Deadly duo lead the fightback
Stokes and Morgan shatter Australia’s Champions Trophy semi-final hopes with brilliant response. By Trevor Bailey
ABRUTAL counterattack by Ben Stokes and Eoin Morgan dumped Australia out of the Champions Trophy as England claimed a resounding win at Edgbaston.
The hosts had to recover from 35 for three after being set a ground-record 50-over international run chase of 277 for nine, after both of Australia’s opening bowlers took a wicket with their second deliveries.
But the response from Stokes (102no) and Morgan (87) was decisive and prolonged as their stand of 159 from 158 balls consolidated the eight wickets Adil Rashid and Mark Wood shared to restrict the tourists.
Jos Buttler then lent a late hand as England reached 240 for four in the 41st over, a DuckworthLewis margin of 40 runs and a clean sweep of Group A victories despite three Australian halfcenturies from Travis Head (71no), Aaron Finch (68) and Steve Smith (56). Bangladesh now join England in the last four.
Morgan made his intentions clear after play resumed following a short rain break, with boundaries from the first two balls he faced against Mitchell Starc among five fours reeled off in 11 deliveries.
Asked what Stokes and he had said to each other before heading back out, the captain said: “We just talked about how we were going to go about it. We felt that the positive way was the best way. It managed to work, we did it in our own way.”
Morgan’s England are renowned for staying on the attack even in adversity. “You have to earn the right for guys to make mistakes with the ball,” he added. “So I did what I do, and obviously Ben’s very naturally aggressive and finds attacking quite easy.
Morgan believes all-rounder Stokes, who also took Aaron Finch’s wicket thanks to a catch by Morgan, will only continue to improve, especially after his successful maiden Indian Premier League campaign. “His potential is through the roof,” Morgan said. “His batting was exceptional.”
It was win or bust for Australia, at a venue where they were last successful 16 years and 13 attempts ago, after two previous no results because of rain. Ultimately, they flattered to deceive and had no answer as Stokes and Morgan took their collective tally to nine half-centuries in their last 20 one-day international innings.
Australia missed one chance to shift Morgan, put down on 12 by Matthew Wade off Josh Hazlewood, but otherwise were shut out by the two left-handers until Adam Zampa’s direct hit from mid-on ran out the England captain after a mix-up over a single. By then, he had hit eight fours and five sixes from 81 balls, and Stokes ploughed on to his hundred and a new career-best with a back-foot force off Zampa for his 13th four to add to two maximums from 108.
Rashid (four for 41) and Wood (four for 33) had applied the brakes after Smith’s men appeared set for a much bigger total. The leg-spinner took three for four in 10 balls as he and Wood – with career-best figures – wrecked Australia’s hopes of upping the ante as they lost five for 15 from 239 for four.
Rashid’s haul included two wickets in the 44th over after a brilliant boundary catch by Jason Roy off Wood had already seen off the dangerous Glenn Maxwell.