On Wednesday, New Zealand dominated to tie the series at the University Oval in Dunedin, setting up an exciting final match in Queenstown on Saturday. The catalyst for the victory was the outstanding performance by Adam Milne, the fast bowler, who recorded a remarkable 5/26 from his four overs, limiting the opposition to a meagre 141.
Despite most of his career being marred by injuries, the 30-year-old reminded everyone of his incredible talent with a ball clocked at well-over 140Ks, which shattered the bat of Pathum Nissanka in the first over.
Milne opened the bowling for the Black Caps but was hit for a four on the fourth delivery of the over when Nissanka played a short ball over backward square leg. However, Milne responded by hitting the length hard with a Kookaburra, slightly moving away.
Nissanka, wary of the pace, retracted to his crease but was unable to handle the bounce Milne’s pace was generating. The ball hit the splice of the bat, immediately breaking it, leaving it flopping about in Nissanka’s hand.
The replays showed the rare sight of cricket equipment disintegrating in the international arena, and commentator Craig McMillan described the breaking of the bat as ‘disintegration.’ The incident left Nissanka annoyed as he tried unsuccessfully to separate the two parts of his bat.
Milne went on to register his first five-wicket haul in T20I cricket, leading the hosts to an easy victory, chasing the target with nine wickets and 38 balls to spare.