Poor Aussies sent packing in shocker
AUSTRALIA saved their worst World Cup performance for the semi-final and captain Aaron Finch has turned the blowtorch on his senior players after the embarrassing loss to England.
The Aussie game plan was to win the powerplays, but Finch’s top order crumbled to 3-27 after 10 overs while England’s openers racked up 0-50.
Destructive pair Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow then lifted 21 runs off a Steve Smith over to scoot to 0-124 after 17, already within 100 runs of victory at Edgbaston.
“We were totally outplayed,” Finch said. “Our senior guys, myself, Davey (Warner), we didn’t get going.
“Starcy (Mitchell Starc) didn’t get going, Pat Cummins – guys that you expect to stand up in big games.”
Finch raised the bat for a century against England at Lord’s last month.
But he made just 11 runs in his past three games as injuries to players contributed to Australia’s crumbling momentum.
Australia backflipped on their decision to dump Glenn Maxwell for Matthew Wade, while debutant Peter Handscomb made four scratchy runs from 12 threatening deliveries.
Losing Finch and Warner within nine deliveries was the perfect situation for natural opener Usman Khawaja to enter, but his torn hamstring meant Handscomb was in the middle order.
England quicks Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer hit the seam in a withering display from which Finch’s team never recovered.
While Finch put his senior men in the gun, Marcus Stoinis’s second-ball duck capped a nightmare tournament that included three side strains and 83 runs.
Stoinis never properly recovered from his first injury on June 9 and was given seven overs in the final three games, adding to the frustration for fans who wanted Mitchell Marsh to replace him.
But shortly after Australia’s first semi-final defeat in World Cup history, Finch gave the spirited campaign a tick.
“Where we were 12 months ago, obviously I think we have made a huge amount of progress,” Finch said.
“Really proud of everyone involved for how much hard work and how far we have come, but we came here to win a semi-final and get ourselves into a position to win another World Cup.
“So that was really disappointing how it ended, especially to put up probably one of our worst performances overall for the tournament.”
WE WERE TOTALLY OUTPLAYED … OUR SENIOR GUYS DIDN’T GET GOING.
AARON FINCH