Second-string Kiwis beat Australia in the tour match
Australia XI were beaten by New Zealand XI in an unofficial one-day match between the two in Brisbane The Kiwi batsman Will Young smashed a brilliant 130 to outshine a classy unbeaten 89-run knock from the returning Steve Smith. Australia failed to defend their total of 277 as they lost the match by seven wickets. Here are the details.
All-round batting show by Kiwis down Aussies
After winning the first tie against the Kiwis, the Aussies fell short in this encounter. Young was on song and smacked 11 fours and two sixes in his 132-ball knock. Notably, he is not a part of New Zealand's 15-member 2019 World Cup squad. George Worker (56) and Tom Latham (69 not out) also put up commendable shifts to get Kiwis to 283/3.
Starc impresses on return from injury
Mitchell Starc, who made a return from injury, went on to claim 2-14 off five. He bowled his trademark yorkers before being withdrawn from the action. It was his first match since tearing a muscle three months ago.
Smith the highlight for Australia after return
Steve Smith played superbly for Australia. He donned the Australian jersey in his second match after serving a 12-month ban alongside David Warner for the infamous ball-tampering scandal against South Africa last year. The star cricketer, who was recently seen in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, was the major highlight with a sublime 89-run knock. He smashed four sixes as well.
Australia will draw certain positives, but work needed
The likes of Glenn Maxwell and Usman Khawaja also hit impressive fifties to continue their fine form in 2019. Australia will draw the positives from here. Meanwhile, David Warner got dismissed for a duck after scoring 39 in the previous encounter. The Australian bowling was a bit lacklustre. That's where Aaron Finch's side will hope to work on in the next encounter.
