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SYDNEY - Hit and giggle it certainly wasn't as a fuming New Zealand cricket captain Daniel Vettori slammed one of the worst runchases he'd witnessed.
Squinting hard into the searing television lights, Vettori couldn't hide his disgust after New Zealand lost by one run to Australia in a Twenty20 thriller at the Sydney Cricket Ground with five wickets in hand last night.
"We should have won the game easily, as simple as that. It was one of the poorer run chases I've seen. I'm devastated with that loss," Vettori said.
"Just the recognition of the situation, only chasing 150 on a pretty good deck, the poor start we made, a guy bowling a maiden then not being able to turn over the strike at some pretty crucial stages."
New Zealand bowled and fielded well to limit the hosts to 150 for seven, and despite a blistering 61 off 47 balls from vice-captain Brendon McCullum, they ended 149 for five before a 22,101-strong crowd at a damp SCG.
McCullum hit five fours and two sixes, and was chopped down by some Adam Voges brilliance on the long-on boundary when New Zealand looked home with 20 needed off two overs.
The first ball of Ben Hilfenhaus' over, the 19th, looked destined for another six but Voges snaffled the catch, teetered over the rope, threw the ball up then regathered.
"It was an outstanding catch... a massive play that we needed to win the match," said stand-in Australia captain Brad Haddin.
Grant Elliott and James Franklin were anchored and New Zealand needed 14 off the final over. McCullum's elder brother Nathan got going too late with a four and a six off the final two balls, bowled by Nathan Bracken, to add to the dressing room angst.
Death specialist Bracken was man of the match, taking none for 16 off four including 10 consecutive dot balls and a maiden to Peter Fulton who was recalled for the injured Ross Taylor (hamstring).
Vettori was upbeat after the Brisbane rain cut short his side's spirited Chappell-Hadlee Trophy bid on Friday, leaving the one-day series 2-2, but the Twenty20 clouded his view of their transtasman trip.
"After tonight, I'm devastated with that performance so I'm not in a great space about (the tour)." The result continued a horror recent Twenty20 run for New Zealand, with just one win from their past 10 matches.
It also kept them winless from three attempts against Australia, hardly ideal with back-to-back home matches against India in cricket's shortest form looming this month then the Twenty20 World Cup in England in June.
"Overall we've bowled relatively well in most Twenty20 games, we just haven't put the runs on the board," Vettori said.
"We haven't had a full-strength side a lot of the time so that's played a part. Still, we had opportunities like this and the game in South Africa (in 2007) as well. We're just not putting all three facets together."
One positive was Ian Butler's return to international cricket after a four-year absence. One of five New Zealand Twenty20 debutants, Butler bowled the in-form Callum Ferguson with his sixth delivery of a largely accurate spell until a final over blowout.
Vettori led the way in the field, taking one for 23 off four and two outfield catches as Australia posted a total about 10 below par.
Both sides were missing key men, New Zealand without Kyle Mills (Achilles tendon) and Taylor while Australia without captain Ricky Ponting (rested), and Michael Clarke (back).
New Zealand fly home today, with the first Twenty20 against India in Christchurch on February 25.
- NZPA
