World Cup 2023: Austraia beat New Zealand by 5 runs

In a thrilling encounter at the ODI World Cup 2023, Australia emerged victorious over New Zealand by a narrow margin of five runs. The match, held at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, was a high-scoring spectacle that kept spectators on the edge of their seats until the very last ball on Saturday, 28 October.

Australia, led by Travis Head's spectacular century and David Warner's impressive 81, piled up a massive total of 388 runs. This was despite New Zealand winning the toss and opting to bowl first, hoping to exploit the conditions to their advantage.

The Kiwis, however, put up a gallant fight. Rachin Ravindra hit nine fours and five sixes in his 116, while Devon Conway and Will Young provided a strong start to the Black Caps' chase, reaching 50 in just 31 balls. Despite their efforts, New Zealand fell short by five runs, ending with a score of 383/9 in 50 overs.

This victory was not just a testament to Australia's batting prowess but also their exceptional fielding under pressure. In the final over, they had to field with five fielders inside the ring due to a slow over rate. However, they managed to summon every ounce of



experience and athleticism to emerge victorious.

Speaking after the match, Australia opener Head said that he was confident about his team winning despite the nervy final over, where NZ bought down the equation from 19 off 6 to 7 off the final 2 balls.

"I felt pretty confident still. What a fixture! Nice to be involved in it, very high scoring and we held on really really well in a high pressure situation, so that was nice," Head said in the post match press conference.

Asked about his batting and the opening partnership, Head said that he and Warner wanted to be aggressive.

"We have been pretty aggressive in the partnership, David and I. You have to give yourself the best chance. It was nice to get two free hits in a row to get me away. Me and David have tried to be positive, trying to set a platform and get 390 and we would take that everyday," Head spoke about Australia's batting effort.

The match was a record-breaking one, with a cumulative score of 771 being the highest aggregate score in a World Cup game. This surpassed the previous record of 754 runs set by South Africa and Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament.