Ritika
Brisbane: Captain Aaron Finch returned to form with a half-century (63 off 44 balls) as defending champions Australia kept their hopes alive in the T20 World Cup with a 42-run win over Ireland here on Monday. With this win, Australia have five points from four matches. The team remains in the race for the semi-finals, finishing second above England in Group One.
New Zealand also have the same number of points, which are on top of Group One with a better run rate. But Australia’s run rate (-0.304) is still negative and has played one match more than its Ashes rivals England, which has a run rate of 0.239. The Australian team will now take on Afghanistan in their final group match in Adelaide on Friday. Australia recovered from a slow start with Finch’s half-century to put up a competitive score of 179 for five.
Ireland, who had knocked out two-time champions West Indies from the tournament and thrashed England in the Super 12 stage, were chased down by the Australian pace attack in 18.1 overs, chasing a target of 180 runs. Shrinked down. The defending champion had sent half of Ireland’s team to the pavilion within four overs. Ireland’s lone wicket-keeper batsman Locran Tucker (71 not out from 48 balls) stood up against the Australian pace attack who kept hope till the end. But he did not get any support at the other end and the run-rate kept increasing.
Josh Little’s dismissal in the 19th over ended Ireland’s innings as Tucker remained unbeaten on 71. Fast bowling leader Pat Cummins (2 for 28 in four overs) dismissed in-form opener Andy Balbirnie. Then Glenn Maxwell (2 for 14) took the wickets of Paul Sterling (11) and Harry Tector (06) within five balls. Then Mitchell Starc (a maiden in four overs, two wickets for 43 runs) sent Curtis Kampher and George Dockrell to the pavilion in five balls. Ireland had thus lost five wickets for 25 runs in the powerplay.
But Ireland’s hopes of a comeback came with the batting of number three Tucker, who shared a 33-ball 43-run partnership with Delany. Tucker hit two consecutive fours on Starc in the 12th over. Luck was also with Tucker and he was on 35 when Cummins gave him life in the same over.
Wickets kept falling at the other end and Tucker remained at one end till the end. Earlier, after being invited to bat, Australia had lost the wicket of opener David Warner (03) in the third over, after which Finch batted fast and completed his half-century in 38 balls. This is the first T20 International fifty by the Australian captain in eight innings. Finch shared a partnership of 70 runs with Marcus Stoinis which came in just 36 balls. Stoinis contributed 35 runs in 25 balls.
But Finch became the third victim of Ireland pacer Barry McCarthy (3 for 29) in the 17th over, as the defending champions could not collect the expected runs in the ‘death overs’. Left-arm leg-spinner George Dockrell (24 runs in four overs) conceded just three runs in the 18th over, while left-arm pacer Josh Little (2 for 21) also bowled well and dismissed Stoinis in the 19th over. Gave only four runs. In addition to Finch, McCarthy took the wickets of Warner and Mitchell Marsh (28 runs). But in the final over, Tim David scored two fours and scored an unbeaten 15 off 10 balls to help increase the score.
The defending champions, who were aiming for a big win to keep semi-final hopes alive, made a cautious start, but Warner then returned cheaply to the pavilion. The star opener was caught at short fine leg off McCarthy’s short ball, which continued the Australian’s poor performance in the T20 World Cup. The left-handed batsman has so far scored 5, 11 and 3 runs in three matches of the T20 World Cup.
