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Aussie Cricket: Steve Smith Shines As Australia Beats New Zealand

Men's cricket team wins by 68 runs to maintain No. 1 ODI position
Cricket Australia/Getty Images

Australia beat New Zealand in a stellar match at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday. It was the top-notch performance and the match disillusioned Aussie cricket fans were waiting for. Good bloody job fellas.

Captain Steve Smith absolutely smashed it with a smooth 164, setting a new record for the highest one day international score at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The 27-year-old is truly earning his title as skipper, becoming the equal best ODI score by an Australia captain, sharing the title with none other than Ricky Ponting.

"It's a nice feeling, I had a bit of luck and you got to try and make the most of it," Smith told the Wide World of Sports. Of course he's modest too.

Australia were 8-324 after their impressive innings, a number New Zealand could not top, all out for 256. The Kiwis didn't get off to a good start -- reduced to 2-34 in the first eight overs -- and despite a good recovery, they couldn't beat the green and gold at their home ground.

It was the win the Aussie men's side needed to secure their position as No. 1 ODI. And, it was the win they needed to crawl out of the funk they collected from their shocking Test performance in Hobart and losing their No.1 Test ranking earlier this year.

But it wouldn't be a day at the cricket without a bit of off pitch drama. Classic Aussie sportsmen, right? Glenn Maxwell was left off the batting line-up in a decision marred by controversy caused by a dig at his state captain, Matthew Wade. He was dirty about being left batting below Wade. Smith said it wouldn't harm his chances at selection, but here we are. Travis Head was included at his expense and did a pretty good job smashing a half-century. Poor Maxwell.

If it's any consolation, Maxwell made an impressive catch to knock out Guptill on 114 runs. He wasn't the only one with magic hands, making it very difficult for New Zealand to break ahead. Smith cemented his legendary status, diving for the ball to surprise batsman BJ Watling who probably thought he was just going for a breezy four runs.

"I landed straight on my face," Smith told the Wide World of Sports. "I got a bit of a sore jaw."

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