Australia v Ireland

Aussies Storm into Semi-Finals

Friday the 13th literally proved a doomsday for minnows Ireland as it had to face a crushing defeat against the world champions Australia at the Kensington Oval on Friday. Although this Super 8 encounter was always highly in favor of the Australians, the Irish fans hoped that their team would atleast manage to give a tough fight to the kangaroos. However, this was not to be seen as Ireland surrendered tamely against the might of the Aussies.

Ponting wins Toss

The Australians got lucky with the toss as skipper Ricky Ponting called correctly and invited Ireland to bat first. This was considered as a good opportunity for Ireland as the team could hope to amass a decent total on the scoreboard and then put some pressure on the Australians.

Batting Woes for Ireland

The Irish batters could not stand up to the might of the Australian bowling and fell like a pack of cards. The disaster began for Ireland from the very first over as the Irish opener JP Bray returned to the pavilion after scoring 1 run. Immediately in the fourth over, Bray’s opening partner William Porterfield returned to the pavilion with the score on 2. Ireland could never recover from these early blows and none of the following Irish batsmen could withstand the pressure built by the Australian bowlers. The next two batsmen EJG Morgan and NJ O’ Brien were out without troubling the scorers and it was catastrophe for Ireland with the score being just 12 for the loss of 4 wickets. With this scoreline, it was almost curtains for the Irish team.

Tame Submission

However, the Irish fans hoped that their team would manage to cross the 100-run mark but were dejected after the whole team was bundled out for just 91 runs in 30 overs.

Only three batsmen from Ireland could reach double figures with the top scorer surprisingly being the tail-ender PJK Mooney who scored 23 runs. Irish Captain DT Johnson scored 17 runs while KJ O’ Brien scored 16 runs. Although captain Johnson seemed determined in his effort for his 17 runs he could not save his team from perishing to a low score. It looked as if the late burst by PJK Mooney would propel Ireland beyond the 100-run mark. However, Mooney was unlucky and was run-out and was the lat man to be dismissed for Ireland.

Aussie Bowlers Rule

It was a clinical performance by the Australian bowlers who displayed their usual professional and disciplined performance to destroy the Irish batting for a paltry score of 91 runs. Though it was a collective bowling effort, it was once again the old war-horse, Glen McGrath who led the wickets tally for Australia with 3 scalps from 7 overs. McGrath was ably supported by Shaun Tait who also earned 3 wickets from six overs giving away 39 runs. Tait was unlucky to miss out on a probable hat trick after he dismissed Irish opener William Porterfield and wicket-keeper Niel O’ Brien off successive deliveries. The other bowlers, Stuart Clark, GB Hogg and Andrew Symonds took one wicket each.

Gilly Gives a Flying Start

Reaching the target of 91 had just become a formality for Australia. So, the decide to give out of form batsman Mike Hussey a hit in the middle. He opened the batting with Adam Gilchrist. Both these openers were at their aggressive best and carted the Irish bowlers all round the Kensington Oval.

Gilchrist Blasts the Irish Bowlers

Adam Gilchrist displayed his usual dominance and flamboyance and raced to 34 runs from 25 deliveries with 4 classy boundaries. However, he could not build on the start as he missed a delivery from Captain Trent Johnson and was bowled.

Hussey and Symonds see Australia Home

After Gilchrist’s dismissal, it was Mike Hussey and Andrew Symonds who completed the formality of scoring the remaining runs for Australia. Hussey scored 30 runs from 41 deliveries with 3 smashing boundaries and one towering six. Symonds too made full use of the limited opportunity and scored 15 runs from 9 balls with 1 boundary and 1 huge six.

Kangaroos Win Comfortably

Australia reached the target in 12.2 overs with 9 wickets in hand. With this win Australia stormed into the semifinals of the World Cup. With this win the Aussies re-affirm their status as the favorites to win their third successive World Cup.

Man of the match

It was the Australian pace spearhead and seasoned campaigner Glen McGrath who won the Man of the Match for his yet another excellent bowling performance. McGrath took 3 wickets from 7 overs by giving away 17 runs and one maiden.