Aaron Finch's injury was of the most concern for Australia given the 35-year-old's history of hamstring injuries. (AP Photo/Tertius Pickard)Australia vs Ireland T20 World Cup 2022 Highlights: An important victory for the Aussies at the Gabba. They bowled really well with the new ball. If not for Lorcan Tucker’s brilliant innings of 71 runs, this would have looked a lot worse for the Irish. Mitchell Starc picked up two important wickets in his first over with shearing yorkers. Adam Zamapa had a brilliant outing too on his return from COVID-19 picking up two for 19 in his four.
Mathew Wade led the side in the second innings on the field as Aaron Finch had a hamstring injury. Earlier in the first innings, Finch played a brilliant captain’s knock with 63 runs of 44 balls, supported by Mitchell Marsh 28(22) and Marcus Stoinis 35(25). Barry McCarthy picked up three wickets with the ball giving away 29 runs for the Irish, chipping in with crucial wickets in crucial stages of the game. Joshua Little also picked up a couple of wickets in his four.
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Australia
179/5 (20.0)Ireland
137 (18.1)Australia beat Ireland by 42 runs
Australia will take on Ireland at the Gabba in Brisbane in a crucial group 1 encounter.
Ireland lost five wickets in the first four overs. Since then they have fought back well to score 137 runs. Lorcan Tucker scored a blistering 71 runs off just 48 balls with nine boundaries and one mammoth six. However, the batter did not have any support from the other end. He and Delany had a brief 43 runs partnership in the middle other than that there is not a lot to speak about. Australian bowlers did a tidy job lot of damage was done with the new ball with Maxwell and Starc picking two wickets a piece in their first overs. Adam Zampa too had a brilliant outing with two for 19 in the middle overs he didn't let the pressure off the Irish. All in all an important victory for the Hosts.
Sriram Veera: The Irish wicket-keeper batsman first added 43 runs with Gareth Delany and kept chipping the runs to take them onwards. Not that Australia’s NRR matters to Ireland but it was Tucker who took the run to get Ireland past that 104-run mark. Tucker had shown he meant business in the sixth over off Starc who had just taken two wickets. Out he charged to flick Starc to a boundary and followed it next ball with a fine pull. Then when Starc returned in the 12th over, Tucker yet again reeled off the successive fours, a pull off a slower one and a drill to cover boundary. He would bring up his fifty with a thundering six over long-on off Josh Hazlewood in the 16th over. And when Starc came back for the 17th over, Tucker repeated the dose again. Not successive but two fours in the over. Both fours smashed to long-off boundary.
The equation read 47 from 19 balls. It made Adam Gilchrist perk up: Do they dare believe Ireland? Ian Bishop would reply, "why not, Gilly?"
The Irish fought a lone battle at one end while his teammates have come and gone. Brilliant innings by the right-hander.
Aaron Finch didn't come onto the field in the second innings due to a hamstring injury. Mathew Wade is leading the side on the field.
After the opening day humbling by the Kiwis. Aussies are looking to recover their run rate ever since. Australia needs to restrict Ireland to 104 for surpassing Ireland's Net Run Rate.
Just when it seemed like the partnership between Delany and Tucker was blooming Marcus Stoinis breaks the partnership. How valuable has Stoinis been for the Aussies in this World Cup so far?
Sriram Veera: Luckily, Lorcan Tucker had gone for the lap shot, and had just about moved to his right. In came Mitch Starc’s attempted yorker. Only, it was head high and passed right through the area where Tucker’s head would have been positioned had he not moved. Shane Watson had an interesting point on air. Did the attempted ramp shot made Starc lose his radar? Hmmm. Starc put up his hand in apology, the umpire extended his arm for a no-ball and Tucker still had his head.
Sriram Veera: Mitch Starc is making sure it skyrockets up. When they were batting, a commentator would say that Australia needed to win by 74 runs to catch up with England and Nasser Hussain would chirp: “That would be the last thing on Finch’s mind now. If they get out for a par total, Ireland can hurt them”. Words to that effect. It turns out, Starc is doing all the hurting. Two booming late inswingers in the fourth over of the innings had him knocking down the stumps of Curtis Campher and George Dockrell. Both were shaping to play the big booming straight drive but the ball would curl in through the bat-pad-gap to clatter the stumps.
Mitchell Starc bowls a double-wicket maiden. This is getting bad to worse very quickly for the Irish.
Sriram Veera: Glen Maxwell is the new Ian Botham, In the way he can pick wickets off tripe and long hops and celebrate it like he had planned it all along. First he saw off Stirling with a short delivery outside off. And he roared. Fair enough, that was a huge bonus wicket. Next, in the same 4th over, he had another long hop and incredibly Harry Tector swatted it straight to square-leg, sending Maxwell into yet another roar-and-a-hop routine. Botham has this reputation of getting wickets off long-hops, with Greg Chappell his famous victims on couple of times.
Sriram Veera:
Paul Stirling wanted to be Ben Stokes when he watched England’s batsman hit a match winning knock at the Ashes at Leeds in 2019. That 135* with the company of the last man Jack Leach. Stirling was in London, then, watching the game on the telly. When Stokes flashed the match winning cut and roared like a viking, Sterling thought Stokes had achieved the “pinnacle of the game”.
Stirling is one of the better new-ball bullies around world cricket, who likes to attack from the get-go. He charged out the first ball against Josh Hazlewood though he couldn’t connect. Next over, he thumped Pat Cummins over midwicket and followed it up with the shot of the innings: a thunderous swipe over cow corner. Alas, he didn’t last long, though, cutting Glen Maxwell weakly to extra cover where Cummins had the last laugh.
After starting off quickly Ireland are two down in no time. The top three are dismissed with inside three overs.
Sriram Veera: Andrew Balbirnie, the Irish captain, had a swing and a miss in the first over of the chase off Josh Hazlewood. But the ball did clip the off stump on the way to Matthew Wade who was aghast that the bail hadn’t fallen. Next ball, Balbirnie pulls out his unique short-arm pull to wallop a short ball at the body over square-leg for a six.
Australia after starting slowly picked up the pace as they went on. Despite Warner falling early Captain, Aaron Finch played a brilliant inning. The skipped made 63(44) and held the innings together. A 52-run partnership in the middle with Mitchell Marsh 28(22) and a 70-run partnership with Marcus Stoinis made sure that Australia post a good total on a wicket which is a bit slow. Ireland, on the other hand, McCarthy had a brilliant outing with the ball in his four he picked three for 29. Joshua Little chipped in with a couple of wickets. It will be a difficult run-chase for the Irish let us see what can they come up with.
Aaron Finch finishes his 50. Stoinis is looking good again today. This is looking like a major task for Ireland to restrict Australia.
Marcus Stoinis seems to be continuing his hitting form from the last game against Sri Lanka. Some clean hitting by the right hander.
Sriram Veera: This is what happened: Maxwell turned around in his stance and went for a switch reverse hit against the legspinner Gereth Delaney. And was hit on the pad. Umpire Nitin Menon ruled it not out, prompting the Irish tu refer it to third umpire. The replays showed the ball had landed outside leg stump and was negated. Of course when it hit the pad, since Maxwell had turned around like a left handet, it was just outside off stump.Ashwin had raised this point before, saying such appeals should be given out. Ashwin wants the batsmen to be given out lbw even when the ball pitches outside the leg stump if they are attempting to play reverse sweep or a switch hit. As things stand, lbw rule is not applicable even if the ball is expected to hit the stumps as long as the ball pitches outside leg stump as its considered a blind spot for a batsman.Ashwin wanted the cricket authorities to take a relook at that to even up the contest.“Please play your reverse sweeps, but give us (bowlers) lbw!” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “How can you say it’s not lbw when you turn (your body and it’s no longer a blind spot). It’s only a blind spot when you are at your normal stance. Once you play the reverse sweep or switch hit, it’s no longer a blind spot. It’s extremely unfair that it’s not ruled lbw.”He then brought up his argument for lbws. “As a bowler I tell the batsman my line of attack (over or around the stumps), and I am giving a clear glimpse of my field too. You front up as a right-handed batsman but switch to a left hander."
Ireland is not letting Australia get away with the game. Just when Australia starts to look good Irish are picking a wicket. Australia on the other hand is finding it hard to build partnerships after 11 Australia 84/3.
Sriram Veera: Couple of days ago, Michael Clarke reckoned Aaron Finch won’t last 10 seconds, and asked him to be dropped from the team. Just before Finch faced Mark Adair, David Warner gestured to Finch that Adair can swing the ball in. He even went across for a chat. It didn’t help. It was the outswinger and Finch charged and tried to flick the away-curler outside off stump to the on side and missed. Then came the inswinger, tapped away for a single. More chat between the two batsmen. But it was Warner who went first, pulling McCarthy straight to short fine-leg fielder Adair. He had lasted 7 balls. Finch would have been run out off his 9th ball, when he gave up running after punching to covers but George Dockerell's throw was just wide of the stumps at the non-striker's end.
After picking up Warner off his first delivery. The seamer picks Marsh. Just when the partnership was starting to look ominous McCarthy provided the break. Glenn Maxwell walks into the middle. Australia 64/2.
Both the right-handers are setting up the platform for the hitters to follow. It is a decent start by the Aussies.
Australia 38/1. After losing Warner early Mitchell Marsh and Aaron Finch made sure there is no further damage. Finch just started to look good after hitting a gigantic six of Mark Adair. Delany bowled the final over of the powerplay and just gave away four runs.
Aaron Finch like his previous innings continues to look like a man out of touch. Little bowled a bouncer which Finch completely misjudged and hit him on the name batch on the back the very next ball he drives one through covers. Irish have started well here.
The lefthander looks good middle one straight to the fine leg. The batter could not believe what he has done. Not the greatest of the delivery by McCarthy but nevertheless gets his man.
There hasn't been a lot of moment for Joshua Little. Aaron Finch pulled one with authority though it didn't yield a boundary the Australian skipper looks good.
Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Aaron Finch(c), Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade(w), Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood
Ireland (Playing XI): Paul Stirling, Andrew Balbirnie(c), Lorcan Tucker(w), Harry Tector, Curtis Campher, George Dockrell, Gareth Delany, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Fionn Hand, Joshua Little
Aaron Finch: We would have bowled first as well, looks like a pretty good surface. We need to make sure to do the basics right. Adam Zampa is back for Agar. We considered all factors, we are pretty confident with the side we got.
Andrew Balbirnie: We will bowl first, it's a big game for us (playing against Australia). Always nice to know what we can do in the second innings. There has been excitement among the guys, we are playing against the world champions today. What an opportunity to play against a team like Australia.
Three years ago, at Lord’s, Irish luck had smiled on an England captain, Eoin Morgan from Ireland. Now it has returned in some style to another iconic venue. Just as Moeen Ali threw in a desperate hand, and England crept closer to the runs required as per DLS, the Irish luck smiled. The clouds opened up. Rain has seldom been sweeter at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Not that the win was a matter of luck; they fully deserve.”
Ireland stunned England at the T20 World Cup on Wednesday as rain forced an early finish with the English five runs behind the par score. (Read more)
Hello! Is everyone having Monday morning blues? We have Australia vs Ireland for you. This is an important game for both sides. On paper, it may look one-sided but it is not as England have found out at MCG last week after losing to Ireland. Ireland has an opportunity to get into the semis. On the other hand, Finch's men after getting a thumped at Sydney by the Kiwis shook off their early season jitters and reminded everyone of who they are against Sri Lanka. It wasn't convincing at the start but as the game went on it became bad to worse for the Lankans. Both Australia and Ireland had share points in their previous games against England and Afghanistan respectively due to washing out. Today both sides will go for it. Let's see folks what the Gabba has to offer us this time.