3-0 victory over New Zealand puts Australia second in ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Premier League standings with 120 point



Captain Aaron Finch pulled out of the competition with a 3-0 win over New Zealand in the ODI series, with Australia winning the thriller with 25 points at Cairns.




The win moved Australia to second place in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Premier League standings with 120 points. They are now five points behind England, who top the table with 125 points.



Aaron Finch said goodbye to ODI cricket in his final match against New Zealand. He stayed at the crease for just 13 balls in the final game and Tim Southee broke his stump as the Australia captain left the pitch to score a resounding victory in the Cairns crowd applause.


Finch ended his career before his final game, and the poor form justified his decision to hang up his boots. Australia now has plenty of time to find top-ranked substitutes and a captain to lead them to next year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.


However, the 35-year-old will be able to lead his side to the T20 World Cup at home next month, with Australia looking to become the first defending champions.


Although he missed the bat in ODI, he dropped out of 50-over form to lead Australia to a 3-0 win over New Zealand in his final series.


In the final ODI, Australia managed to recover after losing the opener in Powerplay. Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne provided 118 runs for the third wicket. While Labuschagne fell shortly after turning 50, Smith turned it into 100, his first ODI cricket appearance in nearly two years. Some late fireworks from Alex Carey and Cameron Green pushed Australia to 267/5.


In response, New Zealand's bureau failed to take off. They kept losing wickets after being broken by 49 in the opening. The innings of James Neesham, Glenn Phillips and Mitchell Santner kept the Black Caps in the game, but it turned out to be 25 too many runs as Australia scoured the game 3-0.