Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh's terrific century took the side over the line against New Zealand in the final T20I of the three-match assignment as the Baggy Greens sealed the series by 2-0. This was Marsh's maiden T20I ton and it came at a time when Australia needed it badly. The all-rounder single-handedly carried his side to the 157-run target and that is why he was evenb adjudged the Player of the Match.
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl first, Australia got the wicket of Devon Conway in the first over itself thanks to Josh Hazlewood. The duo of Tim Seifert and Tim Robinson tried to stitch a big partnership, however Hazlewood brought an end to the latter's stay at the crease in the fifth over for 13 runs. The wickets didn't stop falling for the Black Caps in the powerplay as in the very next over, Mark Chapman was sent back to the pavilion by Sean Abbott.
Seifert tried his best to help New Zealand get some runs on the board, but wickets kept on falling from the other end. After Daryl Mitchell's dismissal for nine runs in the 10th over, Seifert also wasn't able to carry on for too long and lost his wicket to Xavier Bartlett for 48 runs in the 13th over.
New Zealand's total wasn't quite big
Michael Bracewell and James Neesham's important cameos of 26 and 25 respectively helped the hosts get to a fighting total of 156/9 in 20 overs. Abbott was the star performer for the Baggy Greens with the ball, picking up three wickets while Hazlewood and Bartlett also chipped in with two wickets each.
In reply, Australia also didn't have a good start to their innings and lost Travis Head in the fourth over for just 8 runs as Jacob Duffy opened his wicket-account. Though he wasn't getting a lot of support from the other end, Marsh kept on smacking the opposing bowlers and helped the side get valuable runs on the board.
Marsh batted like a lone warrior
However, no batter other than him was able to handle the Kiwi bowling attack as the likes of Matt Short, Tim David, Alex Carey and Marcus Stoinis all departed for cheap scores, leaving Australia in big trouble at 93/5. But, runs kept on coming from the other end as Marsh never slowed down. Despite being under a lot of pressure, the 33-year-old ensured that Australia reached the target within 20 overs. He completed his hundred in 18th over, carrying Australia to the three-wicket victory. Abbott was the one to score the winning runs as he hit Duffy for a boundary which saw the visitors reach the target with 12 deliveries left to spare.
This win not only saw Australia win the series, but it also branded Marsh as one of the most dangerous opening batters in T20Is as of current. He will now be seen leading the side in the upcoming five-match T20I series against India that is set to begin from October 29.