Tag: australia

Australia won their sixth World Cup title after defeating India, however, they have been denied a full-scale heroes’ welcome home as they are scheduled to face the same team in a T20I series, a mere four days after meeting in the ICC World Cup 2023 final.

The stunning six-wicket victory on Sunday, against previously unbeaten India in front of nearly 100,000 partisan fans in Ahmedabad, saw Australia extend their World Cup tally to six – the most by any team.

But celebrations had to be scaled back by the demands of the international cricket calendar.

Seven members of the triumphant ODI squad will remain in India for the five-match T20 series including Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith and Travis Head, who scored a century in the final.

That meant a low-key return for the rest of the one-day squad as they flew home in dribs and drabs, with smiling skipper Pat Cummins among those landing in Australia on Wednesday.

It was a far cry from some of the raucous ticker-tape parades enjoyed by victorious Australian cricket teams of yesteryear.

“We’ve all split off our own different ways, there’s T20s coming up, some guys are on aeroplanes at the moment getting home as well,” wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey told reporters on arrival home in Adelaide.

He added: “It’s probably pretty odd scheduling now that you look at it, to win a World Cup and a few days later you’re playing again.”

India have named an almost completely different squad for the series, which starts in Visakhapatnam and then goes to four different venues, concluding in Bengaluru on December 3.

Suryakumar Yadav will captain for the first time, in the absence of Rohit Sharma, and is one of only three players retained from India’s World Cup squad.

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan was much less diplomatic than Carey about the prospect of India and Australia meeting again so soon.

After Australia’s veteran opener David Warner withdrew from the series on Tuesday, Vaughan wrote on social media: “As all the players who won the World Cup should.

“They should have been pulled out to allow them time to recover but importantly get back to Oz to enjoy the celebrations.”

As all the players who won the World Cup should .. they should have been pulled out to allow them to time to recover but importantly get back to Oz to enjoy the celebrations .. https://t.co/rkvEMCs14Z

— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) November 21, 2023

Vaughan, who is now a high-profile pundit, was even more forthright last week, calling the series “complete greed and overkill”.

“Why can’t we allow players the chance to have a moment’s rest after a WC or whoever wins the chance to celebrate properly for a couple of weeks,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The ICC World Cup 2023 trophy has remained in India and will not be reunited with captain Cummins — who has this year also guided Australia to win the World Test Championship and retain the Ashes — until next week, The Age newspaper said.

READ: Virat Kohli closes gap with top-ranked Gill in ICC ODI Batting Rankings

Former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist led the plaudits on Monday as Australia celebrated “a miracle” in winning the World Cup for a sixth time to reign over ODI cricket once again.

Pat Cummins’ men stunned the nearly 100,000 crowd in Ahmedabad on Sunday for a six-wicket victory over previously unbeaten India during the ICC World Cup 2023 final, breaking home hearts.

Opener Travis Head played a starring role in the ICC World Cup 2023 final with a sparkling 137 off 120 deliveries and he also took a stunning catch to cut short skipper Rohit Sharma’s innings just short of a half-century.

Head joined Ricky Ponting and Gilchrist as the third Australian to score a century in a men’s World Cup final.

“I don’t know what I can’t believe more,” Head told reporters in Ahmedabad.

“What happened with the hundred and winning a World Cup, or taking that catch.”

Former skipper Gilchrist said the victory was among the greatest ever by an Australian sports side.

“So proud of this Australian team and crew,” Gilchrist wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“To win another World Cup in the manner and circumstance they have is one of the finest victories in our sporting history I reckon.

“Time to celebrate,” added Gilchrist, who scored 149 not out in the 2007 World Cup final win over Sri Lanka in Barbados.

So proud of this Australian team and crew. So much goes into achieving what they have. To win another World Cup in the manner and circumstance they have is one of the finest victories in our sporting history I reckon. Time to celebrate. XXX

— Adam Gilchrist (@gilly381) November 19, 2023

Australia have won the World Cup six times, more than any other team, adding the 2023 crown to triumphs in 1987, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015.

Their feat was all the more impressive this time because it came against an India team who had, until now, looked imperious and had a passionate home crowd roaring them on.

Under the captaincy of Cummins, Australia added the 50-over crown to the World Test Championship title they won last June after beating India in the final in London.

READ: India searches for answers after another ICC event final defeat

DUBAI: Indian captain Rohit Sharma has been named captain of the ICC World Cup 2023 Team of the Tournament featuring five other players from his team.

Team India gave a dominant performance and remained undefeated throughout the tournament before losing to Australia in the final, resulting in six of their players being part of the ICC Team of the Tournament.

Other than India, two players from champions Australia, one player each from semi-finalists South Africa and New Zealand, as well as one Sri Lankan featured in the ICC Team of the Tournament.

Notably, no player from the Pakistan cricket team made it to the glittering line-up.

The selection panel included commentators Ian Bishop, Kass Naidoo, Shane Watson, Wasim Khan (ICC General Manager, Cricket), and Sunil Vaidya (Journalist, Ahmedabad Mirror).

ICC World Cup 2023 Team of the Tournament

Here is the team of the ICC World Cup 2023 (in batting order):

1. Quinton de Kock (wk) (South Africa) – 594 runs at 59.40
2. Rohit Sharma (c) (India) – 597 runs at 54.27
3. Virat Kohli (India) – 765 runs at 95.62
4. Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand) – 552 runs at 69
5. KL Rahul (India) – 452 runs at 75.33
6. Glenn Maxwell (Australia) – 400 runs at 66.66 and six wickets at 55
7. Ravindra Jadeja (India) – 120 runs at 40 and 16 wickets at 24.87
8. Jasprit Bumrah (India) – 20 wickets at 18.65
9. Dilshan Madushanka (Sri Lanka) – 21 wickets at 25
10. Adam Zampa (Australia) – 23 wickets at 22.39
11. Mohammed Shami (India) – 24 wickets at 10.70

12th player: Gerald Coetzee (South Africa) – 20 wickets at 19.80

READ: ICC World Cup 2023: Virat Kohli named Player of the Tournament

AHMEDABAD: Australian opener Travis Head came out all guns blazing against hosts India as he struck a brisk century in the ICC World Cup 2023 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium here on Sunday.

Head achieved the milestone in the 34th over of Australia’s pursuit when he worked a length ball from Kuldeep Yadav towards the cover region and took a risky single.

He amassed the century in just 95 deliveries with the help of 14 boundaries and a six.

Watch ICC World Cup 2023 Live on ARY ZAP

His century-plus knock kept Australia afloat after the five-time champions had slipped to 47/3 in seven overs.

Travis Head joined forces with Marnus Labuschagne and put together an anchoring partnership.

When this story was filed Australia were 192/3 in 35 overs with Head (107*) and Labuschagne (41) firm at the crease.

For the unversed, this was Travis Head’s second century against India in an ICC event final.

He struck a sensational 163 in the first innings of the World Test Championship (WTC) Final which led Australia to take command of the showpiece fixture at The Oval.

Travis Head failed to emulate his brilliance in the second innings as he could score 18 but his first-innings exploits were enough to lead Australia to glory and also earned him the Player of the Match award.

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Put into bat first, India could accumulate a modest 240 in the allotted 50 overs as pacers-led Australia booked their strong batting lineup.

Mitchell Starch was the pick of the bowlers for Australia with 3/55 in his 10 overs while captain Pat Cummins bagged two wickets, leaking just 34 runs in his quota of overs.

Josh Hazlewood also played a pivotal role in keeping the Indian batting unit in check, returning with 2/60.

READ: Adam Zampa equals Muthiah Muralidaran’s World Cup record

The ‘Free Palestine’ message made it to the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the ICC World Cup 2023 final between Australia and India on Sunday.

India took on Australia in the ICC World Cup 2023 final on Sunday in a bid to win their first major ICC global event since 2013.

A pro-Palestinian protester broke through security cordons and invaded the pitch, stopping play briefly while he hugged India star batsman Virat Kohli.

https://twitter.com/the_uwaiss/status/1726216884272636007

The incident occurred in the 14th over of India’s innings. Wearing a face mask in the colours of the Palestinian flag and a T-shirt with the slogans “Stop Bombing Palestine” and “Free Palestine”, the protester ran onto the pitch in the 132,000-seat mega-stadium in Ahmedabad.

Watch ICC World Cup 2023 Live on ARY ZAP

The protester ran up to Virat Kohli and slung his arm around the shoulders of the batsman, who then pivoted in an attempt to distance himself from him.

He was escorted off the pitch by security officers, and play swiftly resumed. A video later showed him being taken to the Chandkheda police station in Ahmedabad dressed in a yellow T-shirt.

An Indian news agency shared a video of the pitch invader being brought to the police station, who said that his name was John and he was from Australia.

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He said that he entered the pitch to meet Kohli, adding that he “supported Palestine”.

On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel from Gaza, which killed 1,200 Israelis, according to officials.

Israel blockaded the strip and launched a brutal assault, which has since killed more than 12,000 Palestinians, including 5,000 children. While the death toll mounts and thousands of other civilians remain at risk in Gaza, Israel has repeatedly refused calls for a ceasefire.

India has condemned Hamas and airlifted aid to Egypt for Palestinian civilians from the besieged Gaza Strip.

READ: Pacers wreak havoc as Australia book India at 240 in ICC World Cup 2023 Final

AHMEDABAD: Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa on Sunday equalled Muthiah Muralidaran’s record of most wickets by a spinner in a single edition of the Men’s ODI World Cup.

Zampa, who returned figures of 1/44 in his 10 overs, helped Australia book the strong Indian batting lineup for a modest total in the grand final.

His sole wicket in the match came in the 45th over when he trapped Jasprit Bumrah plumb in front.

Bumrah’s dismissal took his wickets tally in the ongoing World Cup to 23 and equalled the Sri Lankan legend’s long-standing record, who picked up as many in the 2007 edition.

Watch ICC World Cup 2023 Live on ARY ZAP

In an elite list of spinners, Adam Zampa is followed by his compatriot Brad Hogg and former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi, who picked 21 wickets each in the 2007 and 2011 editions respectively.

Australian spin legend Shane Warne is fifth on the list with 20 wickets, which he took in the 1999 World Cup.

The ongoing World Cup marked a change of fortune for Adam Zampa.

In September, he returned with the joint-worst bowling figures in the history of Men’s ODIs when he conceded 113 in his 10 overs and went wicketless in the fourth ODI of the five-match away series against South Africa.

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However, his dubious record was shortlived, courtesy of Glenn Maxwell’s berserk double century against the Netherlands.

He charged at all Dutch bowlers but Bas de Leede was targetted more by the right-handed batter.

Bas de Leede conceded a whopping 115 runs in his quota of 10 overs and bagged two wickets.

He went for six sixes and 13 boundaries during Australia’s late onslaught which also included a 28-run 49th over against Maxwell, who recorded the fastest World Cup hundred, breaking Aiden Markram’s record.

READ: Pacers wreak havoc as Australia book India at 240 in ICC World Cup 2023 Final

Australia are adamant they will be “ready for anything” India throw at them in the ICC World Cup 2023 final after controversy hit the tournament in a ‘pitch switch’ row.

India have been the form team of the World Cup, winning all 10 games on their way to Sunday’s showpiece match in Ahmedabad.

Watch ICC World Cup 2023 Live on ARY ZAP

But there was controversy in the lead-up to their 70-run semi-final win over New Zealand in Mumbai after it emerged the game was being played on a Wankhede Stadium pitch already used twice before during the tournament rather than a freshly-prepared surface.

“No doubt playing on your own wicket in your own country has some advantages,” Australia captain Pat Cummins told a pre-match press conference on Saturday. “But we’ve played a lot of cricket over here.”

“We’ll be ready in terms of anything they’ll throw at us…we’ll make sure we have some plans.”

The pitch will be the same surface as the one on which India cruised to a seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the ICC World Cup 2023 group fixture, when they dismissed their arch-rivals for just 191 after winning the toss.

“My understanding is it’s going to be on the slower side,” said India captain Rohit Sharma later Saturday.

“But we have to assess what it is like tomorrow,” he added, pointing out that while there had been dew on the ground ahead of the Pakistan game, none appeared during the match itself.

“That’s why I keep saying the toss is not going to be a factor, you’ve got to play well to win the game regardless of how well you know the conditions.”

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A used pitch had no major bearing on the Mumbai semi-final, with more than 700 runs scored in the game.

Pat Cummins, asked if he had already seen the pitch for the final, replied: “Yeah, just had a look. It looked pretty firm…I think Pakistan played someone there!”

Used pitches generally favour spinners, with slow bowling a key component of a five-man India attack where Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja are expected to bowl 20 of their 50 overs on Sunday.

Australia have already won the World Cup a record five times and 30-year-old fast bowler Cummins, a member of the victorious 2015 side, was excited by having the opportunity to emulate the likes of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting by leading the team to another triumph.

“It would be huge,” he said. “We were all kids not too long ago, watching some of those great teams win the 1999, 2003, 2007 World Cups.”

He added: “To be captain would be an absolute privilege…it’d be awesome.

“It (the World Cup) has got the longest history of a world event where all the teams compete.

“You only get a shot at it every four years. So even if you have a long career, you might only play in two of these events. 2015 is still a career highlight for me, but I think tomorrow, if we win, might pip it.”

READ: Mohammad Yousuf appointed as Pakistan U19 Head Coach

KOLKATA: Five-time champions Australia edged spirited South Africa by three wickets after a tense run chase to set up ICC World Cup 2023 final with unbeaten hosts India.

Set to chase a modest 213, the South African bowlers made it a tough task for Australia but they eventually chased down the total for the loss of three wickets and 16 balls to spare.

Openers Travis Head and David Warner scripted a flying start to the pursuit as they notched up 60 runs in the first six overs.

Proteas captain Temba Bavuma brought part-timer Aiden Markram into the attack and he straight away drew a much-needed breakthrough by dismissing Warner, who scored a quickfire 29 in 18 balls, hitting one boundary and four sixes.

Kagiso Rabada brought another success for South Africa in the next over by dismissing Mitchell Marsh (0), courtesy of a stunning catch by Rassie van der Dussen at the cover region.

Head was then joined by Marnus Labuschagne and the pair took Australia past the 100-run mark with the former racing to his brisk half-century.

The left-handed opener, however, failed to stretch his sensational knock as he was castled by Keshav Maharaj in the 15th over. He remained the top-scorer for Australia with a 48-ball 62 which included nine boundaries and two sixes.

Tabraiz Shamsi then struck twice in quick succession, dismissing Labuschagne (18) and Glenn Maxwell (1) as Australia slipped to 137/5 in 23.4 overs.

Experienced batter Steve Smith then put together a 37-run stand with wicketkeeper batter Josh Inglis before both fell victim to Gerald Coetzee in the span of 32 deliveries.

Both Smith and Inglis were notable run-getters for Australia with important cameos of 30 and 28 respectively.

South Africa were just three wickets away from playing their first World Cup final but a sensible partnership between Australian skipper Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc swept away their hopes.

The duo knitted an unbeaten 22-run partnership and steered Australia to a hard-fought victory.

Starc scored a cautious 16 not out in 38 deliveries while Cummins played an unbeaten 14-run knock.

Tabraiz Shamsi and Gerald Coetzee took two wickets each for South Africa while Maharaj, Rabada and Markram bagged one wicket apiece.

South Africa have to wait more to play their first World Cup final as the lost their fifth semi-final while the five-time champions will be playing at the biggest stage for the eighth time when they take on unbeaten India on Sunday at the picturesque Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Opting to bat first, South Africa got off to a disastrous start as they had slipped to 24/4 in 12 overs as pacers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood ran through their in-form top-order.

Following the slump, Miller, coming out to bat at number six, joined forces with Heinrich Klaasen and anchored the innings with a gutsy partnership.

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The pair added important 95 runs for the fifth wicket before Travis Head struck twice, removing set batter Klaasen and Marco Jansen (0), in the 31st over to dent South Africa’s recovery.

Klaasen scored a cautious 47 in 48 balls with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.

Meanwhile, David Miller, despite the double blow, stood his ground firm and kept the scoreboard ticking singlehandedly before he smashed Pat Cummins on the first delivery of the 48th over to complete his century.

The left-handed batter, however, failed to carry his bat all the way through and perished in the same over.

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He top-scored for South Africa with a scintillating 101. His 116-ball knock featured eight boundaries and five sixes.

Besides him, Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada added valuable runs at the backend, courtesy of their important cameos.

Mitchell Experienced pacers Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins led the bowling attack for Australia with three wickets each while Josh Hazlewood and Head bagged two wickets each.

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