Yusuf Pathan lacked support from the other end as his 48-ball 78 went in vain and Australia Champions qualified for World Championship of Legends 2024 semifinals with a 23-run win at County Ground, Bristol. Dan Christian stole the show as he smashed seven sixes in his 33-ball 69 including four sixes off RP Singh's over.
Decent start for Australia
Earlier, Harbhajan Singh won the toss and opted to bowl first. Shaun Marsh started the innings with two consecutive fours off RP Singh. Anureet Singh knocked over Aaron Finch in the fourth over. Marsh hit the first six of the innings in sixth over. Australia were 56/1 after six overs. Ben Dunk hit a few boundaries before losing his wicket to Dhawal Kulkarni. Marsh missed an opportunity score fifty and got bowled by Harbhajan for a 27-ball 41. Christian and Callum Ferguson tried to do damage control in middle overs.
Christian, Cutting go berserk
RP Singh came back into the attack and dismissed Ferguson who scored 26 runs from 22 balls. In the slog overs, Christian took on Kulkarni and hit him for a six and two fours. Then Ben Cutting hit Anureet for three consecutive sixes in the 18th over. In the penultimate over, Christian spoiled RP Singh's bowling figures by smashing him for four sixes. He reached his fifty from 27 balls. In the final over, Christian hit Kulkarni for a six before getting out next ball. His 33-ball 69 helped Australia Champions post 199/5. Cutting remained unbeaten for 13-ball 24.
India lose the plot in first half
Irfan Pathan walked out to open alongside Robin Uthappa. Irfan hit a couple of boundaries off Brett Lee before falling to Peter Siddle. Uthappa and Suresh Raina hit a couple of boundaries each before falling to Nathan Coulter-Nile in the fifth over. India were 46/3 after powerplay overs. Yusuf and Yuvraj Singh could not push the scoring rate. India were 71/3 at halfway stage. With required run rate mounting, Yuvraj lost his wicket to Christian for an 18-ball 19.
Yusuf’s fifty only consolation
Pawan Negi hit a six but that was all he could do before getting dismissed by Ben Laughlin. Yusuf reached his half-century with a six from 36 balls in the 16th over. The required run rate was already out of the grasp. The game was over in the 19th over. In the final over, Ambati Rayudu hit Siddle for three consecutive fours as consolation. Yusuf departed off penultimate ball. His 48-ball 78 featured 11 fours and a six. Harbhajan finished the innings with a boundary as India Champions managed to post 176/6 and lost the match by 23 runs.
While Pakistan and Australia have already qualified for the semifinals, India need a win against South Africa on July 10 to ensure their place in the last four.
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