World Cup flashback: New Zealand survive one-wicket thriller in 2015

Trent Boult (right) celebrates the wicket of Oz's Mitchell Marsh

Two quickies - New Zealand's Trent Boult and Mitchell Starc of Australia - came up with a spectacular show of pace bowling at Auckland as hosts Kiwis survived a late collapse to beat Australia by one wicket in a low-scoring thriller in the 2015 World Cup.

Chasing Australia's 151 all out, the Kiwis tripped from 131-4 to 146-9, thanks to Starc's 6-28 with Kane Williamson holding one end up for his 39. Needing six with a wicket in hand, Boult, who came in at the fall of the ninth wicket, survived two balls from Starc before Williamson hit Pat Cummins for a six down the ground to seal NZ's victory with 26.5 overs to spare.

Skipper and opener Brendon McCullum (50) was the top-scorer for New Zealand. Earlier, Boult's career-best 5-27 ripped through the Aussie middle-order as they slumped from 80-1 to 106-9. The left-arm pacer, who conceded 24 runs and went wicketless in his initial five-over spell, returned in the 18th over to claim five wickets, conceding just one run off 18 balls. Brad Haddin (43) and Pat Cummins (seven not out) took the visitors past 150, but couldn't prevent Australia from posting their lowest World Cup total while batting first.

Did you know?
India's Sunil Valson won a World Cup-winning medal without playing a single game in the tournament held in England in 1983. Valson, who claimed 212 wickets in 75 first-class matches, did not get a game after the competition as well.

Australia skipper Allan Border

Figured out
India is the only team to lose a World Cup match by just one run twice - against Allan Border's Australia, in 1987 and 1992. Hosts India failed to chase Australia's 270-6 after being dismissed for 269 in 49.5 overs at Chennai in 1987, while Mohammed Azharuddin's men fell short of Australia's revised target of 236 at Brisbane in 1992.

Player to watch: Thisara Perera
Dangerous all-rounder Thisara Perera can play a huge role in Sri Lanka's World Cup campaign. Perera, who has scored 2147 runs and claimed 169 wickets in 153 ODIs, did not hit the high notes in the last ODI series against South Africa, but was in good shape in New Zealand last January when he scored 224 runs in three innings, including a 74-ball 140 in the second ODI at Mount Maunganui. He is in fine rhythm for Kandy in the ongoing domestic tournament in
Sri Lanka where he has claimed seven wickets in four matches.

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