Australian captain Pat Cummins showcased nerves of steel to guide the tourists to a nervy three-wicket win over New Zealand on day 4 of the 2nd Test at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The 30-year-old hit the winning runs in the form of a boundary as the tourists took the series 2-0, registering their 2nd away series win over their Trans-Tasman rivals since 2016.
Set to chase a stiff 279 by New Zealand, the Kiwis were considerable favourites heading into day 4 as Australia were 77-4 after a top-order collapse. The Black Caps' chances of winning increased as Travis Head's departure made the tourists 80-5.
With Alex Carey joining Mitchell Marsh and under scrutiny, he played a chanceless innings as the pair began the repair job flawlessly. It was Ben Sears, who broke through to end the 140-run partnership between the duo. The hosts inched another step ahead after Mitchell Starc was out on the first delivery he faced.
Ben Sears denied hat-trick as Pat Cummins aces run-chase:
When Cummins came out to face the hat-trick ball from the debutant, Australia were still over 50 runs away from the win risked bottling another run-chase. However, Cummins and Carey ticked off runs with relative ease and got the odd boundary as well.
The winning shot came in the 64th over as Cummins steered one to point off Sears, leaving plenty of fans heartbroken, in the process.
