DHAKA: New Zealand have beat Australia by eight runs in ICC World T20 Super 10s match on Friday (March 18) in India’s Dharmasala.

Australia batsmen earned 134/9 though they restricted New Zealand to 142/8. At one point Kiwis earned 61/0 in 7 overs.

Earlier, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and decided batting first against Australia. They made one change to the team that beat India in Nagpur, with fast bowler Mitchell McClenaghan included at the expense of Nathan McCullum.

It meant that New Zealand had moved away from the three-man spin attack that served them so well in game one, but perhaps surprisingly the Australians opted for three spinners themselves.

The make-up of Australia’s side has been the subject of much debate over the past couple of series, and the most notable omissions for their first game of this World T20 were Aaron Finch and Josh Hazlewood.

Finch is No. 1 on the ICC's T20 international batting rankings and six weeks ago was Australia’s captain, but Usman Khawaja and Shane Watson have been preferred as openers.

Hazlewood had appeared the only certain selection among the specialist fast bowlers but that too proved incorrect, with Nathan Coulter-Nile picked instead. Australia will rely heavily on seaming allrounders - Watson, James Faulkner and Mitchell Marsh - and their three spinners.

Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar were both named alongside Glenn Maxwell. It meant that Australia had chosen four men - Khawaja, Agar, Zampa and Peter Nevill - who had not debuted in T20 internationals two months ago.

Australia Team
Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith (capt), David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh, James Faulkner, Peter Nevill (wk), Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Adam Zampa

New Zealand Team
Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (capt), Colin Munro, Corey Anderson, Ross Taylor, Mitchell Santner, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi (wk), Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne and Ish Sodhi

** Australia chasing New Zealand’s 142-run

BDST: 1840 HRS, MAR 18, 2016
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