Australia pulled off a monster chase against England in the Champions Trophy on Saturday after Josh Inglis’ incendiary hundred helped them to prevail in a high-scoring Group B thriller by five wickets.
Opener Ben Duckett smashed 165 to propel England to 351-8, a record total in the tournament’s history until Australia overwhelmed it, after they were put into bat.
Inglis, born in Leeds, England, to English parents, hammered 120 not out off 86 balls while Alex Carey (69) and Matthew Short (63) chipped in with half-centuries as Australia reached the target with 15 balls to spare.
Photo: AFP
“We thought around 350 was going to be chaseable for a moment,” Australia captain Steve Smith said.
“For a moment, it looked like they were probably going to get over 400, so we’re pleased by that [bowling] effort,” he said. “And yeah, we were confident we could chase this down.”
The way Australia completed the highest chase in a men’s event in an International Cricket Council tournament was in stark contrast to their wobbly start.
Jofra Archer took a return catch to dismiss the dangerous Travis Head and Mark Wood removed Steve Smith with an 150-kph rocket.
Short and Marnus Labuschagne (47) propped up Australia before England struck back with their spin duo of Adil Rashid and Liam Livingstone.
Inglis raised 146 runs with Carey, who was dropped on 49 by Archer, as Australia reclaimed control of the see-saw contest and never let it go.
Brydon Carse removed Carey in the 42nd over, but Inglis raced to a 77-ball hundred reaching the mark with a six off Archer.
Glenn Maxwell produced an unbeaten cameo of 32 off 15 balls to ease any pressure on Inglis, who sealed Australia’s victory with his sixth six.
Australia had arrived with a second-string pace attack, and their missing frontline quicks included skipper Pat Cummins.
Stand-in skipper Smith elected to field, and they did not have to wait long for a breakthrough thanks to Carey’s spectacular athleticism at mid-on.
Phil Salt had flicked a Ben Dwarshuis (3-66) delivery and Carey moved to his right, leapt and plucked a one-handed stunner on the edge of the 30-yard circle.
The bowler-fielder duo combined again to remove Jamie Smith, whose promotion to number three did not pay off.
Duckett combined in a stand of 158 with Joe Root (68) to lay the foundation for England’s big total.
Adam Zampa dismissed Root and Jos Buttler fell for 23, but Duckett went on to eclipse New Zealander Nathan Astle’s record for the highest individual score in the Champions Trophy.
Duckett struck 17 fours and three sixes before falling lbw to Labuschagne after a 143-ball knock.
England had put up a “pretty good score,” Buttler said.
“It’s a little bit wet, and there was always the worry, if the dew does come in, it may play a bit better and skid on,” he said. “However, all being said, whatever happens with the conditions, to chase down 350 is a fantastic effort.”
Juventus on Sunday stopped Inter from replacing SSC Napoli at the top of Serie A by beating their fierce rivals 1-0 and moving into the UEFA Champions League positions. Francisco Conceicao made sure that Napoli would stay two points ahead of reigning champions Inter by classily tucking home the winning goal 16 minutes before the end of an entertaining contest in Turin. Portugal attacker Conceicao netted his fourth goal of the season in all competitions after brilliant work from Randal Kolo Muani to give Juve a third straight league win. Juve are in fourth place on 46 points, ahead on goal-difference from SS
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) is considering reducing its pitch clock by two seconds to help players better adjust to the rules applied at the World Baseball Classic (WBC). The proposal aims to shorten the pitch timer from 25 seconds to 23 seconds with the bases empty, and from 20 seconds to 18 seconds with runners on base. Currently, the WBC mandates that pitchers deliver a pitch every 18 seconds with the bases empty and 15 seconds with runners on base. The issue was raised during a pre-season CPBL managers’ meeting on Tuesday by Rakuten Monkeys bench and batting
‘SETTING THE TONE’: Donovan Mitchell said that their determination to dominate had nothing to do with past results, but was about a potential post-season clash The Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday boosted their NBA-best record with a 142-105 romp past the New York Knicks, tightening their grip on the Eastern Conference lead with an all-around dominant display. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points to lead six Cavs players to score in double figures, connecting on five of seven three-pointers as Cleveland drilled 19 from beyond the arc. “I think the biggest thing was just try to set the tone early,” Mitchell said, adding that the determination to dominate had nothing to do with the Knicks’ first-round playoff win over the Cavs two seasons ago and everything to do with
RSS