Australia vs New Zealand: ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 – as it happened

I’m off to lie down for a bit and let my heart rate come back down to normal. Thank you for joining me on this rollercoaster of a game. See you at the next one!

It wasn’t a bowler, it wasn’t a batter, it was a fielder who was most decisive in that last over.

Labuschagne stopped a certain boundary on the fourth ball that would have left the equation at five runs from two. He then followed it up with a another bit of great fielding to get the dangerous Neesham out.

Catches win matches, yes (ironically, Labuschange dropped one in the previous over). But so does gun fielding on the boundary line.

Boult got off strike on the first ball.

Five wides off the second

Two runs from each of the next two balls.

Stunning bit of fielding by Labuschagne at deep square to save a certain boundary. Wow.

Labuschagne effected a run out on the next ball, as Neesham scampered back for two. Got a bit of athleticism from Inglis, who ran in and dived to hit the stumps.

Six runs needed from the last ball and Lockie hits straight to cover.

Australia hold their nerve and seal a thriller at Dharamsala!

Game of the tournament, by a mile.

Wow. Boult hits the first ball for six. Labuschagne thought he had it at long on but stepped on the rope in the process. Some start to the over.

Three runs from the next two balls, with Boult running one and then Neesham picking up two after hitting to deep point.

He flat bats the next one for four, piercing it between forward square leg and and deep square.

Hazlewood finishes well, with two dots to finish.

19 needed from the last over. Boult to be on strike.

Neesham smacks Starc for six over long on on the first ball. He takes a single of the next ball to get Boult on strike. That’s the decision ahead of Neesham – does he run the singles and trust Boult to hold up his end or does he leave it all on him?

It is TENSE.

Boult faced the last ball of the over and ran on it. He keeps the strike on the next over.

32 needed from 12 balls.

Henry hit a boundary over mid-off but fell the next ball. The Australian captain has deployed the slower bouncer to great effect and finishes his spell with 2/66 in 10 overs.

Slower ball bouncer from Cummins beguiles Henry who gives Hazlewood a simple catch at gully.

The end seems neigh for the Kiwis.

Neesham with a stunning six over extra cover against Starc. It sounded so good off the bat.

Nine runs from the over.

Australia got 59 in their last five overs. New Zealand need 58. It’s on!

Neesham hits a powerful boundary down the ground from Cummins but just seven runs from it.

Santner hit Zampa for six in the first ball of the over. But with the pressure and required rate continuing to rise, he fell going for another big one. Zampa has been a thorn in New Zealand’s side all evening but given this was his last over, the sensible option might have been to knock him around for singles.

Zampa finishes at 3/74 in 10 overs.

He tries to hit across the line and skies to Maxwell at long on.

Zampa picks up his third of the match.

“Who’s going to to be the Pat Cummins for New Zealand?” asks Ian Smith on the broadcast.

Jimmy Neesham, it’s your time to rise.

Also worth noting that Santner is more than capable with the bat. He has nearly 1,300 runs in ODIs and has hit three fifties.

Santner cuts the last ball of Zampa’s over for four, to end up taking 10 runs from it. New Zealand are still in this.

Just four runs and the all-important wicket of Ravindra from Cummins.

Santer has joined Neesham in the middle.

Huge wicket for Australia!

Cummins comes back into the attack and strikes with a slower ball. Ravindra drags it to Labuschagne at long off.

He departs for 116 off 89 balls.

Shot of the game, for me. Ravindra drives beautifully down the ground off Hazlewood for four. He’s batted with such poise and power. We’re near the Himalayas and Ravindra seems to have ice in his veins. Nine runs from the over.

Neesham gets in on the act, with a six over mid wicket off Maxwell.

10 runs off the over.