New Zealand made it two wins out of two by beating rivals Australia by eight runs in the World T20 on Friday.
The Black Caps successfully defended their total of 142-8 by restricting Australia to 134-9.
Martin Guptill 39 off 27), Kane Williamson (24 off 20) and Colin Munro (23 off 26) all got starts at the top of the order but collapsed in the middle before Grant Elliott got 27 off 20 before he was run-out.
They fell just short of a par score, but their spinner were again excellent and kept the Australian batsmen in check as most of them struggled to score at better than a run a ball.
Usman Khawaja top scored with 38 from 27, but they lost Steve Smith and David Warner cheaply for six runs each before Glenn Maxwell (22) and Mitchell Marsh (24) got a 34-run partnership going.
Wickets fell too frequently towards the end and Australia fell short of their target.
‘I thought around 150 was par,’ Smith said after the game. ‘Their spinner bowled extremely well. We lost wickets in clumps. Credit to how New Zealand bowled in the middle overs. We didn’t apply ourselves.’
New Zealand captain Williamson said: ‘I think we were fortunate to play on two wickets that were very similar. It was nice to get a score on the board and it was difficult to chase. It’s important you try and read the conditions and select accordingly.’
