Australia clinched a thrilling victory over New Zealand by a mere five runs in a high-scoring contest, securing their fourth consecutive win in the ongoing 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. They posted a gigantic total of 388 in the first innings and effectively limited New Zealand to 383 runs.
Pat Cummins, the Australian skipper, praised Travis Head for the positive intent he showed in his comeback game. “It was awesome. They just kept coming at us and it was a fantastic game of cricket. Travis has been away for 5 weeks, first hit back in the game and the kind of intent they (openers) showed, they led from the front. It was a good wicket and at times we probably gave too much width and some really good partnerships there. Fielding made a big difference,” he said in the presser.
Meanwhile, Head talked about how he shares a good rapport with his fellow opener, David Warner. “Nice to be back. Nice to be contributing. Nice to get the win, got very close there. I had only had a couple of hits (since coming back from injury). Few blokes found it tough out there, keep pushing with the bat. We (him and Warner) play together really well. We complement each other really well, make sure we stay connected with each other and stay with each other.”
Despite narrowly missing a victory, New Zealand’s temporary captain, Tom Latham, expressed his pride in the team’s efforts. He also shared his thoughts on how the Australian openers put the New Zealand side under a lot of pressure in the first 10 overs. “Ebbed and flowed throughout the 100 overs. To come so close obviously hurts, but a fantastic game. They put us on the back foot straight away and at that point it was about containing them and keep taking wickets.”
Latham also acknowledged the performances of Glenn Phillips with the ball and centurion Rachin Ravindra. “He (Phillips) bowled well under pressure, to come and bowl 10 overs and pick up 3 wickets it was really crucial. Great to see the work he is putting in and it is paying off. The openers got us off to a fantastic start and Rachin played a fantastic knock, one of the better ones you will see chasing. I am proud of the guys.”