Australia yesterday hailed the nation’s maiden T20 triumph as “the ultimate World Cup heist,” reveling in the team regaining their “mojo” heading into a blockbuster Ashes series against old enemy England.
Mitchell Marsh’s unbeaten 77 steered Justin Langer’s side to an emphatic eight-wicket defeat of New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday to clinch a title that had long eluded them.
Chasing 173 for victory, Australia achieved their target with seven balls to spare on the back of a 92-run, second-wicket stand between Marsh and David Warner, who made 53.
Photo: AFP
It was a sterling performance from a team that went into the tournament beset by poor form, having lost their most recent T20 series 4-1 in Bangladesh in August, minimal game time and dressing-room discontent, with few pundits giving them much hope.
“Australia has pulled off the ultimate World Cup heist — written off as no chance, Justin Langer’s men defied the odds to seal their maiden title in devastating fashion,” the Sydney Daily Telegraph said.
Lifting the trophy for the first time was an ominous signal ahead of the five-Test Ashes series, which starts in Brisbane on Dec. 8, something not lost on Australian media.
“England beware! Australian cricket has got its mojo back,” the Australian reported.
“To say that Australia’s stunning T20 World Cup win will have no bearing on the Ashes is to underestimate the rousing mental euphoria generated by such a win. After a winter of grumbling and years of so-so results, Australia suddenly feels alive, armed and dangerous again,” it added.
The core of the T20 team would also spearhead Australia’s Ashes campaign, including Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
They are due to return to Brisbane imminently on a charter flight with England’s Ashes players who were also involved in the T20 World Cup, where they lost to New Zealand in the semi-finals.
According to English media, fast bowler Mark Wood said it was a journey he “wasn’t looking forward to,” as he worried that the Australians would “wave the trophy around.”
While Marsh stole the headlines for his swashbuckling 77, a major factor in Australia’s success in the United Arab Emirates was the return of Warner to his destructive best.
He entered the tournament after being sidelined by his Indian Premier League team Sunrisers Hyderabad and with some commentators suggesting he was past his best.
The gutsy opener responded by plundering 289 runs over seven innings to be named player of the tournament, as he warmed up to face England in devastating style.
“I can’t believe people wrote him off a couple of weeks ago saying he was done,” skipper Aaron Finch told Australian reporters. “It was like poking the bear.”
While Australia celebrated, New Zealand media lamented the Black Caps falling to a third straight defeat in the final of a limited-overs tournament.
The New Zealand Herald’s Niall Anderson said there could be no complaints, unlike the 2019 one-day World Cup loss to England, which was decided by a boundary countback after scores finished tied after 20 overs and a super over shootout.
“There is nothing controversial to point to and explain the defeat. No obscure rule, no moment where the game could have turned, no reason for New Zealand to feel aggrieved,” he wrote.
“Instead, there was a simple fact that all in the Kiwi camp had to acknowledge — Australia were simply better,” he added. “Much better.”
BOUNCE BACK: Curry scored 46 points in the Warriors’ victory over the Spurs, after ‘everybody stepped up’ following Tuesday’s blowout loss to Oklahoma City Nikola Jokic scoring 50 or more points had never been enough for the Denver Nuggets to win — until now. Jokic on Wednesday night tied the highest-scoring performance in the NBA this season with 55 points, as the Nuggets beat the Los Angeles Clippers 130-116 for their sixth straight victory. The Nuggets were 0-4 in his previous 50-point outbursts. “It’s a good feeling,” the three-time NBA Most Valuable Player said. He equaled Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 55 in a double-overtime game at the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 23. Jokic has been on a roll during Denver’s winning streak. He is the
TIGHT GAME: The Detroit Pistons, the NBA’s second-best team, barely outlasted the Washington Wizards, who fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss Cade Cunningham’s triple double, Daniss Jenkins’ three-pointer at the buzzer and Javonte Green’s overtime dunk lifted Detroit past Washington 137-135 on Monday, stretching the Pistons’ win streak to seven games. In an unexpected thriller, the NBA’s second-best team barely outlasted a Wizards club that fell to an NBA-worst 1-10 with their ninth consecutive loss. “We knew how big this game was for us,” Jenkins said. “We wasn’t going to let nothing stop us from getting this W.” Cunningham made 14-of-45 shots and 16-of-18 free throws for a career-high 46 points, and added 12 rebounds, 11 assists, five steals and two
LIKE FINE WINE: Thirty-eight-year-old Djokovic won his 101st title of his career in Athens, becoming the oldest tournament winner since Ken Roswell, 44, in 1977 Elena Rybakina on Saturday clinched her biggest title since Wimbledon in 2022, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 7-6 (7/0) at the WTA Finals in Riyadh. The world No. 6 put on yet another serving masterclass and was at her returning best as she became the first Kazakh and the first player representing an Asian country to lift the WTA Finals singles trophy. Having gone 3-0 in round-robin play, Rybakina earned a record US$5.235 million and would finish the year ranked No. 5 in the world. “It’s been an incredible week, I honestly didn’t expect any result, and to go so far,
The tri-nation Twenty20 international series featuring hosts Pakistan, as well as Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, is to be played entirely in Rawalpindi from Tuesday next week, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said yesterday, after this week’s suicide bombing in the capital, Islamabad. The change came after at least eight Sri Lankan players asked to leave over security fears following Tuesday’s bombing that killed 12 people and wounded 27. Their country’s cricket board issued a stern directive to the team to stay put or face consequences. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said the decision to stay was taken after “close consultations” with hosts Pakistan who
RSS