Head and Warner opening stand tops Ravindra's heroics in another thriller

Neesham's onslaught wasn't enough to take Kiwis over the line in Australia's five-run win that saw a total of 771 runs scored

- Rasesh Mandani

The World Cup is finally starting to deliver some classics. If South Africa-Pakistan was a thriller, Trans-Tasman rivals Australia and New Zealand left one yearning for more in a match that saw a collective 771 runs scored a World Cup record - at Dharamsala on Saturday. The Kiwis, full of purpose in pursuit of 389, ultimately fell just five runs short.

The match began at pace that would have fit right into T20 cricket courtesy the breathtaking opening stand between Travis Head 109 (67b, 10x4,7x6) and David Warner 81 (65b,5x4,6x6) and it ended like a T20 too, with James Neesham 58 (39b) keeping the match alive until he was dismissed off the penultimate ball.

The run-chase was set up by young Rachin Ravindra 116 (89b, 9x4,5x6). When he was dismissed, the 6th wicket to fall in the 41st over, it looked like the 10-an-over required rate was going to be a tall order. But, James Neesham, playing only his second game of the tournament he mostly plays in T20 franchise leagues these days showed that he has a stomach for a fight. The big ball-striker that he is, Neesham began swinging big to shift the pressure back on the Australians on a batting-friendly deck.