Australia see off England to knock holders out of Cricket World Cup
A World Cup defence that faltered from the outset and long since rendered futile has seen the last of its mathematical fingernails prised from the rock face, England falling to a 33-run defeat in soupy Ahmedabad and at the hands of their arch-rivals Australia.
There was no controversy to deflect from the result, no ‘what if’ moment to console the increasingly beleaguered Jos Buttler as, for the sixth time in this campaign, his England side ended up second best on the day. Their remaining two games still come with the incentive of finishing in the top eight and securing qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy but right now, welded to the foot of the table, you wouldn’t bet on it.
Not that this match was all about the English woe encapsulated by Jonny Bairstow’s first-ball duck in the chase or Buttler’s latest disappearing act with the bat. Instead it came down to an Australian side who overcame the absence of two first-team players in Glenn Maxwell and Mitch Marsh, a significant disadvantage at the toss, and yet strung together a characterful performance across both innings to all-but seal one of the semi-final berths.
Adam Zampa was their champion on the day and not just through his figures of three for 21 with the ball. The leg-spinner was also irritant-in-chief at the back end of a first innings that could otherwise have settled this supposed Ashes reunion. Emerging at No 10 and pilfering 29 runs from just 19 balls, the unlikely Zampa helped turn 247 for eight into 286 all out, enough to squeeze a confidence-devoid England under lights.
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This was a maddening cameo for Buttler’s men, built on streaky edges, cross-batted swipes but plenty of gumption, the value of which became increasingly apparent as the chase unfolded. There was a half-century from Dawid Malan up top and a defiant 64 from Ben Stokes in the middle. But in the end, when Adil Rashid sent a top edge into the night sky to see England 253 all out in 48.1 overs, the difference proved to be a tailender who spends more time on tour brewing artisan coffee than working on his batting in the nets.
Full report to follow