TIM David’s stirring 10-ball cameo worth 31 runs nullified a combined New Zealand effort that saw them amass 215/3 in the T20I series opener in Wellington.
New Zealand arrived at the mammoth total via their second-wicket stand between Devon Conway (63 off 46) and Rachin Ravindra (68 off 35) but Australia snared it on the final delivery of the game.

The run-chase hit fever pitch at the 17 over mark when Lockie Ferguson bowled a largely good over in the 18th to leave the visitors with a tough equation of 35 from 12 balls.
Adam Milne then made it tougher by only giving away singles on the first three balls of the over. But then arrived the point from which Tim David dramatically flipped the game on its head.

He started by putting a wide yorker away for a four and following it up with two successive sixes – one straight down the ground off a slower ball and the next over long-on.
Tim Southee, tasked with defending 16 off 6, gave just four runs off the first three balls and looked set to take New Zealand home but once again David took charge and turned the game around. Southee’s attempt to bowl a yorker resulted in a leg side full toss that David smashed over fine leg.

Southee responded with a wide yorker off which David was able to pick two runs.
With four needed off the final ball, David pierced the gap between deep midwicket and wide long-on to complete the exceptional run-chase.
To even get to a point where Australia could have a sniff was down to how well they started.

They lost both openers David Warner and Travis Head early but had 69 runs in 7 overs. Marsh then muscled his way to an unbeaten 72 off just 44 balls.
The edifice of New Zealand’s big total, which they would’ve thought was enough at the halfway stage, was built on the free-spirited Finn Allen’s start and the excellent second-wicket partnership that followed.

Allen and Conway took Glenn Maxwell apart in the Power Play and dragged the team to 59/0 in five overs before a slower one from Mitchell Starc came with Allen’s name on it.
Rachin Ravidra joined Conway and the duo put on a fine display of spin hitting. Between them, Adam Zampa and Maxwell bowled five overs and conceded 74 runs.
Even as they both fell in quick succession at the start of the death overs, New Zealand managed to score 41 off the last four overs to take the team comfortably past the 200-run mark, and yet fall short for a win.(Cricbuzz)