Lahore, Feb 22 (IANS) Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis hit a sublime maiden ODI century to help Australia hunt down a record 352 in 47.3 overs and beat England by five wickets in a run-fest Group B match of the 2025 Champions Trophy at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Saturday.
Australia’s task looked uphill after England reached 351/8, thanks to a magnificent 165 by Ben Duckett, which is now the highest-ever individual score in the Champions Trophy. But Inglis held fort to hit an unbeaten 120 off 86 balls, laced with eight fours and six sixes, as Australia now hold the record for the highest successful chase in the history of ICC Men’s ODI tournaments, as well as in a men’s ODI game in Lahore.
Inglis was also helped with key contributions from Matthew Short (63), Alex Carey (69), and Glenn Maxwell (32 not out), as Australia reached home with five balls to spare and five wickets in hand, proving yet again why they can never be taken lightly in ICC tournaments.
England’s pace duo of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood struck with the new ball to dismiss Travis Head and Steve Smith cheaply in the powerplay. From there, Short and Marnus Labuschagne tried resurrecting Australia’s innings by adding 95 runs for the third wicket before Adil Rashid removed Labuschagne by having him slap straight to cover.
Short went on to score 63 off 66 deliveries – hitting nine fours and a six – before Liam Livingstone took him out with a superb caught-and-bowled dismissal to reduce Australia to 136/4 in 22.2 overs. Inglis and Carey joined forces to stitch a 146-run partnership for the fifth wicket, with the latter being dropped by Archer at deep mid-wicket off Rashid’s bowling.
But Carse broke their stand by having Carey mistime a flat-batted shot straight to England skipper Jos Buttler at mid-off. Maxwell entered the picture by hitting Wood for back-to-back fours before Inglis hit back-to-back sixes off Carse in the 44th over and then heaved an off-colour Archer for another maximum to reach his maiden ODI hundred.
Maxwell and Inglis continued to thunder boundaries, with the former surviving a caught chance as replays showed Archer’s full toss was above waist height and deemed a no-ball. Inglis finished off the chase with a six over deep mid-wicket from Wood and clinched a remarkable win for Australia.
Brief scores:
England 351/8 in 50 overs (Ben Duckett 165, Joe Root 68; Ben Dwarshuis 3-66, Marnus Labuschagne 2-41) lost to Australia 356/5 in 47.3 overs (Josh Inglis 120 not out, Alex Carey 69; Adil Rashid 1-47, Liam Livingstone 1-47) by five wickets
–IANS
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