AUS VS NZ: Tim David’s Spectacular Batting Rescues Australia in New Zealand Run-Fest In their 1st T20I

Tim David has saved his team numerous times in circumstances similar to this one. Regardless of whose team he plays for, that has been his main responsibility in the T20 format. Nevertheless, when David struck an unbeaten 31 off just 10 balls, including a last-ball boundary, at the Sky Stadium in Wellington on Wednesday, there was a sense of incredulity as Australia pulled off an incredible heist against the hosts in the first Twenty20 International of the series. Australian players, including captain Mitchell Marsh, were left speechless after witnessing that storm knock from the other end of the crease. New Zealand players appeared stunned, and there was hush on the field.

With a massive 216 to chase, Australia needed 35 runs in the last two overs. An over earlier, the visitors had lost a struggling Josh Inglis, so now they had David as a new batsman to go with Marsh, who was far past his fifty years of age and would probably be the focal point of the pursuit for the duration. However, David came up just as the game appeared to be slipping away from the Australians, following Adam Milne’s penultimate over, in which he gave up just three runs in his opening three deliveries.

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At six feet five inches, David’s assault began fortuitously when, in the fourth ball of the nineteenth over, he got the toe end of the bat against a wide yorker from Milne. The equation was lowered to 28 runs from eight balls when the boundary went past the third man. Now, when did we last hear from those numbers? MCG. Virat Kohli. Pakistan versus India. Does this sound familiar?

Even if it wasn’t exactly the same way, David managed a Kohli. He hit two more deliveries for sixes in the 19th over, one over cow corner and the other over deep mid-wicket. Even yet, Australia was still well short of the objective when veteran Tim Southee took the field for the last over, needing 16 runs to win.

Australia, who scored just four runs in the first three balls of the last over, needed 12 off the next three after Marsh was able to get David back on strike before the fourth ball.

The 27-year-old then got just two runs off the next ball after hitting the longer one from Southee for a six over fine leg. The bowler from New Zealand attempted to bowl another low full-toss, but on the last ball, he made a mistake and David hit the uncooked yorker on middle past mid-wicket for a boundary. Despite his best efforts, Glenn Phillips could not keep up and was defeated.

Earlier in the game, New Zealand scored 215 for three thanks to a century stand between Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, who were both heading into their fifties. Although Marsh scored 72* off 44 balls during the chase, it was David’s lightning-fast stroke that enabled Australia to win by six wickets.

The series finale will take place at the same location the day after the second Twenty20 International, which is scheduled for February 23 in Auckland.

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