AUS VS NZ 3RD T20I

Right then, Matthew Wade, the stand-in leader of the Australian team, joyfully accepts the T20I Trophy. Meanwhile, Mitchell Marsh, the full-time skipper of Australia, proudly hoists the revered Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, signifying their successful retention of it with a flawless 3-0 clean sweep. The entire squad gathers around, beaming with pride and enthusiasm, ready to capture the moment in a series of celebratory photographs! This brings us to the end of the shortest format and now the two teams will don the whites as the two-match Test series is up next. The first Test will commence on February 29 at 3.30 am IST (22.00 GMT) and will be played at Basin Reserve in Wellington. Till then, cheers, take care!

Matthew Wade, the stand-in captain of Australia for the final T20I says that this was one of the most clinical performances with the ball he has witnessed. Adds that with the World Cup coming up this was a good test for the bench. Mentions Spencer Johnson and Nathan Ellis for their brilliant display of bowling and credits them for taking responsibility under tough conditions. Mentions that the ball swung around a bit more with the overcast conditions and the bowlers did brilliantly to take full advantage of them.

Mitchell Santner, the skipper of New Zealand says that they knew rain was around the corner. Appreciates the way Australia batted and bowled and says they are a quality side. Says they showed the power they possess throughout the series. Further adds that they showed some good characters but couldn't soak up the pressure with the bat. Adds those dropped catches did the most damage today and provided a lifeline to the Aussies. He says that their squad's depth is good and they will have few guys coming back going into the World Cup. Ends up by saying that some positives to cherish but they will work hard on the negatives and come back stronger.

Mitchell Marsh, the skipper of Australia for the first two T20Is, is the Player of the Series for his consistent batting contributions. He says that being the skipper of the side isn't an added pressure for him but an added sense of responsibility that pushes him to do better. Credits the leadership amongst the squad to have made it easier for him to captain this side. Adds that the three quicks did great in all the games. Mentions that players have chipped in with key performances when needed and the way @spen has come up the ranks is brilliant as well.

Matthew Short is the Player of the Match for his quickfire 33 today. He says he feels most comfortable playing his strokes and the aggressive way they needed to play today helped him. Adds the squad is so strong and unreal with power hitters from top to bottom. Mentions that he was a bit nervous with the ball in his hands but it all went out well as a result of a collective effort from the side.

The Presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the day, New Zealand elected to field first against their Tasman counterparts. However, the first innings was heavily affected by intermittent rain interruptions. Despite the weather challenges, Travis Head emerged as the aggressor, contributing an impressive 33 runs. He found support in Matthew Short, who played a quickfire innings of 27 runs off just 11 balls, and Maxi, whose brisk cameo yielded 20 runs from just 9 deliveries. Their collective efforts propelled the Australian team to a total of 118 runs before rain forced a halt to the proceedings. New Zealand was thus faced with a challenging task in the chase as Australian bowlers tied them up for runs. New Zealand were cruising at 10s per over but since the halfway, Australia restricted them with some brilliant bowling from all the bowlers and won the game by 27 runs (DLS).

Australia, defending a target of 127 runs in 10 overs after the rain delays, saw Matthew Short and Spencer Johnson making crucial breakthroughs. Short dismissed Will Young, despite conceding 18 runs in his over, while Johnson's raw pace and bounce accounted for Tim Seifert's wicket. Adam Zampa, after an initial expensive over, tightened the screws by dismissing Finn Allen with a superb delivery and conceding just 7 runs in his next over. The Australian bowlers, backed by good overs from Ellis and Zampa, applied pressure on the New Zealand batsmen, restricting boundaries and conceding only 20 runs in the subsequent three overs after the halfway mark of the chase. Nathan Ellis bowled the penultimate over and he was precise with his bowling as he conceded just 8 runs and squeezed them for runs making it impossible for their counterparts to make any comeback.

Australia WIN by 27 runs (DLS) and registered their 100th win in the T20I cricket along with their 5th win at Eden Park. Also, they have whitewashed New Zealand in this Hadlee-Chappell series in their own backyard by 3-0. Right from the moment they came to defend the total, Australian bowlers were impressive and made the Kiwi batters hunt for runs with their tight lines and lengths. New Zealand had no choice but to adopt an aggressive approach as they pursued a DLS-adjusted target of 126 runs within a shortened 10-over period. After a strong start, with Will Young hitting a couple of boundaries before departing, Tim Seifert followed suit, attempting a big shot that cost him his wicket. Despite these early setbacks, New Zealand maintained a brisk scoring rate, with Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips aggressively pushing the score forward, keeping the scoreboard ticking at over 10 runs per over. However, at the halfway mark of the chase, with the team at 51 runs, Allen departed while trying to clear the boundary. As the innings progressed, New Zealand struggled to find boundaries and lost wickets in the pursuit of aggressive shots, especially with the challenging batting conditions following the rain interruptions. The required run rate sky-rocketed, putting immense pressure on the Kiwi batsmen. The result, the equation stood at 51 runs off the last two overs which was a too steep slope to climb. Glenn Phillips and Chapman struggled to connect the shots and ate up a few dot balls which were enough for the game to drift far away from their reach.

FOUR! Boundary of an inside edge but the Kiwis lose this by 27 runs. Fuller one sliding down leg, Mark Chapman gets an inside edge racing past the keeper to his right for a boundary towards fine leg.

Yorker in middle, Mark Chapman drives this through extra-cover for a couple.

Low full toss on leg, Glenn Phillips smashes this to long on for a single.

Short of a length outside off, Mark Chapman slaps this to long on and takes a single.

Too full in middle, Glenn Phillips slogs this towards long on for a single.

SIX! Full and wide of off, Glenn Phillips launches this out of the park over the sight screen for a maximum.

Matthew Short to bowl the last over of the chase. The game has already drifted away from New Zealand's reach as they need 43 off the last over now.

Yorker on leg, Glenn Phillips pushes this towards square leg and takes a single.