Australia-New Zealand ODI series: 5 talking points - Aussies whitewash Kiwis at home
New Zealand were comprehensively whitewashed in the Chappell-Hadlee trophy by a resurgent Australian side, aided by some belligerent batting from David Warner and Steven Smith right through the series. They Kiwis never came close to winning in any of the three ODIs after being forced to chase in each game.
The fast paced pitches in Australia and the toss helped Australia compile huge totals batting first in all three matches. Even on a slow paced MCG, they managed 264, while Kiwis were bowled out for a meagre 147.
The New Zealand bowling lacked the firepower to run through Australia's batting. Warner and Smith provided major obstacles to the Kiwis' aim of reaching the lower order quicker. Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade all contributed at different times in the series and helped Australia’s cause.
The season had started off poorly for Australia after their series loss to South Africa but the face-saving win at Adelaide and the whitewash of the Kiwis has brought back hope for Aussie fans. The Kiwis looked weary and were left chasing the game on most occasions, and their bowling also needs heavy scrutiny after lacklustre displays in all three games.
Here are the talking points from the ODI series:
#5 David Warner's year
David Warner is in the form of his life in ODIs having notched up as many as seven hundreds this year. The 119 at Canberra in the second ODI was followed by a huge 156 in Melbourne.
Interestingly, in both the innings, Warner batted differently, settling in before going for the attacking route. He credited a change in approach for his runs in ODIs this year. While the track at Manuka Oval was a belter, at MCG, Warner had to work hard for his runs and did so admirably.
The 156 at MCG came off 128 balls and he plundered 13 fours and four sixes. It is also worth noting that the wicket was slow and Warner made adjustments accordingly, and looked like the most comfortable batsman on the pitch.