By CricketCountry Staff
All-round England thumped Australia by nine runs in their ICC Twenty20 World Cup warm-up match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo on Monday.
Published: Sep 17, 2012, 12:54 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 17, 2012, 12:54 PM (IST)
Steven Finn bagged two wickets for 26 off his four overs © Getty Images
By CricketCountry Staff
Colombo: Sep 17, 2012
All-round England thumped Australia by nine runs in their ICC Twenty20 World Cup warm-up match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo on Monday.
Chasing a huge total of 173 to win, Australia could manage only 163 for six from their allotted 20 overs.
Michael Hussey played a splendid knock of 71 off 51 balls, studded with five sixes and three boundaries, but his effort went in vain.
Australia recovered from an early loss of David Warner on the back of Shane Watson’s quick 37, which came from 26 balls hitting three sixes and one boundary.
Watson and Hussey added 74 runs for the second wicket to put Australia back on track. Watson fell to England spinner Graeme Swann in the ninth over.
Cameron White and skipper George Bailey flopped with the bat, scoring nine and three respectively.
Australia had earlier won their first warm-up game against New Zealand by 56 runs.
For England, Steven Finn was the pick among the bowlers taking two wickets for 26 off his four overs.
Earlier in the first innings, Alex Hales smashed a quick half-century to propel England to 172 for six against Australia .
Hales clobbered seven boundaries to score 52, which came off just 38 balls.
Hales added 88 runs for the second wicket with Luke Wright to help England stage a fightback, after Australia pacer Mitchell Starc rocked the English side with the dismissal of Craig Kieswetter early on.
Kieswetter fell for eight, which came off 15 deliveries and one hit to the fence.
Wright played a fluent knock of 35 off 29 balls, which included three boundaries and a six.
Veteran spinner Brad Hogg provided Australia the second breakthrough when he had Wright caught by Cameron White.
After Wright’s dismissal, Eoin Morgan came in to take England forward and scored a quick 30 off 16 balls hitting four boundaries and a six.
Brief Scores: England 172 for 6 from 20 overs (Alex Hales 52, Luke Wright 35, Eoin Morgan 30; Mitchell Starc 2 for 32, Brag Hodd 2 for 29) bt Australia 163 for 6 from 20 overs (Michael Hussey 71, Shane Watson 37; Steven Finn 2 for 26, Graeme Swann 1 for 21) by 9 runs
ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2012: Match time table with group details
