World Cup 2019, Semifinal 2: 3 reasons why Australia lost against England
Hosts England booked their presence in the summit clash of the World Cup 2019 as they defeated Australia by a massive eight-wicket margin that knocked the defending champions out of the World Cup.
Australian skipper Aaron Finch won the toss and decided to bat first. However, there was some nip in the wicket at the start and it proved to be fatal for the Aussies as their top order departed with just 14 runs on the board.
A brilliant partnership between Alex Carey and Steve Smith brought things back on track but a double-wicket over from Adil Rashid swung things England’s way. In the end, Australia were bundled out for 223 runs in 49 overs.
In reply, England's openers came out all guns blazing and smashed Australian fast bowlers all over the park. The trusted pair of Roy-Bairstow delivered once again with a 100-run partnership at the top.
The formalities were completed in the 32nd over as captain Eoin Morgan smashed the decisive boundary off Behrendorff to guide England into the final of World Cup after a gap of 27 years.
Here is a look at three reasons why Australia were eliminated in the semi-finals.
#1 Openers fail to get going
Australian openers have been the pillar of Australia’s success in the 2019 World Cup. Both Aaron Finch and David Warner were stupendous with the bat and forged 100-run partnerships in the tournament with ridiculous ease, in the leadup to the semifinal.
These two laid solid platforms for the underwhelming middle order to capitalize upon. However, when it mattered the most, both of them departed without troubling the scorers much.
Finch’s nemesis- the inswinger, once again led to his demise as Jofra Archer got his first ball spot on and Finch was caught right in front of the stumps. Warner looked in good touch as he smashed two boundaries off Chris Woakes. However, Woakes had the last laugh as he induced an edge from Warner which was safely taken by Jonny Bairstow at first slip.
Usman Khawaja’s replacement Peter Handscomb had a forgettable outing and was cleaned up by Woakes for a golden duck. These big blows saw Australia find themselves under the pump early on in the contest.
Also see – England vs New Zealand head to head stats