Australia levelled the T20 series with New Zealand, skittling the Black Caps for just 106 in Wellington to set up a do-or-die finale on Sunday. In blustery conditions on Friday night, Aaron Finch smacked 26 off Kyle Jamieson’s final over to power Australia to 156-6 at an empty Sky Stadium.
The total was well short of their 208-4 at the same venue on Wednesday but proved enough for a 50-run victory over an out-of-sorts New Zealand.
Australia squeezed the hosts by front-loading their attack with spin. Fresh from his Australian record 6-30, Ashton Agar (2-11) opened the bowling as Finch kept the ball in his tweakers’ hands for nine of the opening 13 overs.
Agar had Martin Guptill (7) caught in the deep early, while Glenn Maxwell (2-14) lured Kane Williamson (8) into an errant sweep.
Under pressure to up the run rate, Glenn Phillips (1) ran himself out to leave the Black Caps stranded at 41-4 after 10 overs. From that point, New Zealand were effectively out of the contest, ruing a loose finish with the ball that turned the match.
Finch was plodding for most of his innings, reaching his half-century off a pedestrian 47 balls. At 130-6, he unloaded in the final over, crunching two sixes over extra cover, another over long-on and putting the final ball of the innings into the stands over midwicket.
The captain finished with 79 off 55 in a superbly judged innings, coming after his fine 69 on Wednesday night. Finch’s final over brought more runs than every partnership he shared with Australia’s established batters, as Matthew Wade (14), Josh Philippe (13), Maxwell (18) and Marcus Stoinis (19) all struck out trying to up the run rate.
Agar, in at six ahead of Mitch Marsh, looked at sea and was bowled for a third-ball duck, with Marsh following shortly after for six. At that point, Finch realised the innings was on his bat, upping his strike rate beyond 100.
The 34-year-old also moved past the absent Dave Warner to become Australia’s all-time leading T20 international run scorer and just the fifth man to clock 100 international T20 sixes.
The series will be decided at the same venue on Sunday, with fans allowed back in the stands after the easing of New Zealand’s Covid restrictions.