T20 World Cup 2022: Bizarre David Warner dismissal sums up horror night for Australia against New Zealand

Australia’s T20 World Cup hopes hang by a thread after crushing loss to New Zealand – a match in which David Warner managed to dismiss himself | WATCH

Australian opener David Warner reacts after his dismissal against New Zealand. Picture: Getty Images

Shots were fired at the SCG; David Warner managed to shoot himself, Devon Conway and the Kiwis shot the lights out of Australia’s tournament.

Chasing 201 the home team imploded in front of 34,756 people and were bowled out for just 111.

Every batter failed, every bowler was beaten into submission.

All eyes in the game were focused on the great geopolitical clash due to take place between Pakistan and India at the MCG on Sunday and somehow underestimated the Kiwis and Australia in Sydney on Saturday night.

The small nation to the east might also have a point to prove in this World Cup malarkey and what better place to prove it.

Definitely not Australia's night 😬

New Zealand make a huge statement with an 89-run win over the defending champions 💥 👉 https://t.co/9TVjXK4g4i

Who was your player of the match?#AUSvNZpic.twitter.com/RxPXPIKt3p

— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) October 22, 2022

Remember it was the Kiwis Australia dismissed in the T20 World Cup final last year. Don’t forget it was the same situation in the 2015 ODI final at the MCG.

Let’s not even mention the bizarre and disappointing way they were beaten by England in the 2019 final.

Warner’s dismissal summed up Australia’s night. The batsman managed to dismiss himself with a piece of batting that should surely make one of those social media viral videos.

Attempting to pull a relatively innocuous first delivery from Tim Southee, the opener got a bottom edge onto the pad and the ball ballooned up. As Warner’s bat completed the stroke it made contact with the ball and swept it around his legs and into the stumps.

It was the last thing you need when you’ve got 20 overs to chase down 201 in the curtain raiser for your hometown World Cup defence.

David Warner out at 5! 😱 A great start for New Zealand. Tune in now to watch LIVE on STARZPLAY: https://t.co/EkKhjLWANX#STARZPLAY#T20WorldCup22#T20Cricket#T20WC2022#WorldCup2022#ICCWorldCup2022#cricketonSTARZPLAY#T20WorldCuponSTARZPLAY#live#matchhighlightspic.twitter.com/smveWaWDAy

— Cricket on STARZPLAY (@starzplaymasala) October 22, 2022

The highly-fancied Australia outfit is up against it now and cannot afford to drop another game.

The Kiwis, however, looked in control from the first delivery.

Remember Mitchell Starc taking down Brendan McCullum to make the definitive statement in that 2015 game?

Hopes were dashed with the opener’s stumps a few balls into the match.

Well, there was no repeat of it at the SCG. Starc’s second ball to Finn Allen went for four, the second for six and two balls later he drilled one so hard it almost took out bowler and umpire.

That first over went for 14, Josh Hazlewood’s effort from the other end for 15 and when Pat Cummins replaced Starc he went for 17.

Australia had set up their own ambush by sending the visitors in and it didn’t help that Allen was dropped by Adam Zampa off Cummins in that third over.

Lachlan Ferguson celebrates the wicket of Matthew Wade with his New Zealand teammates. Picture: Getty Images

Glenn Phillips’ diving effort to remove Marcus Stoinis highlighted the difference on the night.

It took an effort to drag the run rate back to 10 an over. At one stage the score projection was 280, but 201 was still too much to handle.

All three of Australia’s premier quicks conceded sixes in their first overs.

Twenty-three-year-old Allen, who made his T20I debut in March last year and was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL side as a batting wicket keeper replacement for Josh Philippe, hit 42 from 16 deliveries set up the game. But it was his opening partner Devon Conway who kept the momentum going.

Cummins’ 0-46 was the most costly of the Australian bowlers and his worst day out in this form at home, but nobody could boast an economy rate of under nine as the barnstorming Kiwis had a night to remember.

By the time Conway moved into the 80s, the win-loss projections had the visitors at 80% chance of victory and the DJ was playing Split Enz tunes.

Warner’s hapless dismissal triggered another song, Counting the Beat by Kiwi outfit The Swingers.

Australia could not take a trick and did themselves no favours. Where good shots found the gaps and the boundary, bad ones fell short. The fielding was not sharp and when Conway hit a six off the last ball – he finished on 92no – Glenn Maxwell kicked the boundary rope in frustration.

A better throw from Maxwell off the previous delivery would have seen the batsman run out.