It’s not been the longest tournament, but we’ve been blessed with a lot of high quality cricket in the past month. Australia won their first ever T20 World Cup by beating New Zealand in the final yesterday, but their road to the final was a tricky path.
Here’s a look at their performances game by game
South Africa vs Australia
The Aussies started off their campaign with a game against South Africa in Abu Dhabi. It ended up being a comfortable victory for the men in yellow as the Proteas were put into bat and put on a target of just 119.
Adam Zampa impressed with the ball and Steve Smith anchored the innings with a fighting 35. It wasn’t an easy pitch to bat on, but Australia ended up chasing the target with 2 balls left.
Sri Lanka vs Australia
Once again winning the toss and once again putting the opposition in to bat, Australia put in a professional performance against a young Sri Lankan side.
Adam Zampa continued to impress with the ball conceding just 12 runs, while David Warner found some much needed form with a swashbuckling 65.
Australia vs England
The big rivals. No matter the format or the venue, Australia vs England is always a big game. Both teams were unbeaten in the tournament heading into this fixture, but England in the end had too much fire power for the Aussies.
Chris Jordan’s slower bowls and yorkers bamboozled the batsman and Buttler’s thundering 71*(31) made sure the contest was never up for grabs. It was a brutal defeat for the Aussies, with their net run rate heading into the negatives after this match.
Bangladesh vs Australia
A comprehensive come back. Adam Zampa proved to be way too good for the Bengali batsman, with the leggie picking up five wickets in just four overs.
Aaron Finch smashed a quick 40 of 20 deliveries to make sure Australia chased down the target in just over six overs. The quick chase turned out to be vital in their eventual semi-final qualification.
West Indies vs Australia
Up against the two-time winners and defending champions in a must win game, Aaron Finch once again decided to chase after winning the toss. The decision could’ve gone sideways, but thanks to some good new ball swing bowling and early wickets from Pat Cummins, the Windies were playing catch up soon.
David Warner continued his phenomenal form he displayed throughout the group stages by smashing an unbeaten 89. His innings helped Australia chase the target of 161 in just 16.2 overs. The win guaranteed a place in the semi-final.
Pakistan vs Australia
Australia’s first T20 World Cup knockout game since 2012. Pakistan were the favourites heading into the game having won all five of their group games.
The game was a see-saw battle with the momentum shifting almost every over. Pakistan out on a strong total of 176 and restricted Australia to 96/5 with one step in the final. However, what was left to come was pure fireworks. Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade carried their bat all the way to the end and won the match thanks to Wade hitting three consecutive sixes to finish the game with an over to spare.
New Zealand vs Australia
The final. Two teams looking to clinch their first ever world T20 title and two teams that know each other well. It was all to play for. Aaron Finch’s luck with the toss continued and New Zealand were put into bat.
Kane Williamson played a true skipper’s knock scoring 85 for the Blackcaps and taking them to 172/4. David Warner took off where he last left and blasted a quick fire 53. Mitch Marsh was promoted up the order and he didn’t disappoint, scoring 77* and bagging the man of the match award.
