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T20 World Cup, final: Mitchell Marsh, David Warner shine as Australia beat New Zealand by 8 wickets to win maiden title
Australia cruised past New Zealand in Dubai to lift their first T20 World Cup title.
Australia won their maiden T20 World Cup title in Dubai, beating Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand by 8 wickets in the final of the tournament on Sunday. Mitchell Marsh (77*), along with opener David Warner (53) led the successful 173-run chase for Australia, as the side cruised to victory with 7 balls to spare. (AUS vs NZ Live, T20 World Cup Final)
The match had tilted in favor of Australia even before a ball was bowled, with Aaron Finch winning the all-important toss and opting to bowl. After a fighting innings from Kane Williamson led New Zealand to 172/4 in 20 overs, half-centuries from Warner and Marsh took Australia to a historic first title. It was yet another World Cup final heartbreak for New Zealand, however, with a seemingly easy run-chase from Australia reminiscing the memories of the ODI World Cup final in 2015.
Kane Williamson's blistering 85 had powered New Zealand to a strong score despite a slow start to their innings, as they had put only 32/1 at the end of Powerplay. The New Zealand captain shifted gears after Martin Guptill's (28 off 35 balls) prolonged struggles at the crease, as Williamson took only 48 deliveries for his 85.
Regular wickets hurt New Zealand, however, with Josh Hazlewood being the pick of the bowlers with an outstanding spell of 3/16 in the innings. Bar Williamson and Guptill, no other Kiwi batter could cross the 20-run mark, which further highlighted the contribution from Williamson.
Australia had lost Aaron Finch (5) early in the run-chase, but Marsh and Warner put 92 runs for the second-wicket partnership to not only rebuild the Australian innings but also steer the game away from New Zealand's grasp.
Trent Boult, who had inflicted the early blow of Finch, also removed Warner in the 13th over but it was too little, too late for New Zealand. Glenn Maxwell, who had a rather forgettable tournament with the bat, remained unbeaten on 28 to give the Aussies a comprehensive win in the final.
