Picture Credit: Disney+ Hotstar
Australia defeated New Zealand by 8 wickets at the end of the roller-coaster ride at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday night. While both the sides shared their moments of dominance throughout the game, the Aussies emerged victorious eventually to take their maiden T20 World Cup trophy home. It was Mitchell Marsh's unbeaten 77 off 50 that held one end tight, while 53 off 38 from David Warner and unbeaten 28 off 18 from Glenn Maxwell saw the side crossing the finishing line with 7 balls to spare.
Glenn Maxwell played a reverse sweep to hit the winning runs. Before the ball could reach the third man boundary, the Australian players sitting in the dugout started running towards the pitch in joy. Meanwhile, Marsh hugged his fellow batter Maxwell before throwing his bat and helmet while running and hugging invaded players Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa. Maxwell also joined the trio in the the celebration. Talking about the crazy scenes in the dugout, Steve Smith also hugged David Warner from behind and almost everyone was shouting post the sensational win.
Watch the moment here:
Marsh guides Australia to hard-fought win
Chasing a competitive target of 173 runs, Australia lost an early wicket in the form of Aaron Finch. They were 15/1 after 2.3 overs and it seemed that New Zealand might take the game away form their reach. However, Warner and Mitchell Marsh then stitched 92 runs for the second wicket to turn the game on its head. Later, Maxwell's quickfire cameo alongside Marsh's marathon knock took Australia home.
Earlier, Kane Williamson's 85 off 48 had guided the Black Caps to 172/4 in 20 overs. Josh Hazlewood was the star performer for the Aussies as he returned 3/16 in his quota of 4 overs. Meanwhile, Adam Zampa claimed the another Kiwi wicket that fell in the night.