Champions Trophy Ushered in by Historic Chase by Australia. Australia entered into ICC Champions Trophy folklore. They achieved a remarkable five-wicket victory over England.
Chasing an unlikely 352, the Australians never gave up. They chased down the target in 48 overs, losing just five wickets.
Josh Inglis became the hero, with an unbeaten 120 off 86 deliveries. His innings were a masterclass in controlled aggression.
Alex Carey (69), Matthew Short (63), and Marnus Labuschagne (47) helped guide the innings so that the team could maintain its position.
Travis Head and Steve Smith, though, both went cheaply. A late unbeaten 32 from Glenn Maxwell ensured Australia got there. England’s bowlers could not contain the onslaught.
Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, and Brydon Carse each claimed a wicket, but they remained powerless to stop Australia’s record chase.
Earlier, England scored an imposing 351/8 after being sent into bat. Their innings were spearheaded by Ben Duckett’s magnificent 165.
Joe Root made a decent 6,8, but others failed. Jos Buttler, Jamie Smit,h and Liam Livingstone could not make the most of a good start.
Australia was led with the ball by Ben Dwarshuis, who took three wickets. Adam Zampa and Marnus Labuschagne also took two.
There was also a vital scalp from Glenn Maxwell. England’s mammoth total proved not enough in the end. New Zealand opened the tournament with a win over Pakistan.
It then beat Bangladesh by six wickets. South Africa recently over-closeted Afghanistan. Tomorrow: the most anticipated clash between Pakistan and India.
