The Fantastico 4 who made 2-1 possible for New Zealand against Australia

New Zealand defeated their arch rivals Australia 2-1 and retained the Chappell-Hadlee series and also gave a fitting farewell to their captain Brendon McCullum who retired from ODI cricket after this series. McCullum's impact in turning this current Kiwi team into a world force is immense, he instilled qualities in them by which he has played his personal game, qualities which said never to take a backward step and to give your 110% each time you go on to the field. Almost all the Kiwi players played a part in their win at some point in the series but we will look at the Fantastico 4 without whom this series win would never have materialised.

Martin Guptill

He struggled against the Australians when New Zealand toured down under for the recent test series so much so that his place in the side was under question but he made a superb return to form against the touring Sri Lankan and Pakistani teams. He was the highest run getter in the three match series with 180 runs which included twin half centuries in both the Kiwi wins. He also ensured that he got the runs in quick time as he had a strike rate of almost 100. His batting effort notwithstanding, he fielded brilliantly in all the games.

Brendon McCullum

This was his last series and he played in the same style which has served him so well right through his international career, playing free spirited and uninhibited cricket. Playing audacious shots he gave the Kiwis a flying start in each of the three games. He was the third highest run scorer in this series scoring 119 runs but the most important fact is that he got these runs in just 68 balls! His 44, 28 and 47 were scored at a break neck pace off 29, 12 and 27 balls respectively which made sure that the pressure was on the Australians, early in the innings, each time. He was also the Fantastico captain, attacking at every instant possible and flinging himself in the field to stop every shot that was played in his vicinity.

Matt Henry

Matt Henry must be the unluckiest bowler in world cricket right now. He has done everything possible in his jurisdiction to grab a fixed spot in the Kiwi team but he seems to have been utterly unable to nail it. He's taken a bagful of wickets in all the matches he has played in his fledging career but still the selectors feel that there is someone better in New Zealand then him. He was again the highest wicket taker in this series with 8 wickets at a strike rate of just 19.5. He bowled match winning spells in the first and the third ODI's wreaking the Aussie top order with 3 wickets each. He was fast and he moved the ball making life difficult for every batsmen that faced up to him.

Trent Boult

Boult played only the first two matches missing the third as he was unwell. But it was his swing and his combination with Henry that destroyed Australia at Eden Park and reduced them to 41-6. He picked up only 4 wickets but his spell of 3-38 in the first match was hugely responsible for New Zealand going 1-0 up in the series.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.