Lahore [Pakistan], February 23 (ANI): Following his side’s win over England in their ICC Champions Trophy campaign opener, Australia captain Steve Smith commended the team’s effort and said that they felt 350 runs were chaseable.
Australia put aside all talks about a potential early exit from the Champions Trophy, with younger talent showcasing top batting form and Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis finishing on a high, taking Aussies to the biggest run chase in an ICC ODI event by a team ever.
Speaking about the performances in the post-match presentation, Smith said, “I thought the guys were outstanding from the outset. (Matthew) Short played beautifully up top. Travis (Head) and I were the only two to miss out and the middle order did a tremendous job. Really pleased. Regardless of what team we have, we would have bowled first, knowing how wet it (grass) got when we trained the other night and this evening. Looked easiest to bat at the back end. I thought it slowed up in the end in the first innings and I thought 350 was chaseable.”
“For a moment it looked like they (England) were probably gonna get over 400, we were pleased by that effort and knew we could chase this if we batted 50 overs. Trusting each others’ skills, the boys did a really good job, took pace off at the right times, hit hard lengths and controlled at the back end of the game. Marnus (Labuschagne) bowled nicely at the back end. The two keepers have been batting beautifully for a while now. They are both in great form. Josh hits the ball all along the ground and has all the shots, Was an amazing effort from Inglis and Alex played beautifully as well. Really pleased with the team effort,” he added.
Australia opted to bowl first and looked set for a fine outing when England was reduced to 43/2, with a move to promote young wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith at number-three not paying off. However, Ben Duckett and Joe Root (68 in 78 balls, with four boundaries) responded with a well-compiled counter-attack, helping England cross 200 runs with a 158-run stand. With wickets falling at the other end, Duckett kept swinging mercilessly his way towards 165 in 143 balls, with 17 fours and three sixes. England scored 351/8 in their 50 overs.
Ben Dwarshuis (3/66) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia, while Adam Zampa (2/64) and Matthew Short (2/41) took two wickets as well.
In the run-chase of 352, Australia lost Travis Head and Steve Smith for single-digits, losing their two most reliable bats at the score of 27/2. A 95-run stand between Labuschagne (47 in 45 balls, with five fours) and Matt Short (63 in 66 balls, nine fours and six) took Australia beyond the 100-run mark, but Aussies once again stumbled to 136/4 thanks to some brilliance of spin wizard Adil Rashid.
But with an explosive trio of middle-order batters still waiting, giving up was not a choice. ‘Aussie mentality’ did start to set in with every boundary hit, with every six sent into the skies. An aggressive Alex Carey (69 in 63 balls, with eight fours) had a 146-run partnership that put the match within Australia’s reach.
Carey was dismissed by Brydon Carse, but Inglis (120* in 86 balls, with eight fours and six sixes) and Maxwell (32* in 15 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) finished off the match by unleashing some T20-style shots with their trademark audacity, giving no heed to match situation and lack of batting firepower left below them, with 15 balls left and five wickets in hand. (ANI)
