Smith gets a lucky break

Australian batsman Steve Smith got a lucky break when the ball rolled onto his stumps but failed to remove the bails as the home side chased victory in the World Cup final.

Smith, who finished unbeaten on 56, was on 16 when he tried to smash a delivery from Kiwi paceman Matthew Henry off the backfoot.

Instead, he only managed to edge the ball back toward his stumps.

But with fortune smiling on the Aussie No. 3, the ball squeezed underneath his back foot with the contact enough to slow it to trickle before rolling gently onto his stumps.

With the bails now heavier than past eras because they are fitted with lights inside the gentle contact was insufficient to break the wicket, giving the 25-year-old a lifeline.

The incident came in the 15th over with Australia 2/68 after earlier losing openers David Warner (45) and Aaron Finch, who was dismissed in the first over for a duck.

And with the Black Caps desperate for wickets after being bowled out for 183 in 45 overs, it showed the cricket gods appeared to be on the Aussies' side.