Australia captain Pat Cummins was all praise for his team in the afterglow of a sensational three-wicket victory in Christchurch which sealed a 2-0 series whitewash over hosts New Zealand. Australia found heroes in adversity once more after crashing to 34 for 4 in a fourth-innings chase of 279 with Mitchell Marsh (80) and Alex Carey (98*) joining forces for a 140-run stand.
Marsh was going to be one of their rays of hope for Australia having counter-attacked his way to a run-a-ball 29. He rode his luck as his fierce cut shot in the second over of the day was put down by Rachin Ravindra at point off the bowling of Tim Southee. His batting partner, Travis Head, wasn’t as lucky though as a similar shot two balls later led to his downfall.
With clouds hanging over his spot in the side Alex Carey scored an unbeaten 98 and shared a 140-run stand with Marsh (80) as Australia chased down 279 to complete a 2-0 series sweep and bolster their dominance over Tasman neighbours New Zealand in the format, a lopsided record that now reads a solitary win for the Kiwis in the last 31 years.
Mitchell Marsh brings up his 9th test half-century – his first against New Zealand! 👏@BLACKCAPS v Australia: 2nd Test | LIVE now on DUKE and TVNZ+ 🇳🇿🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/7zLkwcpZTc
— TVNZ+ (@TVNZ) March 11, 2024
