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26th over: New Zealand 109-3 (Williamson 26, Phillips 1) Maxwell draws the batsmen, just three runs from his over. New Zealand need 159 off 143 balls and to get them you would think Kane Williamson will have to be there at the end.
WICKET! Mitchell c Smith b Hazlewood 16
A top edge from Mitchell gifts Steve Smith a simple catch at point and Hazlewood gets the breakthrough. Mitchell was looking to push forward but leaves his captaincy even more on his shoulders.
Glenn Phillips is the new man and we have had 25 overs under lights.
25th over: New Zealand 106-3 (Williamson 24, Phillips 0)
24th over: New Zealand 101-3 (Williamson 19, Mitchell 16) Glenn Maxwell arrives to send in his handy adjusters. Eeeesht! A single to Steve Smith and he would have gone with a direct hit! Smith hits the turf in disgust with himself. Four from Maxwell’s first and the hundred arrives for the Kiwis.
23rd over: New Zealand 97-3 (Williamson 17, Mitchell 14) At the moment Williamson is tortoise and Mitchell is hare. Mitchell charges Hazlewood and throws him three into the cow corner. Williamson is content to slip long point and take another single. Mitchell lines up a cross bat trick but doesn’t connect, will have to settle for a single. let’s continue
22nd over: New Zealand 92-3 (Williamson 16, Mitchell 10) Four singles off Zampa, we’re in the heavy overs. Can New Zealand break the shackles and back of this chase? Can Australia pick up a couple of quick wickets and hit them well and truly off course? Josh Hazlewood is summoned by skipper Finch.
21st over: New Zealand 88-3 (Williamson 14, Mitchell 8) Shot! Mitchell brings Starc back on his head with a wonderfully straight blade, the ball falls for a bounce of four and Mitchell holds his stance, enjoying the stroke.
20th over: New Zealand 83-3 (Williamson 13, Mitchell 4) Twenty overs done and dusted, Williamson takes a single and Zampa gifts a pull to Mitchell who moves to the boundary to open his account.
19th over: New Zealand 78-3 (Williamson 12, Mitchell 0) Finch calls on hitman Starc to try and squeeze New Zealand further. It works, Starc bowls the ball outside off and the Kiwis can only muster one. The operating speed goes above six and the pressure cooker starts to whistle.
WICKET! Latham st Carey b Zampa 15
A wicket shortly after the break as New Zealand start to bog down in this chase. Latham dances down the wicket but the ball bounces off his pad and runs out to Carey, who bails with the batsman stranded on his ground.
Moose Mitchell is the new batsman and his side is sputtering slightly.
18th over: New Zealand 77-3 (Williamson 11, Mitchell 0)
17th over: New Zealand 75-2 (Williamson 10, Latham 9) Cam Green is back after drinking, Finch rotates his bowlers regularly in his last over. Only three runs come from it as the run rate rises to six overs.
Marnus: Never knowing half heartedly
Updated at 10.53 BST
16th over: New Zealand 72-2 (Williamson 9, Latham 7) Zampa turns again and is playing a tight line, just a single managed by Latham from the over. The players will have a drink – the game is well prepared. Time to go to the kitchen and put the kettle on.
15th over: New Zealand 71-2 (Williamson 9, Latham 6) Latham looks to be positive against Abbott, using his feet and getting the ball into the gaps. New Zealand just in a holding pattern here. Five above
Updated at 10.45am BST
14th over: New Zealand 66-2 (Williamson 8, Latham 2) Williamson back on Green’s shoelaces but the tall bowler can’t get down in time to take him, a quarter of a chance at best of cases, as Williamson has absolutely nailed it. Two at most, one for each batter.
13th over: New Zealand 64-2 (Williamson 7, Latham 1) Williamson takes five from the miserly Abbott, a thump through the covers takes Kane for his first boundary. The two teams go head-to-head here, roughly honors.
WICKET! Allen c Hazlewood b Green 35
Disappeared! Perhaps frustrated by the last maiden, Allen looks to force things but it only serves to flick the ball to Hazlewood at mid-on who takes a fine low catch. Tom Latham joins his skipper at the crease and gets off the mark with a lively single.
12th over: New Zealand 59-2 (Williamson 2, Latham 1)
Updated at 10.37am BST
11th over: New Zealand 56-1 (Allen 35, Williamson 0) Abbott thwarts Allen with a tidy maiden. The bowler also hits Allen on the pad but it looks high, umpire Paul Reiffel twitching his right hand as he seems to do sometimes, screams that would make you hungry as a batsman, eh? is Not Out, despite the seizure.
10th over: New Zealand 56-1 (Allen 35, Williamson 0) Adam Zampa is called upon to bring down his box of effervescent spinners. Three points played by Finn Allen before the batsman plays the shot of the match so far, balletic footwork and a beautiful pull down the ground for a high six on the black screen! The next ball is hit over length for a single. This is a good contest.
WICKET! Conway c Smith b Abbott 21 (New Zealand 49-1)
Soft signal overruled by the third umpire after numerous replays and Conway has to go. He doesn’t seem all that convinced, but my gut feeling, FOR WHAT IT’S WORTH, is that it was a fair catch.
Abbott starts with a maiden wicket. Captain Williamson comes to the crease.
9th over: New Zealand 49-1 (Allen 28, Williamson 0)
We have a catch review: Sean Abbot is on the attack and induces a punch from Conway that goes to Steve Smith at one point. Did Smith manage to get his fingers under it? The soft signal is not out…
8th over: New Zealand 49-0 (Allen 28, Conway 21) Allen gets into the act, driving Hazlewood down the ground for four. The tall bowler tries a short one and Allen snubs it off for four more! A fielding mistake by Glenn Maxwell at long-on sees Allen grab a couple…and another boundary to finish, a dusting to the square-leg fence sees 14 runs plundered by Hazlewood.
7th over: New Zealand 35-0 (Allen 14, Conway 21) Cam Green replaces Starc and Conway piles on his first ball and sends four over mid-wicket. Will they target Green? That seems to be the plan: Conway drives classically along the carper for four more. glorious New Zealand, the best in the series, started with eight, decent.
6th over: New Zealand 27-0 (Allen 14, Conway 13) The parsimonious Hazlewood continues, his first ball is driven by Allen and just squirms to the fence as a result of a half stop at covers . Hazlewood closes the rest of the end, but five successive points frustrate Allen and keep New Zealand honest.
5th over: New Zealand 23-0 (Allen 10, Conway 13) There doesn’t seem to be much swing for the Aussie bowlers, and Starc would surely find some if there was. Conway and Allen are timing the ball well but keep finding the fielder. Shoot! Shoot again! Conway immediately pays for it by sweetly timing two full balls on his pads to the mid-wicket boundary. Eight more
ICYMI: That was a nice touch earlier.
4th over: New Zealand 15-0 (Allen 10, Conway 5) Devon Conway is tying up and sucking a few too many points, Hazlewood is allowed to go ahead with his ‘binary solo’. Conway decides to charge it and manages to slide the ball past point for a single. Allen is unlucky to get the miserly bowler away, so it’s a solitary single. “He’s got the clamps on,” purrs Ian Smith.
3rd over: New Zealand 14-0 (Allen 10, Conway 4) Just a couple of times, Allen gets off his hip for two but can only block the rest of Starc’s probe.
2nd over: New Zealand 12-0 (Allen 8, Conway 4) Ian Smith calls Josh Hazlewood a ‘bowling robot’ on TV commentary, which raises a smile. He suggests that New Zealand will have to bother him and not let him throw his robotic line. Allen, duly superior, pulls it over the keeper for four. A single gets Conway on strike and he’s more alert. The ball seems to skate under the lights on this cool Cairns course.
Robo Boogie by Josh Hazlewood
Updated at 09.44 BST
1st over: New Zealand 7-0 (Allen 3, Conway 4) Decent start for the visitors, Allen away from the start with a first-ball clip for a couple. A single to long-leg takes Conway on strike and glances a wayward ball from Starc over the fence for the first boundary of the chase. Starc adjusts his line and finishes with three points, including a beauty that slips off Conway’s edge.
Praise be, the TV is back in Cairns under lights and the players are taking to the field. New Zealand need 268 to win. Finn Allen and Devon Conway open and Mitchell Starc has the brilliant white ball on his left leg. Let’s play!
Oh and please get in touch and keep me company, any thoughts or theories are welcome. Deets below.
Email James Wallace or tweet @Jimbo_Cricket)
Updated at 09.35 BST
Thanks Jonathan, best stage ever. Hi OBO -Jim here to call the kiwi chase. I’m a few thousand miles away in sunny south London and my TV is currently showing a tribute to footballer Luca Modric, who would surely be a small but stylish middle-order striker?
This was my favorite part of the Aussie tickets:
Jonathan Howcroft
Australia would have been 267 at the start of play after being invited to bat by Kane Williamson, and would have only dreamed of that total when they were 41-2 at the 17-over break. That they reached such a healthy total was due to a tough partnership between Steve Smith (105) and Marnus Labuschagne (52). It wasn’t pretty, and he didn’t start with much intent, but he stemmed the bleeding after two early wickets and picked up momentum as the innings wore on, creating a late spell highlighted by…