And a third New Zealand being schooled at the moment.
Prediction time? NZ to make 250…
What’s the average winning score batting first at the MCG? I think the 1992 final was 240.
The top 12 scores are over 300 (not all in World Cups of course). Top 49 scores are 299 plus.
In this world cup there have been 3 scores of over 300.
…I said to myself before the game that Ross Taylor was gonna fire in this one. He’s too good a player and had such a poor world cup that I figured today might be his day. He always ramps it up after a slow start, so if he’s still around at the end of the innings he’s gonna have a big score. The great thing about this NZ team is that for once we aren’t reliant on a couple of players to get us through. With Guptill, McCullum and Williamson out cheaply, we still have enough players to get us a good score.
And well done Elliot.
New Zealand have batted first 14 times at the MCG and have won 4 times. Two of those wins were v Australia defending 199 in 2002 and 246 in 1983. The median defended score batting first for all teams is 236.
Good to see you again Banquet Bear. So many things can happen- Australia could collapse for bugger all- but the scoring rate seems a little slow to be a real challenge.
And how crucial was that referral before?
Guess we’ll just have to roll Aussie out for less than 152, again.
If this was a normal game, you’d think NZ are about 100 runs short. 183? I recall India rolling the West Indies many years ago for less, but that was 30 years ago and the game has changed so much.
The wicket doesn’t have many tricks to my eye so it is Australia’s game to lose.
Last 6 wickets fell for 33. There’s no way in hell that Australia will collapse like that.
The danger lies in flip-flopping between pushing and slogging. Do one and lose wickets, do the other and get bogged down.
I’m guessing you weren’t following Aussie cricket in the 80’s.
You didn’t want to watch them but you didn’t dare look away.
It left scars that have yet to fully heal.
I still have nightmares about Edgbaston in 1981. I was loving in Bowen and woke to listen to the cricket on radio- it wasn’t playing so I thought it must have been raining. I wish it had been 
Living, not loving 
Anyway, a disappointing final. I tried to write up my summation of the Australian team.
Warner. Disappointing. His big score against Afghanistan, and the other minnow, England, don’t excuse his lack of consistency. Rating 4.
Finch. Failure. The only decent score he got used up too many balls. Rating 3.
Smith. Probably Australia’s best batsman at present. Never seems flustered, and I think the calmness can only benefit the other players. Totally professional. Rating 9.
Clarke. Injuries have taken their toll, but an inspirational leader and his bowling changes and field settings have always seemed to work. You could hardly say he was a powerhouse in the competition, but it all worked well. Rating 7.
Watson. Still an enigma to me. His batting hasn’t been great but he has bowled usefully and seems to chip in when needed. Probably his last World Cup. Rating 7
Maxwell. Can change a match in a few overs with his brutal batting and his bowling is more than useful- especially given Australia’s lack of a top class spinner. Rating 8
Haddin. I thought he was finished years ago, but his keeping is as good as we have and his batting- well, he is not Gilchrist but he is very good. Rating 8
Faulkner. His batting hasn’t really been exposed in many games but his versatility and capability with the ball have made him a certain selection. Rating 7
Starc. Best bowler in the Australian team and bowls at a pace that makes him very difficult to get away. Economical and a more than useful tail end batsman. Rating 9.
Johnson. Not the force that was expected but still had a very good series His batting is still valuable and he has the ability to unsettle the opposition batsmen. Rating 7.
Hazlewood. Probably an unsung hero. Fast, economical and rarely goes without taking a wicket. One for the future indeed. Rating 8.
Australia too strong. Congrats guys!!
The NZ Herald had the crowd at 93,013, a new record.
Thanks guys. In retrospect maybe having NZ playing every game at home may not have worked that well for them.
BTW thread of 550+ posts, nearly 12,000 views, no intervention from a mod (none of whom probably had the foggiest what we were rabbiting on about) so well played from the SDMB cricket commentary team too.
Yes, even with diverse views it has been an enjoyable thread. See you in four years.
If a mod had intervened we could have gone to DRS, we had kept it up our sleeve.