OTD | England defeated Australia in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final by 8 wickets

The 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final was an exciting game between England and Australia. England won the game with eight wickets to qualify for the finals. They qualified for the finals and won the game quite comfortably. Australia got out cheaply on 223 runs, which was an easy chase for England. Moreover, it was their home ground as well. Hence, it was a lot more relaxing for them to win the match.

Australia won the toss and chose to bat first, which was a huge mistake for them. They were bowled out for 223 runs while England’s bowlers like Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, and Jofra Archer were on fire. Woakes and Rashid claimed three wickets each, while Archer took two wickets. Australia’s Steven Smith scored 85 runs off 119 balls, including six boundaries, which was the match’s turning point. He wasted a lot of balls, but in a way, he saved the Aussies from scoring a low total. Along with Smith, Alex Carey scored 46 runs off 70 balls, including four boundaries.

When England came to bat, openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow fired up from the first over, which helped the team gain confidence. After scoring 34 runs off 43 balls, Bairstow threw his wicket, which brought Australia back into the game. However, Roy was in no mood to leave the business in the middle. He scored 85 runs off 65 balls, including nine boundaries and five sixes. Then came Joe Root and Eoin Morgan, scoring 49 and 45, respectively. Both the players hit eight boundaries each and took England past the victory line. The win was necessary for the team and the players, and they gained a lot of confidence, which helped them get the World Cup 2019 trophy. 

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