New Zealand committed some unforced mistakes during the first ODI of the three-match series in Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) on Friday. Australia had won the toss and decided to bat first and they were off to a fine start as David Warner and Aaron Finch put on a 124-run stand for the opening wicket, but the things would’ve been very different had New Zealand decided to take the DRS not one but two decisions.
On both occasions, Finch was clearly out but New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was in no mood of taking the DRS. The first instance was as early as the third over in Sydney. With just 9 runs on the board and 2.1 overs gone, Finch attempted a pull shot to a Trent Boult bouncer. There were appeals all around but the umpire turned it down.
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The commentator clearly said “there was noise there” but Williamson, who was looking positive to review the decision, decided against taking it. Replays showed a big spike on ‘UltraEdge’ when the ball went past the bat.’
Will New Zealand regret this non-review?#AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/VwmpHrzmQE
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 13, 2020
The second reprieve for Finch came during the 13th over. Batting on 23, he was struck on the pads by Mitchell Santner, and while the left-arm spinner clearly thought that the ball was crashing on to the stumps, Williamson was not so sure.
Another non-review from the Black Caps against Finch! #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/CJ0RloCket
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 13, 2020
The umpire signaled ‘not out’ and once again, New Zealand decided against using the DRS. Replays showed that the ball hit the pads first with Finch late to get his bat down. Ball-tracking showed three reds, with the ball smashing the leg-stump.
Eventually, Finch was dismissed on 60 off 75 balls by Santner but by that time he had made a decent amount of damage. New Zealand did manage to pull things back with Finch, Steve Smith (14) and D Arcy Short (5) falling in quick succession. The hosts finished their quota of 50 overs after registering 258/7 on the board.
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At the time of writing this, New Zealand were 62 for one in 19 overs. The Australia vs New Zealand ODI series is being played without fans due to the coronavirus pandemic. Cricket Australia said the fate of Australia’s three-match T20I series in New Zealand later this month was still being considered.
