New Zealand v Australia

At Westpac Stadium, Wellington, February 19, 2005 (day/night). Australia won by ten runs. Toss: Australia.

Choosing to bat first, the Australians made their way to 236, a challenging total on a slow pitch. They seemed set for more while Hayden was finding his way back to some sort of form after a barren patch, and were 139 for one in 30 overs. Then they wobbled, losing five wickets for 20 before Symonds and Hogg steadied the ship. New Zealand, happier chasing, would have been confident, but they too faltered, reaching a seemingly hopeless 73 for three halfway though their reply. Some middle-order defiance from Marshall and McMillan momentarily raised hopes of an unlikely New Zealand win, before a characteristically incisive late spell from McGrath ensured a narrow Australian triumph. He had McMillan stumped by Gilchrist, standing up - the first stumping off his bowling in any senior match. Far more predictable than that was the return of abhorrent crowd behaviour, which saw Australian outfielders targeted by drunken fans hurling bottles, fruit and other projectiles. Play was halted, McGrath clashed with a security guard, and Hayden was spat on. New Zealand's coach, John Bracewell, said Australia had deliberately exploited crowd disturbances to disrupt their opponents' momentum. The Australians rated this obscure claim even more surprising than a stumping off McGrath.

Man of the Match: G. D. McGrath.