Australia 200-7 in 20 overs (David Warner 65, Aaron Finch 47, Anton Devcich 2-15, Kyle Mills 2-21) beat the BLACKCAPS 197-9 (Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum 37, Corey Anderson 29) by three runs at Fatullah Osmani Stadium, Dhaka.
Despite an early David Warner and Aaron Finch onslaught, the BLACKCAPS bowlers were able to peg Australia back to 200 runs from their twenty overs, when a much larger total was on the cards. Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Luke Ronchi and Corey Anderson put the BLACKCAPS in a potentially wining position, but the lower order was unable to get accross the line. None the less, there were plenty of positives to be drawn from the match with the World T20 tournament looming.
David Warner and Aaron Finch opened the innings at a hundred miles an hour, putting on a real show of clean hitting. The pair raced to 47 without loss after four overs and kept the foot down, bringing up the 100 after seven, before both men retired out at the end of the eighth over with the score on 114.
Shane Watson took up the charge supported by George Bailey, but by this time the BLACKCAPS bowlers, who'd all taken punishment early on low and skiddy wicket, were coming back into the match. Anton Devcich bowled three overs for 15 runs, picking up the wicket of Glen Maxwell lbw, while Kyle Mills came back strongly to register figures of 2-21 from his four overs. Late wickets meant Australia finished at 200-7.
In reply, Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson put on 37 for the first wicket, with Williamson finding the gaps regularly and Guptill striking the ball extremely cleanly to and over the boundary, with some trademark straight drives.
When Williamson was caught by Brad Haddin swinging at Nathan Coulter-Nile for 17, Brendon McCullum was able to make an impact right away, hitting two fours in the first over he faced. He was punishing on anything wayward, and helped take the BLACKCAPS to 98 in the 10th over, before he was caught ny Maxwel off James Muirhead's bowling.
Guptill brought up his 50 with a crisp six down the ground and was eventually out for 62 from just 34 balls, was caught by Hogg from Muirhead's bowling. Corey Anderson (29) and Luke Ronchi (21) kept the charge going, and with the equation at 43 needed from 24 balls the BLACKCAPS would have fancied their chances.
Unfortunately the pair were dismissed in quick succession, and new men Jimmy Neesham, Anton Devcich (who fell to a fine Maxwell run out), Kyle Mills and Ronnie Hira were unable to nail the runs required, as the BLACKCAPS finished three short.
A five over practise match followed, with the BLACKCAPS making 29 runs from their five overs - in reply Australia chased this down in three overs. The super over match was not played.
