Maxwell, Agar steer Aussies to crushing victory

Aaron Finch made a timely return to form as a breathtaking Glenn Maxwell knock, a fiery debut from Riley Meredith and record figures from Ashton Agar led Australia to their first victory of their five-game T20 tour of New Zealand.

Fresh off back-to-back defeats, the Aussies were lifted to 4-208 on a slow Wellington pitch by rapid knocks from skipper Finch, whose 69 off 44 balls was his first T20 half-century in nearly six months, and Maxwell (70 off 31). 

While Ashton Agar (6-30) snared the best T20I figures ever by an Australian man, it was Meredith’s exhilarating spell that proved the most telling, with the Tasmanian breaking the 150kph barrier in his opening over and then claiming the prized scalp of NZ captain Kane Williamson for single figures.

Agar bowled with guile as NZ’s lower-order offered a series of skied catches, with the hosts losing 7-35 in the 64-run loss. 

It sees the series ledger set at 2-1 in the Kiwis’ favour, with the remaining two games also to be played at Sky Stadium in the NZ capital due to the Auckland COVID-19 outbreak.

Finch had gone 26 T20 innings without passing fifty leading into Wednesday’s match, and his rough trot could well have been extended with a golden duck after a strong lbw shout off Tim Southee on his first ball was denied by umpire Chris Gaffaney.

NZ’s ensuing review came up ‘umpire’s call’ by surely the barest of margins. 

The Australian captain prospered from his slice of fortune, displaying the form teammates have insisted had never deserted him in the nets by blasting his highest T20I score since his record-breaking 172no against Zimbabwe in 2018.

Finch’s hand laid the platform a typically enterprising innings from Maxwell, who unveiled a series off daring reverse-sweeps and ramps (off pace and spin alike) and pummelled five sixes having managed just five runs from his first nine balls.

“I wasn’t batting very well right-handed, so I thought I’d try left-handed,” Maxwell, who hit at one stage hit seven consecutive deliveries to or over the rope, joked to the host broadcaster at the innings break.

Meredith, who was earlier handed his cap by his former Tasmanian captain George Bailey (now a national selector), exhibited no first-game nerves when thrown the new ball under lights.

Unfazed by Martin Guptill lofting his third ball for six, the 24-year-old speedster proved too quick for his opening partner Tim Seifert to grab his first international wicket.

He then trapped Williamson lbw for the biggest scalp of his career.

Emboldened by his early close call, Finch was back to old his self as he targeted the straight boundaries as he and Josh Philippe (43 off 27) took 33 from the back half of the Powerplay in an 83-run second-wicket stand.

The 27-ball 43 from Philippe, batting one spot lower than his regular opening spot in the BBL, was another promising sign on his first international tour and a clipped six over mid-wicket over Trent Boult was another tantalising glimpse of his immense potential.

Finch brought up his half-century off 33 balls with a switch hit six off an Ish Sodhi free hit before departing to the leg-spinner when he miscued one to short third man.

Maxwell, who had not reached double digits in his first two innings of the tour, started slowly before exploding to bring up a 25-ball half-century with some breathtakingly innovative strokes.

The right-hander twice reverse ‘swept’ Southee short balls past third man for four but saved his most brutal punishment for Jimmy Neesham as he bashed 28 runs off his final over to leave him with the second-most expensive T20I figures by a Kiwi.

The hosts fought back from Meredith’s opening burst as Guptill (43 off 28) and Devon Conway (38 off 27) helped reduce the equation to 100 runs required off the final eight overs.

But Agar, who went wicketless in the opening two T20s, removed Conway, Neesham (for a golden duck to cap a miserable night for the allrounder) and Glenn Phillips in five balls to all but seal Australia’s first win of their trip.

“We had (more than) 200 on the board, it always makes my job easier and the boys bowled beautifully upfront,” said Agar.

“Maybe in the past it (not taking any wickets in the first two games) would have got to me a bit but now I’ve played enough to move on and take it as a new game.”

Three dropped catches, from Marcus Stoinis, Meredith and Finch, in swirling conditions will be the visitors’ only concern heading into the final two games of the series.

Qantas T20I tour of New Zealand 2021

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Daniel Sams, Tanveer Sangha, D'Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa.

New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Hamish Bennett, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, *Martin Guptill (pending fitness test), Kyle Jamieson, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee. *Finn Allen (on stand-by for Guptill)

1st T20: New Zealand won by 53 runs

2nd T20: New Zealand won by four runs

3rd T20: March 3, Sky Stadium, Wellington, 5pm AEDT

4th T20: March 5, Sky Stadium, Wellington, 5pm AEDT

5th T20: March 7, Bay Oval, Tauranga, 12noon AEDT

All matches will be shown live in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo