Australia demolishes the Blackcaps in their own backyard: Player ratings for the Visitors

The T20I series between New Zealand, led by Mitchell Santner, and Australia has concluded with the latter emerging victorious in all three matches of the Trans-Tasman rivalry. 

The first T20I took place in Wellington, where Mitchell Marsh‘s Australia secured a six-wicket win. The subsequent two games unfolded in Auckland, witnessing Australia triumph with notable margins of 72 and 27 runs.

Now, let’s delve into the performance ratings of the Australian players in this recently concluded series.

Top Order

Travis Head (6/10): Travis Head showcased consistent performance throughout the series, notching up 20+ runs in all three matches. Despite his consistency, he fell short of converting those starts into half-centuries.

In the series opener, Head blazed his way to 24 runs off just 15 deliveries, boasting a strike rate of 160. His most notable performance came in the second T20I, where he hammered 45 runs off 22 balls, including 2 fours and 5 sixes, with a staggering strike rate of 204.55.

Despite being the highest run-getter of the series with a total of 102 runs in 3 innings, Head faced challenges in the last match, scoring 33 runs off 30 balls with a relatively low strike rate

David Warner (5.5/10): David Warner made a solitary appearance in the series’ first match, where he amassed 32 runs from 20 balls, including one four and three maximums, at a strike rate of 160.

Unfortunately, he was rested in the second T20I as part of Australia’s rotation strategy, and in the third T20I, he was sidelined due to adductor soreness.

Steven Smith (1/10): To compensate for Warner’s absence as an opener, Steven Smith stepped up from ball one in the second and third T20Is but endured a dismal performance throughout the series.

In the second match, Smith got trapped LBW when he was batting on 11 runs off 7 balls. Smith’s innings in the third T20I was even shorter, lasting just 3 balls, where he managed to score a meagre 4 runs.

Middle Order

Glenn Maxwell (4.5/10): Glenn Maxwell, despite being the second-highest run-scorer in the previous T20I series against West Indies, failed to replicate his performance against the hosts this time around.

He began the series with a quickfire 25 runs. However, his bat fell silent in the second game, managing only 6 runs off 4 balls. Nonetheless, Maxwell showcased some spark in the last T20I, accumulating a rapid 20 runs off just 9 balls with 3 boundaries and a six.

Josh Inglis (3.5/10): Josh Inglis also struggled to make an impact with scores of 20 off 20 balls and 5 off 3 balls in the first two games. In the last match, just as he seemed set for a substantial score at 14 off 8 balls, rain intervened, cutting short the match.

Tim David (6/10): Tim David, the star performer from the previous T20I series against Windies, continued his form into this series. In the first match, he emerged as the hero of the night with a last-ball finish, smashing 29 runs off the last two overs, securing victory with a boundary on the final delivery and remaining unbeaten on 31 off 10 balls.

However, he scored a less than run-a-ball 17 runs off 19 deliveries in the second match and remained not out with 8 runs off 3 balls in the last T20I.

Matthew Wade (1/10): Australian Vice-Captain Matthew Wade had limited opportunities in the series. He only batted in the second T20I, managing to score only 1 run off 3 balls.

All-rounders

Marsh smoked 9 sixes throughout the series

Mitchell Marsh (8.5/10): Mitchell Marsh, the Australian skipper, was the standout performer of the series, clinching the Player of the Series award. He delivered match-winning performances with the bat, smashing 72 runs off 44 balls in the first match and contributing 26 runs off 21 balls in the second.

Marsh also made crucial breakthroughs with the ball, dismissing Devon Conway in the first match and Mark Chapman in the second, with bowling figures of 3-0-21-1 and 3-0-18-1 respectively. He was rested for the last game.

Matthew Short (6/10): While he didn’t have a chance to contribute in the first game with either bat or ball, Matthew Short made a significant impact in the last T20I, smashing 27 runs off 11 balls and taking a crucial wicket of Will Young while conceding 33 runs in his 2 overs.

Bowlers

Pat Cummins (6.5/10): In the inaugural match, Pat Cummins, with the ball, conceded 43 runs in 4 overs while securing a crucial wicket.

In the subsequent game, he exhibited versatility by contributing with both bat and ball. Cummins notched up 28 runs off 22 balls while maintaining economical bowling figures, giving away only 19 runs in 3 overs and claiming another wicket. He was wisely rested for the final T20I.

Mitchell Starc (5.5/10): In the series opener, Mitchell Starc conceded 39 runs in four overs but managed to dismiss Finn Allen. However, in the third T20I, Starc demonstrated his lethal bowling skills by conceding only 15 runs in two overs.

Adam Zampa (8/10): Adam Zampa, who emerged as one of the joint highest wicket-takers of the series, spun a captivating web that troubled the Kiwi batters throughout the series.

In the second match, Zampa’s 4/34 was his second-best T20I performance

While he remained wicketless in the first game, he orchestrated a resounding comeback in the subsequent match, clinching a four-wicket haul in just 4 overs while conceding a mere 34 runs. In the final encounter, Zampa’s economical bowling yielded only 20 runs in 2 overs, coupled with the crucial dismissal of Allen.

Josh Hazelwood (6.5/10): Despite securing only a single wicket in the initial two matches, Josh Hazelwood’s impact was nothing short of impeccable. In the series opener, Hazelwood, though wicketless, conceded a mere 36 runs in his allotted 4 overs.

However, he showcased his A-game in the following fixture, yielding just 12 runs in 4 overs, including a maiden over, while dismissing Allen.

Nathan Ellis (8/10): Nathan Ellis in the second match displayed his ability with a notable performance, delivering a spell of 3-0-16-2. In the last match, he proved instrumental, contributing to the victory with a match-winning spell of 2-0-11-2. 

Spencer Johnson (7/10): Spencer Johnson emerged as the standout bowler of the third match. He conceded a mere 10 runs in 2 overs and swiftly sent Tim Seifert back to the pavilion, making a significant contribution to his team’s victory.