ICC Champions Trophy 2017: New Zealand Vs Australia: Hatke player of the match

Birmingham, June 2: Australian speedster Josh Hazlewood produced an excellent display of pace bowling to return with figures of 6/52 against New Zealand in the opening game of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 here on Friday (June 2).

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Hazlewood's six-wicket-haul was the second best bowling effort in the ICC Champions Trophy history after Sri Lankan Farvez Mahroof's 6/14 in 2006. (Highlights)

It was also the the ninth-best bowling figure by an Australian in ODIs. The right-arm pacer bowled brilliantly in the death overs as three of those wickets came off four deliveries in the penultimate over of the innings.

Hazlewood struck the first blow for Australia when Martin Guptill was outfoxed by a bit of extra bounce and was caught by Glenn Maxwell at point.

He removed middle-order batsmen Niel Broom and Jimmy Neesham cheaply and prevented them from causing any further damage to his side.

Hazlewood clinched the wickets of Adam Milne, Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult in the 45th over to bring the curtains down on the New Zealand innings. He prevented the Kiwis from playing full 46 overs after their innings was reduced by four overs due to first spell of rain.

It was Hazlewood's superb performance which makes him the 'Hatke Player of the Match' between Kiwis and Kangaroos.

Chasing target of 235 from 33 overs, Australia were 53/3 in 9 overs when rain gods prevented the match to be completed. But constant heavy drizzle led to suspension of the play forcing the officials to share a point each between the two teams.

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