Australia (241) claimed a record-extending sixth 50-over World Cup trophy as opener Travis Head hammered an outstanding century in a six-wicket win over the tournament’s host India (240) in the championship match on Sunday. Head’s 137 off 120 balls let them sail across with seven overs remaining in a contest that did not reach incredible heights.
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The Rundown: India vs Australia
Travis Head hit a winning century as Australia won a record-extending sixth Men’s Cricket World Cup trophy, defeating the competition’s hosts by six wickets in the championship match in Ahmedabad.
Head’s 137 off 120 deliveries enabled Australia to recover from 47-3 early in their pursuit of 241 to claim the title, making him only the sixth player to reach a century in a men’s World Cup championship.
India’s Lack of All-rounders Exposed
With his first delivery, Mohammed Shami (1-47) took out David Warner (7), while Mitchell Marsh (15 off 15) and Steve Smith (4) also fell in front of a magnificent opening time by Jasprit Bumrah (2-43).
But Head and the ever-vigilant Marnus Labuschagne (58 off 110) saw off the threat, and, alongside batting turning into gradually simpler under lights as the game progressed, they provided a 192-run partnership as Australia sailed to the uprising, Glenn Maxwell slamming the winning runs with his first ball following Head collapsed two runs short.
Before that, KL Rahul (66 off 107) opened the charge for India, with Virat Kohli (54 off 63) contributing a fifty, but the innings stalled following a scorching, boundary-laden 31-ball burst from Rohit Sharma, the captain, (47 off 31) at the top of the order.
Rohit struck three sixes and four boundaries as India scored 80 runs in the initial 10-over power play after being brought into batting by Australia, with Kohli adding four fours.
But Rohit fell onto the fourth ball of the tenth over, with Head grabbing a fantastic catch and diving back toward cover, and Shreyas Iyer (4) fell to the second ball of the eleventh. Following that, the scoring slowed dramatically, with only four boundaries struck in the final 40 overs of the innings.
Given Kohli’s departure during the 29th over of the innings and India’s absence of all-rounders inside the lower order.
India’s total had just passed 200 when Rahul withdrew, with more than eight overs remaining to bat and only a few of their bowlers remaining to accompany Suryakumar at the crease in an attempt to race to a match-winning total.
In the final innings, the tail provided little help, and Suryakumar (18) gloved Hazlewood ahead in the 48th over, as India fell for 240 off the penultimate ball of their 50-over allotment.
Head’s Golden Moments As He Reaches Game-Winning Century
Every single breakthrough was met with thunderous jubilation within the stadium, although they all had a sense of luck about them. Shami and Bumrah, who both often broke the stumps in superbly skilled periods of fast bowling, actually took the wickets of Warner and Marsh to a pair of short, wide long-hops.
Smith, for one, will be furious with himself for not reviewing his LBW assessment in the eighth over, when the ball was revealed on video to have struck him beyond the line.
It wasn’t important in the end. Head, who battled with the seamers at the start and barely escaped Bumrah and Shami’s opening explosions, then put his eye in over the ineffectual spinners—Kuldeep Yadav (0-56) and Jadeja (0-43) were also kept wicketless—and strolled to a fine fifth ODI century.
Head’s golden moments happened in the 34th over, right after blasting the resurgent Bumrah straight out of his way with three boundaries in a single over, for which he rejoiced by slamming Jadeja into the stands in the following one for the second of his four maximums in the innings.
To finish the 40th over, Labuschagne hit an appropriate half-century, then Maxwell blasted the winning run total with seven overs remaining when Head collapsed late on, digging out in the deep off Mohammed Siraj (1-45).
Player of the Game: Travis Head
Australia’s prime player, Travis Head, helps his squad surprise India to end their winning streak and capture their sixth Cricket World Cup championship in the presence of 125,000 startled supporters at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
The ‘Player of the Match’ shone for Australia on the chase towards the phenomenal century of 137 off 120 balls, following Australia’s fall to 3-47 ahead of an increasingly enraged home crowd.
Due to his remarkable performance, he joined Ricky Ponting (2003) and Adam Gilchrist (2007) as the third Australian to score a century in a men’s World Cup championship.
Travis Head couldn’t believe that they had been adjudged the man of the match in the World Test Championship final. They say they did not imagine getting such success and are thankful for being a part of the victorious team.
India v Australia Score
Cricket World Cup Finals | |
Australia | India |
241/4(43 overs) | 240(50 overs) |
Australia claimed the championship title by defeating India by 6 wickets with 42 balls to spare |
Australia came out as a powerful force in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, demonstrating their prowess and tenacity. With a long history of World Cup success, they approach their final match looking to secure their unprecedented sixth ODI championship.
The top-order power of the group, led by David Warner, Travis Head, and Mitchell Marsh, served as an important factor in their successful season.
Given India’s consistent success in both batting and bowling, Australia knows the need to bring their best performance in the finals. Australia’s abundance of finals experience offers a further layer of difficulty for India, making this a riveting contest between two cricketing giants.
In their bid to compete for the World Cup, Australia’s ability to play the highest level of cricket will be critical in the race to defeat a tough Indian squad.
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