Phillips and Bracewell Rewrite Records as New Zealand Stun India at Eden Park

Auckland: For three matches, India had done the bullying. At a sold-out Eden Park on Friday, New Zealand answered with an innings of such ferocity that it redefined the terms of the series, even if not its outcome.

Glenn Phillips struck 107 from 49 balls and Michael Bracewell 65 from 25 as the hosts compiled 259 for 7, their highest T20I total and the highest India have ever conceded. Jacob Duffy’s 4 for 23 then dismantled the chase as India fell to an 87-run defeat, their second-heaviest by runs in the format. A run of 10 unbeaten T20Is in New Zealand came to an end.

Early Control, Then Collapse

New Zealand were put in again and lost Tim Seifert in the first over, Mayank Yadav finding the edge through to third man. Daryl Mitchell took 20 off the first four balls of Mayank’s second over before falling lbw to a pinpoint yorker. Finn Allen kept the tempo, helping New Zealand to 67 for 2 in the Powerplay, their best of the series, before holing out off Axar Patel for 31.

Mayank struck again in the 11th over, removing Bevon Jacobs off a top-edged pull, and at 112 for 4 India had reason to believe the innings could be contained. What followed was a passage of hitting that left the fielding side with no answer.

Seven Sixes in Nine Balls

Phillips and Bracewell added 115 off just 40 balls, the fastest 100-plus stand ever made against India. Bracewell took 16 off his first five balls and accelerated from there. Phillips, who had already made two fifties in the series, struck Nitish Kumar Reddy for four successive sixes in a 32-run 16th over. Bracewell responded with three more off Mayank in the next, making it seven sixes in nine balls at one stage.

Bracewell reached his fifty off 19 balls, the joint second-fastest against India, before Prince Yadav trapped him lbw attempting a lap. Phillips continued, raising his hundred off 46 balls with a six over long-off in the 19th over, the joint second-fastest by a New Zealand batter. He was finally caught at deep extra cover off Nitish for 107, having hit 10 sixes.

New Zealand struck 20 sixes in all, a record for them in T20Is, and took 150 runs off the last 10 overs. Arshdeep Singh, who claimed his 150th T20I wicket when he removed Santner, was the only India bowler to concede under 10 an over. Nitish finished with 1 for 64, the fourth most expensive figures by an Indian bowler in T20Is.

Duffy Ends the Chase Early

Defending a total of that size, New Zealand needed early wickets. Duffy delivered them in the first over, removing Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. Abhishek Sharma, dropped by Santner on eight, hit a six and three fours before Matt Fisher had him caught at mid-off for 27. Shreyas Iyer became the fourth batter to fall in the Powerplay, bowled by Adam Milne, leaving India at 56 for 4.

Santner took two wickets in the ninth over, having Nitish caught at extra cover for 21 and Axar caught and bowled. Naman Dhir struck 28 off 13 but Duffy returned to remove him, courtesy a relay effort between Mitchell and Nathan Smith at the long-on boundary.

India slid to 121 for 8 in the 12th over. Tilak Varma‘s run-a-ball 35 and Prince’s unbeaten 18 only trimmed the margin.

Brief scores: New Zealand 259/7 in 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 107, Michael Bracewell 65; Mayank Yadav 3-48) beat India 172/9 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 35; Jacob Duffy 4-23, Mitchell Santner 2-24, Matt Fisher 2-40) by 87 runs.

                                               

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