New Zealand vs Australia, 1st T20I - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Australia have landed the first punch in this 3-match T20I series at Bay Oval. But New Zealand have a chance to even things up when the two teams return here in two days time. The second T20I is on Friday and we'll be back with our ball-by-ball coverage. Do join us for all the action. For now, cheers and bye..

Michael Bracewell | New Zealand Captain - In the powerplay in both innings, we got behind the game. Did well to get a total on the board, but Head and Marsh took the game away from us in the powerplay, we were always fighting to get back since then. It's 20-20 cricket, some mishits go up in the air and it's a completely different story. Today was their day, but we kept scrapping until the end and can take this going into the next few matches. Tim (Robinson) played beautifully, we didn't take a step backwards after we lost three inside the second over, we did get a good total at the end of the batting PP, but lost a wicket or two too many. We need to do better in terms of execution with the ball, some of them just went over our heads, but that's the way the game rolls on. Just need to learn from this and come back well. It's a good thing, to have a break tomorrow and come back once again, no time to dwell on tonight's performance (on the short turnaround between matches).

Mitchell Marsh | Player of the Match | Australia Captain - Nice innings, it's important to start off a 3-match series with a win and it's nice to contribute. We've had great times off-field and it's good to continue the partnership in the middle (on his partnership with Travis Head). We do have a lot of power in the batting line-up, but we need to work out things organically. I was just hoping to get out to the middle and continue batting well. I'm always a bat first captain, but we've bowled first in 15 of the last 16 games so far. The most pleasing thing is the way we handled the wind, we had a good crack and got lucky at times. Just defend on the big side, keep it simple and back your plans (on his advice to the bowlers). We've been playing some good cricket, the T20 WC is still a long way away, we've been formulating some plans and it's nice when things go your way. 

Mitchell Marsh’s 85 is the joint second-best score for AUS vs NZ in T20Is, alongside Andrew Symonds’ 85* (WACA, 2007), and only behind Ricky Ponting’s 98* in the first ever Men’s T20I played at the Eden Park, Auckland in 2005.

Most balls remaining in a successful 180-plus T20I chase
24 - PAK vs NZ, Auckland, 2025 (T: 205)
23 - AUS vs WI, Basseterre, 2025 (T: 215)
21 - AUS vs NZ, Mount Maunganui, 2025 (T: 182)
20 - SL vs BAN, Mirpur 2018 (T: 194)
19 - PAK vs IRE, Dublin, 2024 (T: 194)
19 - ENG vs WI, Bridgetown, 2024 (T: 183)
*full-member teams

Mitchell Marsh vs NZ in T20Is: 11 innings, 367 runs at 45.87, SR: 147.98

Australia have now won 15 of their 17 T20Is post T20 WC 2024.

Tim Robinson’s 106* today featured just 54 runs from boundaries - 50.94%. That’s the lowest percentage of runs via boundaries in a Men’s T20I hundred for a full-member team. The previous record was Jos Buttler’s 101* against Sri Lanka in Sharjah at the T20 WC 2021, which featured 60 runs from boundaries (six fours, six sixes) i.e 59.41%. Pathum Nissanka’s 107 in the tied finish against India in Dubai last week is third on this list (59.81%).

22:24 Local Time, 09:24 GMT, 14:54 IST: 181 wasn't going to be enough, not against this powerfully built Australian batting line-up. They started off like a fast train with Travis Head and Mitch Marsh finding boundaries at will. The former was dismissed in the 6th over, but the visitors had already raced away to 67 by then. Marsh continued the onslaught and had partners in crime, in the form of Matt Short and then Tim David, as Australia made a mockery of the target. The Australian skipper looked destined for a hundred of his own before he was dismissed for a well made 43-ball 85. All the bowlers were smashed around, 181 was supposed to be challenging, but Australia cruised home with 21 balls to spare. That's how convincing the chase was. Stay tuned for the presentations. 

Foulkes to Stoinis, FOUR, a crunching shot to secure a comfortable victory - Australia go 1-0 up in the series short and at the stumps, Stoinis swivels across, gets on top of the bounce and then hammers the pull past square leg

Marcus Stoinis, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Foulkes to Carey, out Caught by Chapman!! A wicket for Foulkes and that'll just about cheer him up - Carey was caught in two minds after he backed away, Foulkes saw him backing away and went short with the slower bouncer - Carey attempts to pull out of the shot, but he couldn't get his bat out of the way, lobs a simple catch to short third. Carey c Chapman b Foulkes 7(7) [4s-1]

Foulkes to Carey, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Foulkes to Tim David, 1 run, banged in short and into the pitch, hits David high on the bat as he shaped for the pull, bounces in front of deep mid-wicket and the scores are level with that run

Zakary Foulkes [2.0-0-30-0] is back into the attack

Michael Bracewell to Tim David, 1 run, flighted delivery on middle and leg, punched down to long-on for a single, just 2 more runs needed now

Michael Bracewell to Tim David, SIX, hammered, fraction short from Bracewell and David has picked the bones off it - swivels across and then thumps the pull over deep mid-wicket for a maximum

Michael Bracewell to Tim David, wide, this one is wider and past the tramlines, called as a wide

Michael Bracewell to Tim David, no run, tossed up well wide of off, left alone

Michael Bracewell to Carey, 1 run, loopy delivery outside off - Carey reaches out and swipes it to deep mid-wicket for a single

Michael Bracewell to Tim David, 2 wides, Bracewell darts one quicker and down leg, Seifert can only palm it away and they concede another wide in the bargain

Michael Bracewell to Carey, 1 run, flighted delivery on middle and leg, worked down to long-on for a single

Michael Bracewell to Carey, no run, tossed up slower and just outside off - Carey waits and then taps with an open face to short third