White leads Australia by example to thrash New Zealand

Australian captain Cameron White thought his side were going to be chasing 500 the way New Zealand started in their Super League match at the ICC Under-19 World Cup at Bert Sutcliffe Oval at Lincoln University today.

But in a classy display of control, White used his slower bowlers to contain New Zealand, and after he had done that he played a key role in a 139-run stand for the third wicket that ended New Zealand's tournament with a seven-wicket loss.

For all their early bluster, the New Zealanders could not bat out their 50 overs, being dismissed for 194 in 46.3 overs.

White said the early assault took the Australians by surprise but he decided to go with his spin bowlers.

"We picked a team with a few spinners and we tried to slow it down with them. I hadn't seen any of the New Zealanders before and [Jesse] Ryder hit the ball well," he said.

But if his leadership in the field was outstanding, White was even more emphatic with the bat in hand. He was 80 not out off 107 balls at the end as Australia romped home in 39.3 overs for the victory.

New Zealand, not blessed with the same playing assets as the Australians, opted for innovation, and while it was working well it was a successful ploy.

New Zealand opened the bowling with two spinners in a bid to break up the Australian assault, aiming especially at the preponderance of left-handers in the opposition order.

They got two wickets, for 21 runs, but the Australians kept ploughing ahead.

White said the New Zealand ploy with the bowling had been surprising but he understood they had to try something.

But joining Shaun Marsh with the score on 21/1, he knew that three and four were key batting spots in the side and he wanted to set a batting example to other players in his side.

Marsh and White batted superbly and really put the New Zealand attack through the mill. There were no openings, and there were to be none of the fairytales that surrounded the last trans-Tasman match on the ground when the CLEAR White Ferns beat Australia to win the CricInfo Women's World Cup.

They added 139 runs for the third wicket before Marsh was run out for 70 off 97 balls. His 50 had come up off 73 balls while White hit his off 80, bringing it up with successive boundaries.

Sadly for New Zealand, however, it didn't have sufficient resources to ensure the absolutely maximum effort it was going to take to beat this talented Australian team.

Its greatest hopes lay in hard-hitting batsman Ryder getting a big score, preferably a three-figure score which has so far eluded the Super League sides.

He provided every opportunity for himself by scoring 70 off 62 balls, including six fours and three sixes. When he was dismissed to a soft caught and bowled chance by left-arm spinner Jarrad Burke, New Zealand were 107/2 in the 18th over.

The chance was provided for an all-out assault for a genuinely big total but it depended on two things - the skill of the remaining batsmen and the approach taken by the Australian skipper White in marshalling his bowlers.

There was only one winner - Australia.

White had a fine response from his attack and shut New Zealand out of the game.

Firstly, it was Burke who put the brakes on and after coming on for the fifth over, he bowled his 10 overs through to end with the outstanding figures, under the circumstances of one for 35.

When he finished Aaron Bird came back after his first two overs at the top of the innings had gone for 21. His last eight cost 29 but he claimed three wickets to leave the New Zealand middle-order gutted.