Australia reaches 267 thanks to Smith’s 105!
Australia reaches 267 thanks to Smith’s 105! In the last one-day international (ODI) of the Chappell-Hadlee series in Cairns, Steven Smith hit a brilliant 105. This helped Australia get a good score of 267 for 5 in 50 overs.
New Zealand put Australia in to bat, and they again got off to a bad start. They lost both of their openers when the score was 16. Tim Southee got Aaron Finch out with a straight ball for just five runs in his last ODI. At that point, Smith and Marnus Labuschagne worked to fix things and put together a 118-run partnership with the third wicket.
How it happened…
At first, it was hard for the two of them to get used to the two speeds of the wicket and the way the ball moved off the seam. Trent Boult and Southee, both of whom have been around for a long time, also bowled three straight “maiden” overs. Then, in the 16th over, Smith tried to break free with a good drive through the covers off Lockie Ferguson. Then, he went on to get two boundaries from Jimmy Neesham. Labuschagne hit Ferguson a couple of times over the fence, and Australia’s run rate kept going up as time went on.
Just as the two looked like they were going to speed up, Labuschagne hit a ball deep to midwicket off Ferguson. Once his batting partner was out, Smith put on a great show with the bat. He pulled, lofted, and charged down the pitch to loft Southee over mid-off. In the 44th over, Smith reached his 12th ODI century. Soon, he was out because of a smart bowling move by Santner. Then, with flight, the spinner pulled Smith out of the crease and hit the stumps.
Maxwell and Cameron Green, in particular, hit Boult, Southee, and Ferguson hard in the last few overs, helping Australia get over the 250-run mark. Carey did his part, too, by almost getting a run-a-ball 42. Boult, on the other hand, took two wickets and ended up with an impressive 2 for 25 from 10 overs.
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