The match began with Australia losing the toss and being sent in to bat. They initially struggled, but Steven Smith and Marnus Labuschagne managed to stabilize the innings. Despite Smith falling short of his half-century, his partnership with Labuschagne, who scored 71, laid a solid foundation for the lower-order batsmen.
Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis also made valuable contributions with their impressive knocks of 47 and 35. However, it was the man of the match, Adam Zampa, who played a crucial cameo role of 29 runs towards the end, enabling Australia to post a formidable total of 287 runs in the first innings, being bundled out in the 49th over.
Defending this target was no easy task for the Australians, but the lose of Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root thanks to Mitch Starc, eased the pressure by reducing England to 19 for 2. Dawid Malan and Ben Stokes then formed a partnership of 84, with Malan reaching a half-century.
Pat Cummins made the much needed breakthrough in the 22nd over by dismissing Malan, and the situation worsened for England when Adam Zampa came in and took three crucial wickets. Zampa claimed the scalps of Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali, who scored 64 and 43 runs, respectively, along with Jos Butler, who managed just 1 run. Zampa extended his lead in the fight for most wickets in the tournament, now sitting in the top spot with 19 wickets in seven games.
Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Marcus Stoinis also contributed towards the end of England’s run chase by wrapping up the tail end, securing the win for Australia with 33 runs to spare.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc’s two wickets also placed him in third position for the most wickets taken by a bowler in World Cup history, with only 14 more to match the great Glenn McGrath.
This victory significantly enhances Australia’s chances of qualifying for the top four, provided they maintain their winning streak. In contrast, England’s tournament has been disappointing, with six losses in seven matches, leaving the former world champions at the bottom of the table—a surprising turn of events for the founders of the sport we all cherish.
Chief Scores:
Australia – 286 for 10 in 49.3 Overs (Marnus Labuschagne 71, Cameron Green 47, Steven Smith 44, Chris Woakes 4 for 54, Adil Rashid 2 for 38, Mark Wood 2 for 70)
England – 253 for 10 in 48.1 Overs (Ben Stokes 64, Dawid Malan 50, Moeen Ali 42, Adam Zampa 3 for 21, Josh Hazle wood 2 for 49, Pat Cummins 2 for 49)
