ISLAMABAD: Australia secured a thrilling five-wicket victory over England in the ICC Champions Trophy at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
Chasing a formidable target of 352, Australia reached the total in the 48th over, thanks to a match-winning knock by wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis, who remained unbeaten on 120 off 86 balls. Alex Carey (69), Matt Short (63), and Marnus Labuschagne (47) provided crucial contributions, while Glenn Maxwell stayed unbeaten on 32.
England’s bowling attack saw Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, and Brydon Carse claim one wicket each.
Earlier, England posted a challenging total of 352, led by Ben Duckett’s explosive 165 off 143 balls. Joe Root chipped in with 78, forming a crucial third-wicket partnership with Duckett. Jos Buttler added 23, while early wickets saw Phil Salt (10) and Jamie Smith (15) dismissed quickly.
Australia’s Ben Dwarshuis was the only bowler to make an impact in the powerplay, picking up two wickets.
Winning the toss, Australia opted to field first in a high-stakes clash against their Ashes rivals. Despite a depleted squad missing five key players, stand-in captain Steve Smith led the Aussies to a crucial group-stage victory against an out-of-form England.
