In true sense, Australia, the champions of the World Cup, took over their 14-year-old rivalry over defending champions England. Australia dominates winless England in the first major contest of the World Cup. The face-off from the finals of the 2010 T20 World Cup, where Collingwood’s men lifted the World Cup, was avenged by the Aussies in Barbados by Marsh and co.
Put on to bat first, Warner and Travis Head went on to have a brutal onslaught on the English bowling deck. They showered sixes until Moeen Ali broke the 70-run partnership in the final ball of the 5th over as he got Warner out with an arm ball that kept low.
Warner, in a pre-match interview, said that he will face the two England pacers, who are both accurate as well as brutal. Having a fair idea about the behavior of the pitch, Warner claimed that he knows how different are the tracks in Barbados.
Warner said about facing Wood and Archer
“You just have to use their pace. In test cricket, they set different fields and different balls. In Twenty20 cricket, you only have to get half an edge on it, and it can go. So there’s a fair difference,”
Just like he said, he dominated Wood in the very first over as he hit 3 consecutive sixes and took the 4th over for 22 runs.
The English bowlers, despite striking at regular intervals, could not intervene in the flow of runs in the Australian innings, as a team studded with star players kept scoring at a good rate even in the middle-overs.
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Having posted a huge total of 201 on the slow tracks of Barbados, Australian bowlers were relieved of the pressure early on. Salt and Buttler started well as they played throughout the power play and posted a decent score. It was then Zampa who wrecked havoc as he got the two openers in the successive overs.
Zampa’s early strikes were then complimented by Cummins and the other pacers. They together ruined the joint efforts of England’s experienced middle order, with the English innings crashing until restricted to 165.
The game has increased the chances of the Aussies making it to the Super-8 stage, while England are in deep trouble after their rain-affected draw against Scotland was followed by the humiliating loss at the hands of Australia. The defending champions would now be dependent on Scotland to seek their qualification certificates, which seems a reason for worry to Jos Buttler’s side.