<p class="title">New Zealand Cricket (NZC) defended Eden Park on Tuesday amid criticism the Auckland venue is too small to host international fixtures such as the T20 tri-series final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The decider on Wednesday features New Zealand and Australia, who produced a run-fest at the same ground on Friday that left some purists fuming.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A total of 488 runs were scored at 12.7 an over as the sides smashed 32 sixes before Australia completed a world-record run chase of 245 to claim a five-wicket win.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The sight of miss-hits sailing over the boundary for six prompted veteran Australian commentator Jim Maxwell to call the venue "a joke" that should not host international cricket.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Eden Park is best known as a rugby ground and its boundaries fall well short of the International Cricket Councils 59.5-metre (65-yard) minimum.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The situation is allowed to stand because the Auckland stadium hosted international cricket before the ICC regulations were introduced in 2007.</p>.<p class="bodytext">NZC chief operating officer Anthony Crummy said the governing body "absolutely" backed Eden Park as a venue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's unique, you can't deny that, a lot of cricket grounds are," he told Radio Sport.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We think it adds to the colour of the international schedule when players have to adapt (to a smaller ground)."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Crummy also pointed out that Eden Park did not always produce high-scoring slog-a-thons, saying a number of matches there in recent years had been low-scoring, tight affairs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It hasn't failed to deliver great contest after great contest," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"When you look back, they're not always high scoring either. The fans certainly have a great time when they're there, we have great contests and were happy with it." </p>
<p class="title">New Zealand Cricket (NZC) defended Eden Park on Tuesday amid criticism the Auckland venue is too small to host international fixtures such as the T20 tri-series final.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The decider on Wednesday features New Zealand and Australia, who produced a run-fest at the same ground on Friday that left some purists fuming.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A total of 488 runs were scored at 12.7 an over as the sides smashed 32 sixes before Australia completed a world-record run chase of 245 to claim a five-wicket win.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The sight of miss-hits sailing over the boundary for six prompted veteran Australian commentator Jim Maxwell to call the venue "a joke" that should not host international cricket.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Eden Park is best known as a rugby ground and its boundaries fall well short of the International Cricket Councils 59.5-metre (65-yard) minimum.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The situation is allowed to stand because the Auckland stadium hosted international cricket before the ICC regulations were introduced in 2007.</p>.<p class="bodytext">NZC chief operating officer Anthony Crummy said the governing body "absolutely" backed Eden Park as a venue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It's unique, you can't deny that, a lot of cricket grounds are," he told Radio Sport.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We think it adds to the colour of the international schedule when players have to adapt (to a smaller ground)."</p>.<p class="bodytext">Crummy also pointed out that Eden Park did not always produce high-scoring slog-a-thons, saying a number of matches there in recent years had been low-scoring, tight affairs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"It hasn't failed to deliver great contest after great contest," he said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"When you look back, they're not always high scoring either. The fans certainly have a great time when they're there, we have great contests and were happy with it." </p>