Key posts
Poll: Who wins at Eden Park?
Dropped: Head rides his luck
Ben Sears into the attack, Adam Milne given just the one over to start even with a wicket. Trent Boult has taken some stick at the other end – 24 from his two overs – with Matthew Short hammering a six over mid-wicket and a boundary over extra-cover.
The first one had plenty of edge to it, the second was all middle.
Streaky stuff so far from Travis Head,Credit: Getty
Travis Head is half beaten by a Sears off-cutter, but he still bottoms edges a hoik to leg and pinches a boundary. New Zealand bowling well here, Travis Head stealing most of his 16 so far.
Sears finishes well, and he’s up around 144 km/hr. Head should be on his way – dropped at gully by Josh Clarkson as he flashes hard off the back foot. That went fast but should have been caught. Milne switches ends.
Australia: 1-37 (Head 18*, Short 14*)
Wicket: Extra bounce knocks over Smith
Revenge of the seamer. A bit of pace and bounce from Adam Milne has Smith trying to force off the back foot. Succeeds only in edging through to keeper Tim Seifert for a sharp catch. Matt Short to the crease after a flurry of four boundaries in four balls.
The Kiwis celebrate an early breakthrough.Credit: Getty
Smith doing his usual staring at the pitch after being sent on his way. Excellent over from Milne, five from it with a wicket to boot after Smith belted that first ball for a one-bounce boundary.
Australia: 1-17 (Head 12*, Short 1*)
Play begins in Auckland
Righto, players are in the middle at Eden Park. It’s gloomy, but we’re on, for now at least. Steve Smith and Travis Head opening for the tourists. Trent Boult with the first over after getting belted on Friday night. Humid and sticky on the ground, tipping a bit of swing for the veteran to start.
Steve Smith goes through his usual routine.Credit: Getty
First ball: Starts on off and swings dramatically away from Travis Head. Leaves alone but that’s promising for Boult.
Second ball: And so is that. Similar length and Head is trying to heave away on the leg side. Only toes it to gully, along the ground though.
Third ball: Beats him all ends up. On a good length and shaping away off the seam. Head backs away and fends off the back foot, ugly stuff.
Fourth ball: Similar stuff, but Head gets off the mark with a boundary. Full outside off and shaping toward the slips, but he’s able to edge that over gully for four.
Fifth ball: More of the same. Oh to be a bowler in this format. Head flays a top edge over the offside. Mark Chapman slides in the field and flicks the ball back into his heel. Will Young can’t stop it rolling into the rope.
Sixth ball: And then Head middles one straight down the ground for four. Beautiful shot. So a very good over ends up costing 12. As a mediocre medium pacer, I’m officially off it.
Adam Milne now from the other end, Smith hammers a boundary to fine leg first ball, and that deserved to go. Bad ball begging to be hooked.
Australia: 0-16 (Smith 4*, Head 12*)
How cricket’s superpowers ignored a blueprint to save Tests
Australia, England and India were given a blueprint to save Test cricket last year. They left it on the shelf.
The blueprint took the form of a discussion paper penned largely by Martin Snedden, the much-travelled former chair of New Zealand Cricket and the only member of the International Cricket Council board of directors to have played Test cricket.
Australia, India and England are the mighty “big three” in world cricketCredit: Getty
This masthead has obtained briefing documents from the ICC future tours program review chaired by Snedden in 2023, which outlined the problems facing international cricket as domestic Twenty20 leagues encroach on ever more months of the calendar.
The subcommittee’s research was presented to the ICC board at its annual conference in Durban in July last year. According to several eyewitnesses, speaking on condition of anonymity because ICC board discussions are confidential, the project generated virtually zero constructive discussion of the future. “They basically rolled their eyes and ignored it,” one said.
Among numerous “themes from consultations” contained in the discussion paper were:
- Proposed additional windows in the calendar for T20 leagues other than the IPL.
- Recognition of the need to improve the world Test championship points system – possibly with two divisions or two conferences of six Test teams.
- Tighter ODI structures with qualifying for both World Cups and Champions Trophy over two-year cycles.
- Suggestions that a 40-over ODI format would work better in the current day – first World Cup matches were played over 60 overs.
- Concerns about a complete lack of context for T20 international matches.
- Consideration of broadcast rights pooling for bilateral cricket.
Read the full story here.
Teams: Smith’s last crack at securing World Cup spot
Steve Smith gets another crack for Australia at the top of the order in place of David Warner (groin soreness). This is Australia’s last T20 before the World Cup in June. Smith is surely on the plane, but probably not in the first-choice XI, a big innings here could change that.
Big day for Steve Smith.Credit: Getty
Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins also get a rest, bringing Spencer Johnson into the side. Mitchell Starc also comes in as Matthew Short replaces Mitch Marsh at No.3.
Australian XI: 1 Steve Smith, 2 Travis Head, 3 Matt Short, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Josh Inglis, 6 Tim David, 7 Matthew Wade (captain, wk), 8 Mitch Starc, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Spencer Johnson
New Zealand XI: 1 Finn Allen, 2 Will Young, 3 Tim Seifert (wk), 4 Glenn Phillips, 5 Mark Chapman, 6 Josh Clarkson, 7 Mitch Santner (captain), 8 Adam Milne, 9 Ish Sodhi, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Ben Sears.
Changes aplenty for the Kiwis too. Devon Conway has a thumb injury that’s threatening his spot in Thursday’s Test, while Rachin Ravindra has also been kept in cotton wool for that game. Tim Seifert is back into the side with the gloves as cover for Conway.
Toss: NZ bowl first with rain hanging around
Matthew Wade is Australia’s stand-in captain for Mitch Marsh and New Zealand has won the toss, opting to bowl given some dicey weather around Auckland today.
Wade says the Australians would have bowled first as well. Covers have been pulled off and players are warming up. We might get some interruptions due to rain throughout today, hence both teams being keen to bowl.
Watch: Wade’s stunner from the last clash
Poll: Who wins at Eden Park?
Welcome to the third and final T20
Morning, or kia ora as they say in the local tongue,
We’ve got the final T20 of a compelling series for you today, and Australia are gunning for 3-0 at Eden Park, arguably the friendliest batting ground in all the lands.
David Warner won’t play today, he’s been ruled out with a dodgy groin, and this is Australia’s last hit-out before Thursday’s first Test against New Zealand in Wellington. We’ll have the first ball at 11am AEDT, the toss and confirmed teams 15 minutes or so before.
