Glory for Auz, Heartbrake for NZ

Aussies thrash Kiwis by 8 wickets to win their first T20 World Cup

Dubai: An injury-ravaged Mitchell Marsh  finally found his night of reckoning and  glory as he led Australia to their maiden T20  World Cup title with his stroke-filled 77 that  fashioned his team’s comfortable eight-wicket  win over New Zealand, here on Sunday. A target of 173 in a global final is never  easy but Marsh with his power and reach  made it look like a walk in the park in the  company of David Warner (53 off 38 balls),  who also turned the wheels of fortune for  himself and his team during a victory,  achieved in 18.5 overs.

Marsh, a man of immense potential, who  has never really done justice to his enormous  talent, lit the Dubai’s skyline with some  ruthless stroke-play and it was one such night  when Kane Williamson’s touch of class was  left in the shadow.

It’s never the great feeling to watch Williamson as a ‘tragic hero’ but even in defeat,  the graceful Black Caps skipper would doff  his hat for Marsh, who became Australia’s  ‘Man for the Job’, having been promoted  to number three for this tournament. There were twitched eyebrows for  the better part but no more after the  ‘Super Sunday.’

And for all the sceptics,  who believe T20 cricket  only needs shortformat specialist, Australia won their first  title with five Test  specialists -- three  pacers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc  and Josh Hazlewood  -- along with Warner and  Steve Smith in the side.’

After five ODI World Cup  titles, Australia finally  exorcised the ghosts and in  the most professional manner  under a cool but under-rated  skipper Aaron Finch. Warner, who was  humiliated at this  very venue by an Indian IPL franchise,  who made him sit in  the gallery with a flag in hand,  played his part in their stand of 92 in  just under 10 overs.

Unlike New Zealand, who wasted the  first 10, Marsh started the counter attack within the Powerplay as he took  apart Adam Milne with a six, four  and four to set the tone.
Put into bat, Williamson was brutal  and artistic during his beautifully crafted  knock of 85, which took New Zealand to a  competitive 172 for four.

New Zealand literally struggled in the  first 10 overs with Martin Guptill’s painful  28 off 35 balls slowing the proceedings.

Williamson made the stage his own own  with a grace of a ‘ballet dancer’ hitting 10  fours and three sixes in his 47-ball knock. In the last 10 overs, New Zealand scored an  astounding 115 runs to make a match of the  ‘Grand Finale’.

Williamson shifted gears with such ease  that it was a treat to watch him play. The Black Caps skipper showed why he  is one of the modern-day greats during the  back-10 as he strategically took the attack  back to the opposition camp.One for the ages was a ‘pick-up flick’ when  Starc dragged one into his pads and it soared  into the Dubai skyline before landing in the  gallery.

If Starc’s second over was very bad, the  worse came in his third which yielded the  Kiwis 24 runs including four fours and a six.

It was a ‘half-century’ of ignominy that  he would like to forget and also forgive Josh  Hazlewood for what could possibly have been  a ‘match-turning bungle. -(Agencies)