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Kiwis excited by Aussie challenge Aussies clinch Trophy final spot
(1 day later)
Australia and New Zealand resume their heated one-day rivalry in Wednesday's first Champions Trophy semi-final. Australia secured a first appearance in a Champions Trophy final with a 34-run victory over New Zealand in Mohali.
Australia have won 15 of their last 17 matches against their neighbours but lost the most recent one last December. Chasing 241 for victory, the Kiwis tumbled to 35-6, Glenn McGrath taking 3-22 in a 10-over spell.
"Not only in cricket, it's in every sport, there is a great rivalry," said Australia captain Ricky Ponting. But Jacob Oram (43) and Daniel Vettori (79) shared a seventh-wicket stand of 103 and the lower order kept thrashing boundaries to make the Aussies sweat.
Kiwi Stephen Fleming said: "Australia will say we place more emphasis on it than they do but there's every reason to be excited about this clash." Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds both hit 58 as Australia posted 240-9, Kyle Mills taking 4-38 for New Zealand.
The Kiwis beat world number two South Africa and Pakistan in the group stage while Australia disposed of England and India, at the same Mohali ground. And the Aussies went on to continue their recent dominance over their trans-Tasman rivals with their 16th victory in their last 18 one-day matches.
Ponting believes the extra time his side have spent at the venue will benefit them but Fleming argued: "I'm not sure it's going to be the same pitch conditions. It's a few days on. It put an end to New Zealand hopes of another shot at the title they won in Kenya six years ago.
"I don't think the attacks are too dissimilar so it will be advantage to both sides if there is a bit of lateral movement." Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming said on winning the toss that there would be movement early and bowling would be more difficult under lights.
This game is a great challenge but no more than the last couple of weeks Ricky Ponting class="bodl" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A16933467"> 606 DEBATE: Who will join Australia in the final?
World Cup holders Australia have not progressed beyond the Champions Trophy semi-finals in four such tournaments. While his prediction proved accurate, his side were unable to capitalise.
They lost their opening match here against West Indies but Ponting believes the pressure has been good preparation for the knockout stage. McGrath had Lou Vincent caught at slip, saw Hamish Marshall edge behind and uproot Peter Fulton's off stump as the batsman left the delivery alone.
"We expect to win every game but we're not always going to do that," he said. Left-armer Nathan Bracken found extravagant swing, and Fleming's outside edge for 15 then lured Brendon McCullum into a leading edge to mid-on.
"We've had our backs to the wall and we've enjoyed that. This game is a great challenge but no more than the last couple of weeks." But with McGrath having used up his 10-over quota in a single spell, and dew becoming heavy as the evening progressed, the rest of the attack struggled for control.
606: DEBATE class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/F5798656">The best team by a mile over the last decade, Australia are now fallible when put under pressure PN class="" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/F5798656">606: Have your say Vettori, dropped by Mike Hussey at slip on five, capitalised with his third one-day half century in his 177th appearance.
New Zealand, Champions Trophy winners in 2000, will be without all-rounder Scott Styris (back), who hit 86 in the group stage victory over Pakistan and a century in the last meeting with Australia. Even after he was ninth man out, bowled off his pads by Mitchell Johnson, last-wicket duo Mills and Bond kept swinging until, finally, Mills edged Brett Lee behind for 21 with four overs left.
"He has not been able to practice; it's unlikely be will play," said Fleming. Scored largely before the floodlights took effect, Australia's total had looked defendable but not out of reach.
"We will miss him because he showed the other day what he's capable of." The world champions were 4-2 in the third over after Mills struck twice in the space of four balls.
Perhaps crucially on a surface favouring pace, Shane Bond has a hamstring niggle but Fleming said a decision on him would not be made until closer to the game. Ponting hit his 55th one-day international half century
West Indies and South Africa meet in the second semi-final on Thursday, with the winners meeting in Mumbai on Sunday. Mills was accurate and extracted some bounce and a little movement to provoke ill-advised shots from Shane Watson and Adam Gilchrist in the third over of the game.
Australia (from): R Ponting (capt), A Gilchrist, N Bracken, D Cullen, M Clarke, G Hogg, M Hussey, M Johnson, S Katich, B Lee, D Martyn, G McGrath, S Watson, A Symonds. Shane Bond could have finished the job with an inswinging yorker that struck Ponting on the toe just an inch outside the line of off-stump in the fourth over.
New Zealand (from): S Fleming (capt), N Astle, S Bond, J Franklin, P Fulton, M Gillespie, B McCullum, H Marshall, K Mills, J Oram, J Patel, D Vettori, L Vincent. Instead, the Aussie skipper was able to put on 66 for the third wicket with Damien Martyn, who was obviously furious after he mis-timed a sweep at Vettori on 26.
Hussey was dropped by Vettori off Oram - a favour he later returned - before building stands of 53 from nine overs with Ponting and 65 from 12 with Symonds.
After an impressive display of straight-driving, Ponting tried to pull a short ball in the first over of Mills' second spell and Vettori made amends with the catch at mid-on.
Symonds' towering straight six off Vettori early in his innings was one of just four boundaries in his 20th ODI half century.
Whenever Australia tried to hit out, they lost wickets, Mills returning to have Michael Clarke caught off a thick edge while Bond bowled Symonds and Brett Lee.