By the end of the match I was almost willing nz to victory. This game went close to being an epic. If nz had pulled it off it would certainly have crossed that threshold. A remarkable display of hitting from nz’s number 11 batsman, Kyle Mills, including a series of 4 sixes in 4 balls, had them well on the way. An old man with a dislocated shoulder, playing in his 250th one-day international, joined him at the crease to try and push the heroic stakes toward that epic point. Unfortunately Australia’s newest recruit Glenn McGarth secured victory for Australia with a perfect yorker to the old man.

Even in the thick Sydney atmosphere the players were managing to float through the the air, though possibly lacking the easy grace with which they were doing it at the dome.

The good thing about the Australian victory is that we’re now set up for a decider in Brisbane on Friday – from out of nowhere this has become one of the greatest ever one-day series.