T20 World Cup 2022, Gr 1, AUS v IRE: Australia rise to 2nd place with 1 game left; NRR still -ve

ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022, Super 12, Group 1, Australia vs Ireland: Aaron Finch's 63, Barry McCarthy's 3-29 and Glenn Maxwell's 2-14 are top performances. Australia beat Ireland by 62 runs at The Gabba and move to 2nd place in Group 1 points table.

Australia beat Ireland and move to 2nd place in Group 1 Points Table (Source: ©Getty Images)

Brief Scores: Australia 179/5 (Finch 63, Stoinis 35, McCarthy 3/29) beat Ireland 137 (Tucker 71*, Maxwell 2/14, Zampa 2/19) by 42 runs

Player of the Match: Aaron Finch (63 runs in 44 deliveries)

Hosts Australia who made a commanding comeback against Sri Lanka before being satisfied with one point in the no result game against England, locked horns with Ireland whose campaign too after a famous victory against England was halted by rain. The tenth Group 1 game of the Super 12 stage of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 was held at the Gabba in Brisbane.

In their only face-off in this format, Australia came victorious during ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2012 held in Sri Lanka.

Tucker's 71 off 48 goes in vain as Australia beat Ireland (Source: ©Getty Images)

Tucker ensures Australia’s failure in leapfrogging England’s NRR

One of the strong points of this Australia squad in the 2022 T20 World Cup is the huge pool of all-rounders who can help them in both the departments. Marcus Stoinis comes in the middle and provides his team the fire they require to set a match-winning total.

Glenn Maxwell, in the powerplay, picked up two vital wickets to put pressure on Ireland. Stoinis again came back and pocketed a timely wicket. The only concern for the defending champions would be opener David Warner’s struggle who has scores of 3, 11 and 5 in three games and he needs to make a quick return to form to offer his team a good opening platform.

On the other hand, Lorcan Tucker with his power hitting that translated to an unbeaten 71 runs in 48 balls in the end damaged Australia’s net run rate. The winning margin of 42 runs has ensured that Australia’s net run rate (-0.304) still lags that of England (0.239).

Read More: T20 World Cup 2022, Group 1, AUS v SL: Stoinis single-handedly secures win for Australia with 59*(18)

All-round performance from Australia helps them collect valuable victory

Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie on winning the toss opted to bowl first. Australia brought back leg-spinner Adam Zampa while Ireland went into this game with the same playing eleven.

Ireland kept Australia in check in the powerplay with the wicket of opener David Warner to keep the opponents at 38/1 after the completion of powerplay overs, before Australia recovered to 78/2 in 10 overs. Australia captain Aaron Finch who was getting back into nick shared a fantastic 70-run partnership to take Australia to 179/5 in their allotted 20 overs.

Ireland struggled early on as Australia caged them with outstanding bowling to reduced them to 25/5 in four overs. Ireland somehow recovered to 73/6 at the end of 10 overs as Lorcan Tucker who nailed a splendid 71* run knock in 48 balls with the help of nine boundaries and one maximum kept Ireland in the hunt. Even though Australia won by 42 runs bundling out Ireland for 137, Tucker ensured that Australia did not leapfrog England’s NRR.

Let’s scan the top three performances from the game between Australia and Ireland in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022.

Barry McCarthy took 3-29 against Australia (Source: ©Getty Images)

Barry McCarthy cramped Australia with 3/29

One of the brightest aspects for Barry McCarthy in the T20 World Cup 2022 has been bowling tight lines and not going for too many runs even if he doesn’t get wickets which has helped Ireland’s other bowlers to scalp a few wickets.

Australia were 8/0 after two overs when McCarthy was introduced into the attack and with his very first ball, almost with a nothing ball - short and into the leg side - he sent back unlucky David Warner on 3 who pulled it straight into the hands of the backward square leg fielder. When McCarthy came for his second over, again with the first ball he registered the wicket of dangerous looking Mitchell Marsh on 28 who in trying to reach out for a good length delivery under-edged a cut to the diving fielder.

The lengths he bowled on Monday evening was hard for the batters to hit. In his last over, he caged big fish Aaron Finch on 63 who found the long-on fielder in an attempt to smack the low full-toss.

Barry McCarthy who now has 30 T20I wickets in 34 games, returned figures of 3/29 in his four overs.

Read More: T20 World Cup 2022, Gr 1, IRE v ENG: Ireland beat 2nd-ranked side in T20Is, England at MCG

Finch's 63 off 44 proved to vital as Aus beat Ire (Source: ©ICC via Getty Images)

Out of touch Finch gets back in form with 63-run knock

For a long time now, Australia captain Aaron Finch has been under tremendous pressure because of not getting runs under his belt and his 11 in the opening game against New Zealand followed by a 42-ball 31* against Sri Lanka didn’t do much to strengthen his case either.

Finch cracked his first boundary of the evening in the fourth over when he punched a leg-side ball past the diving cover point for a boundary before opening his shoulders to smash Mark Adair out of the park; two balls later, he crunched Adair over mid-off for another boundary. Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell supported him a little as Finch too slowed down in the middle overs.

Marcus Stoinis with his wild knock offered Finch a good cushion as they shared an outstanding 70-run partnership in 36 legal balls. Finch who was on 40 in 36 balls decided to change colours at that point; he swung his bat for another boundary through the backward square leg region before clubbing the ball over the mid-wicket region for a six to celebrate his 19th T20I fifty; his first T20 World Cup fifty since the 2014 edition.

He cleared the long-off region smacking George Dockrell for a six before nailing Mark Adair for another boundary through the long-on region. Finch who finished with 63 in 44 balls thanks to his five boundaries and three hue maximums, now has 3120 T20I runs in 103 games.

Read More: T20 World Cup 2022: Two washouts in a day at MCG push Group of Death (Group 1) onto ventilator mode

Maxwell took 2-14 & turned the game on its head (Source: ©Associated Press)

Starc-Maxwell put Ireland under pressure with combined figures of 4/57

Even though the scorecard was showing 180 to defend, undoubtedly Australia were trying to restrict Ireland under 104 to fly ahead of England with a powerful net run rate and for that they required quick wickets and the Australia bowers delivered in the initial overs, thanks to a few careless shots from the Ireland batters.

Ireland were 18/1 when Glenn Maxwell came into the attack in the third over and in his very second over, he collected the vital wicket of Paul Stirling on 11 who slapped a short ball straight to the mid-off fielder. On the last ball of the over, Maxwell got lucky with the wicket of Harry Tector who pulled a short ball straight to the square leg fielder.

Mitchell Starc coming from the other end for the fourth over disturbed the stumps of Curtis Campher on 0 who had no idea of the in-swinging yorker that went through his pads. On the last ball of the over with another perfectly nailed yorker, Starc bagged the wicket of George Dockrell as Ireland slipped to 25/5 in four overs.

Starc who finished with 2/43 in four overs, now has 73 T20I scalps in 58 games; while Maxwell who now has 39 wickets in 97 T20Is, returned figures of 2/14 in 2.1 overs.

Read More: T20 World Cup 2022, Gr 2, IND v SA: Parnell-Ngidi's combined 7-44 hurts India; SA leapfrog to no 1

ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022 Group 1 Points Table

Group 1 Points Table

Points Table Scenario & What’s Next

With their second win, Australia jump to the number two position with an improved net run rate (NRR) of -0.304. However, England who sit at the number three position with 3 points from 3 games, have a better NRR of 0.239. If England win against New Zealand in their next game, they will swap their position with Australia.

Afghanistan will face Sri Lanka on November 1 at the Gabba in Brisbane, while England will meet New Zealand at the same venue later in the evening.

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