Australia find new gear to roll past Black Caps

Australia's World Cup campaign gathered further momentum after knocking off a second serious challenger for the title in five days by vanquishing New Zealand by 86 runs in a gritty contest at Lord's.

The reigning 50-over champions held their nerve after sinking to 5-92, with Usman Khawaja (88 off 129 balls) and Alex Carey (71 off 72) playing contrasting knocks in a 107-run stand to see their side to 9-243 on a worn, dusty surface.

Skipper Aaron Finch then shrewdly chopped and swapped around eight different bowlers, with Mitchell Starc (5-26) continuing his trail of destruction as his tournament wicket tally swelled to 24.

The left-armer, whose five-wicket haul was the seventh of his 83-game ODI career, is now only three scalps away from going past Glenn McGrath's single World Cup record of 26 wickets.

Like he did with a devastating delivery to dismiss Ben Stokes on Tuesday, Starc delivered the game's knockout blow when Finch brought him back for a second spell and duly delivered with the key scalp of Kane Williamson (40 off 51).

Fellow southpaw quick Trent Boult earlier took the second hat-trick of this World Cup, and his second in less than a year, with a trio of pin-point accurate yorkers in the final over of Australia's innings.

Khawaja struggled for fluency but nonetheless anchored the Australian innings with skill and proved an effective foil to Carey, whose 11 boundaries were nearly as many as the rest of his teammates combined (12).

The wicketkeeper's knock was the highest of his international career and the highest by an Australian No.7 at a World Cup, as the gloveman reverse-swept the spinners without hesitation and drove down the ground in textbook fashion.

A packed-out crowd at the home of cricket witnessed some spectacular entertainment, including a trio of stunning one-handed catches from Martin Guptill, Jimmy Neesham and Steve Smith – each one holding a legitimate claim to be the best of the day.

Smith (1-6 off two overs) also grabbed his first wicket in ODI cricket in nearly five years when Colin de Grandhomme inexplicably holed out to long-off in the midst of a fatal Kiwi collapse of 8-60.

Lockie Ferguson, an old-fashioned speedster bearing an old-fashioned moustache, was one of the Black Caps' few bright spots along with Boult.

The raw tearaway had Aussie batsmen bobbing and weaving, consistently hitting speeds approaching 150kph. With 17 victims, the raw right-armer is now second behind only Starc among the tournament's leading wicket takers after removing David Warner and Smith with short balls.

Image Id: 75B8C7F0551B4EA8BD6963DF03780FF5 Image Caption: Warner was surprised by Ferguson's pace and bounce // Getty

One fielder has surely never had as eventful a 11.2 overs as Guptill did to start the game after opposing captain Finch won the toss and batted first on a sun-kissed London afternoon.

De Grandhomme's gentle medium-pace would have jagged an unlikely early scalp had Guptill not fluffed a hot chance at short cover, before he put down Khawaja at second slip two balls after Boult's lively opening spell was rewarded with the wicket of Finch.

Image Id: F6CF7C40291C463CBCFEAAFD8681911E Image Caption: Guptill dropped Khawaja off his second ball // Getty

But all was forgiven when he then clung onto the hardest of the lot.

Smith, after defending like an interpretative dancer on Red Bull, played a full-blooded hook shot but only found the outstretched left hand of Guptill standing barely 10 metres away at leg gully.

That handed an overjoyed Ferguson his second wicket having earlier needed just one dazzlingly-fast delivery to remove the World Cup's most prolific batter Warner, who tried and failed to get his gloves out of the way of a lifter on 16.

Neesham dismissed Marcus Stoinis for 21 with a beauty that caught a faint edge and then Glenn Maxwell, who cue-ended a pull shot back to the sprawling bowler.

In commentary, former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum suggested Williamson had missed a trick by not bringing the likes of Boult or Ferguson back sooner as Carey and Khawaja put on a rescue act.

Image Id: 3675B37E4D7548899E108764CF8479FC Image Caption: Khawaja and Carey set a new Australian World Cup record for the sixth wicket // Getty

Williamson may also rue the fact their two specialist spinners, recalled leggie Ish Sodhi and left-armer Mitchell Santner, went wicketless and conceded 57 runs from only nine overs between them on a pitch that favoured slow bowlers. Williamson's own part-time off spin proved more effective, taking the wicket of Carey and finishing with 1-25 from seven overs.

Having thrived with the new ball against England, it was Jason Behrendorff (2-31 off nine overs) again who did the trick up front again as he removed from both openers in a lengthy opening spell and could have had Williamson too had Carey hung on to a tough diving chance.

With their skipper at the crease, victory remained a distinct possibility for New Zealand but Starc, as he's done all tournament, nabbed a crucial wicket right when his side needed it.

Image Id: A8F20C88447F465586F58346B0D907C7 Image Caption: Williamson fell for 40 to Starc // Getty

When a wobbly-kneed Carey then held onto a Ross Taylor miscue that nearly went into orbit, the game was as good as sealed.

Smith leapt full length to his right to reel in an absolute blinder of a catch at mid-wicket as the Kiwis played a series of desperate strokes with the required run-rate spiralling out of control.

Starc fittingly applied the finishing touches, zeroing in on the stumps to grab the final three wickets of the innings.

Australia XI: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon.

New Zealand XI: Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

2019 World Cup

Australia's squad: Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

June 1: Australia beat Afghanistan by seven wickets

June 6: Australia beat West Indies by 15 runs

June 9: Australia lost to India by 36 runs

June 12: Australia beat Pakistan by 41 runs

June 15: Australia beat Sri Lanka by 87 runs

June 20: Australia beat Bangladesh by 48 runs

June 25: Australia beat England by 64 runs

June 29: Australia beat New Zealand by 86 runs

July 6: Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford (D/N)

July 9: Semi-Final 1, Old Trafford

July 11: Semi-Final 2, Edgbaston

July 14: Final, Lord's

Sync Australia's World Cup schedule to your calendar HERE

For a full list of all World Cup fixtures, click HERE