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Trent Boult, Brendon McCullum star as New Zealand overcome spirited Australia by 1 wicket in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Kane Williamson held his nerves to score an unbeaten 45 as New Zealand spluttered and gasped past Australia.

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Trent Boult © Getty Images
Trent Boult’s spell crippled Australia beyond repair © Getty Images

Trent Boult’s thunderous five-wicket haul and Brendon McCullum’s blazing 50 helped New Zealand edge past Australia by one wicket in Match 20 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool A encounter at Auckland. Mitchell Starc gave the Black Caps the fright of their lives with a six-wicket haul as Australia fought tooth and nail, giving nothing away. With this win, New Zealand stay at the top of the Points table in Pool A. Scorecard: New Zealand vs Australia ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool A Match 20

The Black Caps got off to a wonderful start, with Mitchell Johnson’s first two balls being a four and six, the second of which was off a free hit. McCullum then took over as only he can, slashing, pulling, hooking, driving, and clubbing the ball to all ends of Eden Park en route to his 24-ball 50. McCullum got to the landmark off 21 deliveries — the third fastest fifty in World Cup history. Unsurprisingly, McCullum also happens to hold the top two positions. Live Updates: New Zealand vs Australia ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool A Match 20

Guptill was out for 11, with New Zealand having scored 40 in under four overs. His dismissal did nothing to diminish McCullum’s charge, as the Kiwi skipper went on dismissing the ball from his presence. However, Mitchell Johnson managed to land a telling blow, hitting McCullum’s fore-arm with a short ball that did not bounce too much. McCullum’s forearm immediately swelled up, though he continued to bat and play his shots. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE

McCullum’s dismissal — for exactly 50 — triggered something of a mini-collapse, as Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott were bowled off consecutive deliveries from Mitchell Starc, who now had three wickets. There was a gap in between the two wickets though, as Martin Crowe was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in the break. The legendary New Zealand cricketer was overcome with emotion, and received a rousing applause from the full-house of over 40,000 people at Eden Park. Top 10 wicketkeepers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson then put on a 52-run stand to stabilise proceedings. However, Anderson slogged Glenn Maxwell and was out caught. Starc then came in and absolutely slaughtered the tail, getting rid of Luke Ronchi, Adam Milne, and Tim Southee, while Pat Cummins dismissed Daniel Vettori at the other end. Williamson anchored the innings, and managed to take New Zealand over the line by a shockingly narrow margin. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Earlier, Daniel Vettori bowled a game-changing spell, but Trent Boult absolutely decimated Australia, leaving the former world champions red-faced after bowling them out for a tiny score in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 Pool A Match 20 at Auckland on Saturday. Boult bowled a spell that read 5-3-3-5 as Australia crashed and burned from 80 for one to 107 for nine before the last pair added some invaluable runs. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS

Aaron Finch and David Warner got Australia off to a blazing start, getting to 30 in the third over before Tim Southee took the first wicket, getting Finch bowled for 14 off seven. Finch had hit Southee for six off the previous delivery before trying to go for the same shot again. Warner and Shane Watson then put on exactly 50 for the second wicket. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Pool-wise Team Standings

It was the wicket of Watson — holing out to Southee at deep midwicket — that started a shocking slide. Vettori was in the middle of a wonderful spell, using all his experience to beguile the batsmen. The fielders backed up his neat bowling, as Australia were pulled back from a run-rate of over 10. Southee came back after an expensive first spell to pick up Warner off the very next ball after Watson’s wicket. Steven Smith was then caught behind by Luke Ronchi off Vettori for four. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage

Southee and Vettori had taken the first four wickets, but Boult then took centre-stage. The left-arm pacer got the ball to nip around just enough to make life difficult for the batsmen. First, it was Glenn Maxwell, trying to force the ball to third man. He only managed to chop it back onto his stumps. Then it was Mitchell Marsh, who was out in the same over to a similar shot, again playing on. At 97 for six, Australia were in dire need of a partnership. Top 10 fielders in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Michael Clarke was still batting, and would have been the man Australia were looking at to consolidate with No. 8 Brad Haddin. That was not to be though, as Clarke slapped one from Boult to Kane Williamson at short cover. Mitchell Johnson gave Williamson an easy catch soon thereafter, again off Boult, while Mitchell Starc was cleaned up in the same over.

Brad Haddin tried his best to throw his bat around, and managed to score a few runs to help avert the embarrassment of getting bowled out for less than England (123) managed against New Zealand. He top-scored with 43, and was the last man out after having boosted Australia past 150. Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

Brief scores:

Australia 151 in 32.2 overs (David Warner 34, Brad Haddin 43; Trent Boult 5 for 27, Daniel Vettori 2 for 41, Tim Southee 2 for 65) lost to New Zealand 152 for 9 in 23.1 overs (Brendon McCullum 50, Kane Williamson 45*; Mitchell Starc 6 for 28) by 1 wicket.

Man of the Match: Trent Boult

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(Shiamak Unwalla, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a self-confessed Sci-Fi geek and Cricket fanatic. You can follow him on Twitter @ShiamakUnwalla)

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