‘Comedy of errors’: Twitter in splits after Australia misses chance to run-out Williamson – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Despite being a powerhouse side on paper, Australia had been finding it hard to perform up to the mark in fifty-over cricket. However, the Aaron Finch-led side has erased all doubts by winning the three-match series against the World No 1 ODI side New Zealand.

In the second ODI on Wednesday, Australia batted first and managed to post just 195 runs on the board. The top-order was brought down to their knees by the fiery attacks of Trent Boult and Matt Henry. Steve Smith stuck to the crease for a longer time and scored 61 runs. Among others, Mitchell Starc played a commendable 38-run knock and helped his side to put up a fighting total.

Though the target was not much, Australian bowlers pulled off a good start. Coming in to bowl the first over, Starc gave the visitors an early blow with the wicket of Martin Guptill on the fourth delivery.

Another chance came in the next ball following a miscommunication between Kane Williamson and Devon Conway on the crease. Starc delivered a length ball on which Williamson tried to open his account.

The Kiwi skipper pushed the ball to the offside and wanted to complete a quick single. Conway, who was standing at the other end, was not quite ready for the call. Williamson had almost crossed the halfway mark while Conway hardly left his end.

Sean Abbott found the ball but the Australian failed to grab it on his first try. He recovered the ball and threw it to Alex Carey. At that point, Williamson was hesitating about running back. However, Carey, who had a fair chance to send Williamson off, could not hit the stumps. And the Black Caps’ captain crossed the white line comfortably.

A clip of the incident surfaced on the internet and the missed opportunity has caught the attention of cricket enthusiasts. Users slammed the poor effort by the Australian fielders. Some also acknowledged Williamson’s lucky escape. The comments section also saw some hilarious remarks referring to the misunderstanding.

Here are some notable reactions:

Australian bowlers showed sheer dominance afterward in the game. Adam Zampa’s fifer and the two-wicket haul from Starc and Abbott made the New Zealand batting lineup fall like a pack of cards. Williamson added just 17 runs to the score sheet playing 58 balls. The visitors’ innings ended at just 82 runs and Australia bagged the series by registering a massive 113-run win. The final ODI is still left to be played on 11 September.