On This Day In 2018 Cricket: February 16 is a special date for Australian cricket fans. On this day in 2018, Australia chased down one of the biggest targets ever seen in T20 internationals. The match
was played at Eden Park in Auckland against New Zealand. What followed was a high-scoring thriller that saw both teams combine for 488 runs in just 40 overs.
New Zealand Post A Massive Total
New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first. Their openers, Martin Guptill and Colin Munro, gave the team a strong start. The pair added 132 runs for the first wicket.
Munro was the first to fall after scoring 76 runs off 33 balls. His knock included six fours and six sixes. Guptill continued the attack and went on to score 105 runs off 54 balls. His innings had six boundaries and nine sixes. It was his second T20I century.
New Zealand finished their 20 overs at 243 for 6. Kane Richardson and Andrew Tye picked up two wickets each for Australia. At that stage, the target looked very tough.
Australia Script A Historic Chase
Chasing 244, Australia needed a strong start and they got exactly that. David Warner and D’Arcy Short opened the innings and built a 121-run partnership.
Warner scored 59 runs before getting out. Short added 76 off 44 balls in a quick and aggressive knock. The run rate stayed high and the match remained open.
Australia reached 150 runs in the 12th over, just like New Zealand had done earlier. The chase was evenly balanced, but Australia kept pushing.
Glenn Maxwell chipped in with 31 runs. Aaron Finch played a key role at the end, staying unbeaten on 36 off just 14 balls. His late hitting helped Australia cross the line.
Australia finished at 245 for 5 in 18.5 overs. They won the match with seven balls to spare.
At that time, it was the highest successful run chase in T20 international cricket. The game was part of the Trans-Tasman T20 Tri-Series and remains one of the most exciting matches between the two teams.
Even today, cricket fans remember this clash as one of the greatest run chases in the shortest format.
