ICC Cricket World Cup 2011: Tait and Johnson Help Australia to Defeat New Zealand

Australia have beat their closest cricket-playing neighbours in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 match on Friday 25th February 2011, as they won by 7 wickets with 16 Overs to spare.

Australia won the toss, and put New Zealand into bat, where they were soon reduced to 20 for 1 wicket, as opener Guptill (10) was clean bowled by Watson.

Then came the vital passage of play as Tait and Mitchell Johnson set about removing players with startling regularity.

Tait collected the wicket of B McCullum (16) with the score on 40 for 2, but then he and Johnson took another four wickets for just 32 runs, as Johnson took Ryder (25) caught Haddin, before the same combination, three dot balls later, took Franklin (0).

When Brad Haddin caught Styris (0), this time from the bowling of Tait, New Zealand had slumped to 67 for 5.

Worse was to come for the Kiwis, as number four batsman, Taylor (7) was then clean bowled by Tait, with the score on 73 for 6 wickets.

New Zealand rallied with important innings from numbers 7, 8 and 9, as How (22), N McCullum (52) and captain Daniel Vettori (44) gave their bowlers something to defend.

When Southee went on 6 runs, New Zealand were All Out for 206, which is probably 100 better than it had been heading at one stage, but would surely not be enough against an experienced one day batting attack such as Australia.

And so it would prove, as openers Watson (62 from 61 deliveries) and Haddin (55 from 50 deliveries) both scored half centuries to set up a relaxed feeling to the Australian innings.

Bennett let off some steam by taking both of the openers’ wickets – in clean bowling Watson, and having Haddin caught by Franklin – but was a little expensive at the same time, going for 63 runs off his 7 overs.

Ponting came and went on 12, after being stumped by B McCullum from the bowling of Southee, before Michael Clarke (24 Not Out) and Cameron White (22 Not Out) wrapped up the match.

The key to this game was Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson‘s dual demolition job on the New Zealand top and middle order – working as a pair, these two ripped apart a good batting line-up in a way that must worry any top nation with designs on the 2011 Cricket World Cup: these two pace-men look deadly, as ever, in this tournament.

Tait ended with figures of 3 for 35 off 7 overs; while Johnson went a little better, picking up 4 for 33 off 9.1.

New Zealand will hope for more from their top order next time out, while Australia have only the continuing under-par performances from the experienced Ricky Ponting as a blot on an otherwise untarnished copybook following this excellent display.

Australia v New Zealand – ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Scorecard