Australia have recorded a phenomenal win against England, chasing down England’s 352 with five wickets to spare in their opening match of the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Australia were led by a maiden hundred from wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, who could to the landmark in 76 deliveries. Walking out to bat at 122-3 following the early dismissals of Travis Head, Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, Inglis combined with Alex Carey for the sixth wicket, piling on 146 before the latter departed for 69 in the 42nd over.
Australia needed 70 runs in the last 50 balls but Glenn Maxwell hit three fours and a six in his first eight balls as the pressure eased. Inglis, on the other end, kept one end up before reaching his hundred with a six.
Match 4, Australia vs England
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It was Australia’s second-biggest run-chase in an ODI, with the team also having successfully chased down 359 against India in 2019. It was the second 350-plus run-chase this month, with Pakistan also having gunned down South Africa’s 355 in the tri-series that preceded the Champions Trophy.
This was Australia’s first Champions Trophy win since the 2009 edition - they had lost two games in the 2013 edition with a No Result, while two matches of theirs were washed out in 2017. They had also lost to England that year.
Overall, it was the 18th-highest run-chase ever in an ODI, with the list still being led by South Africa, who had chased down a total of 434 against Australia back in 2006.
This is also the highest successful run-chase ever in an ICC ODI event and the first run-chase with the target being over 350. Pakistan had chased down Sri Lanka’s 344-9 during the 2023 ODI World Cup, the previous highest. In the Champions Trophy, the record belonged to Sri Lanka, who had chased the target of 321 posted by India in 2017.
Australia's 352 is also the highest total in the Champions Trophy, batting first or second.
England had failed to defend 350 just once in their ODI history, the game against Australia making it only the second such instance. In 2017, England had posted 350-7 in Pune, which India chased down courtesy of a 76-ball 120 from Kedar Jadhav. This, thus, made it the highest successful chase against England.
The main man of the show was Inglis, who ended with an unbeaten 120 in 86 deliveries, with the help of eight fours and six sixes. He ended with a batting strike rate of 139.53, also becoming just the sixth Australia wicketkeeper with an ODI hundred. His 120* is also the highest score by an Australian wicketkeeper not named Adam Gilchrist. Gilchrist holds all of the top eight scores, and 12 of the top 13 as Inglis slots in at ninth.
Jofra Archer fell just short of conceding the most number of runs in a spell in this Champions Trophy. Against New Zealand on Wednesday, Haris Rauf ended with 2-83, while Archer gave away 82 runs in his 10 overs with one wicket.
Ben Duckett, who had earlier scored become the first batter to score 150 in a Champions Trophy, also has the second-highest score for England in a losing cause. Robin Smith had made 167* back in 1993 against Australia in a total of 277, which was easily chased down.
England’s next game in the Champions Trophy is against Afghanistan on February 26, while Australia play South Africa a day earlier.
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