zealand to their first 200-run total as he fell one short of Chris Gayle’s world record of 117 for West Indies against South Africa.
\nHe hit 12 fours and eight sixes, two of them from audacious lap shots over the wicketkeeper’s head off Tait after he notched three figures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Courtesy of\u00a0thenews.com.pk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CHRISTCHURCH: A blazing unbeaten 116 from Brendon McCullum and a cool-headed Tim Southee spurred New Zealand to a thrilling Twenty20 cricket victory over Australia in a Super Over contest in Christchurch Sunday night. Chasing New Zealand’s 214 for six, Australia needed three to win off the final ball only for captain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n