Read the article of Australia vs New Zealand 6th Match WSC 1990-91 - Benson & Hedges World Series Cup one-day international tournament of the 6th ODI match played between New Zealand and Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne in 11th December 1990.
Half-centuries from Geoff Marsh, Dean Jones and Simon O'Donnell before Waugh Brothers' combined 5-wickets helped to Australia comprehensive 39-run victory over New Zealand, despite a captain Martin Crowe's fighting 81 and make it 4 wins in a row in the sixth match of a Benson and Hedges World Series Cup.
Australia scored 263-7 in 50 overs with top scorer by Simon O'Donnell hammered a 66 off 43-balls, Dean Jones cracked a 54 off 60-balls including three boundaries, Geoff Marsh struck 51 off 86-balls included 2-fours & a six.
Allan Border scored 40 off 42-balls including a boundary and Greg Matthews hit a unbeaten 16 off 13-balls included a four.
New Zealand best bowler by Chris Pringle, Danny Morrison both took 2-wickets and one for Richard Petrie - Grant Bradburn.
New Zealand scored 224-8 in 50 overs with top scorer by Martin Crowe cracked a 81 off 116-balls including 5-fours.
Ken Rutherford scored 37 off 51-balls without a boundary, Debutant Bryan Young - who hit a unbeaten 26 off 36-balls on his debut ODI match - included a four and John Wright struck 24 off 37-balls contained two boundaries.
Australia best bowler by Mark Waugh picked up 3-wickets for 20-runs in 6-overs, Steve Waugh took 2-wickets and one for Terry Alderman - Simon O'Donnell.
Simon O'Donnell named Player of the match for his scintillating batting performance to smashed a 66 off 43-balls including 7-fours & 2-sixes with strike rate of 153.48.
This match reported by The Canberra Times Staff (Third Party Reference from The Canberra Times)
Australia continued its unbeaten march through the World Series Cup when it accounted for New Zealand by 39 runs in the day-night match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The Australians recorded an impressive total of 7-263 after being sent in to bat by New Zealand and then restricted the tourists to 8-224 from their allotted 50 overs.
All-rounder Simon O'Donnell lit up the Australian innings with a marauding 66 from 43 deliveries after being promoted up the order to four.
O'Donnell took to the hapless New Zealand bowling with an axe as Australia amassed an impregnable total. He hit seven boundaries and two massive sixes and had good support from captain Allan Border (40), opener Geoff Marsh (51) and Dean Jones (54), to leave New Zealand chasing 5.38 an over for victory.
O'Donnell started quietly, even playing out a maiden from off-spinner Grant Bradburn. The introduction of medium-pacer Richard Petrie for the 36th over prompted him to see red and the Australian smacked 19 from the over. He took another 15 from Willie Watson's next over and brought up his half-century from only 36 deliveries.
Crowe erred by not bringing back his best bowler, Danny Morrison, until O'Donnell had found his momentum and, though Morrison disturbed O'Donnell's stumps, the damage had been done.
The early loss of David Boon in the seventh over, hardly worried the Australians as Marsh and Jones provided a solid platform. They added 86 in better than even time with Jones racing to his half-century from 58 deliveries.
Marsh had the honour of hitting the first six to where the old southern stand used to be and the pair were in complete control until Jones misjudged one of his quick singles and was run out. Marsh fell to Bradburn immediately after bring up his fifty with a clip off his toes through mid-wicket.
Jones brought up 4000 runs in the one-day arena when he reached six and his aggressive running had the tourists off-side from the moment he came to the wicket, setting the stage for O'Donnell.
The Australians motored past 200 in the 39th over, with only four wickets down, and looked set for a huge score but New Zealand fought back in the closing overs. Mark Waugh (9) and Steve Waugh (4) never got going and Border departed, holing out to Rod Latham at long-on off Chris Pringle.
Pringle finished with a respectable 2-40 from his overs while Morrison added the wicket of Steve Waugh to the scalp of O'Donnell.
New Zealand captain Martin Crowe promoted himself to open and, while he was at the crease for his 81, the tourists were a chance for victory. However, Crowe departed in the 41st over, caught Greg Matthews off Mark Waugh, and the failure of any of the other recognised batsmen to reach 40 sealed the encounter.
But Steve Waugh added some late spice to the encounter when he warned New Zealand 'keeper Bryan Young for backing up too far. Waugh, bowling to Crowe, stopped in his run-up to warn Young that he would not tolerate him trying to steal an advantage.
Needing 5.28 an over for victory, Crowe and former skipper John Wright made an enterprising start, taking 44 runs from the first nine overs. The tourists had struggled in the early overs in their previous four matches but the move of Crowe to open prompted a more aggressive outlook.
The New Zealanders were particularly severe on Merv Hughes, playing his first one-dayer of the summer, and the Victorian was removed from the attack after only four overs. Crowe dispatched Hughes through cover to the boundary twice in the paceman's third over and the Victorian retired from the attack.
Terry Alderman claimed Wright, caught brilliantly by Mark Waugh at short mid-wicket for 24. Captain Allan Border turned to man-of-the-match O'Donnell to stem the runs and he responded with the wicket of Mark Greatbatch, fooled by a slower ball as he holed out to Greg Matthews at mid-on.
This left Crowe with most of the work if New Zealand was to claim an unlikely victory. Ken Rutherford, with 37, combined with Crowe for the best stand of the innings, adding 83, but the run-rate was always against the visitors.
Rutherford tried to cut Steve Waugh and was caught by a diving Alderman at point. Crowe reached his half-century in just short of two hours. But the steady wicket-flow at the other end forced him to hit out and he gave a catch to Matthews off Mark Waugh.
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