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Australia has booked its ticket to the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup with an impressive 64-run win over England at Lord's.
With a result and performance that will have sent a serious statement, both to the rest of the world at this tournament and to England ahead of the Ashes, Australia's fast bowlers and a fine Aaron Finch century combined to comprehensively outplay the much-fancied English at the home of cricket.
Finch scored exactly 100 to set the game up for Australia, and though it may have been a little disappointed to only reach 7-285 from its 50 overs, the score proved to be enough as the travelling team went to work with the ball.
It took only two balls for Australia to strike, with Jason Behrendorff — reinstated to the team and handed the brand new rock — producing a near unplayable delivery that ripped through James Vince and clean bowled him for a duck.
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The wicket of Joe Root gave Australia real hope of defending the target. (AP: Alastair Grant)
With its tail up, Australia continued to bowl a full line while looking to swing the ball, a strategy Mitchell Starc found to be successful when he trapped Joe Root plumb in front of his stumps on just 8.
Eoin Morgan was the next victim, hooking a Starc bouncer straight down Pat Cummins's throat on the fine leg boundary, before a brief partnership was ended when Jonny Bairstow miscued a pull shot of his own off Behrendorff's bowling to hand Cummins another catch.
At 4-53, Australia may have begun to think its work was done, but Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler set about forming England's rearguard, and put on 70 to settle the innings.
But it would not last much longer. Buttler (25) hoiked Marcus Stoinis towards the square leg boundary, only to find the safe hands of Usman Khawaja who was patrolling it diligently.
With Stokes at the crease, England always seemed to be half a chance. His innings slowly gained momentum, and as he closed in on a century he had begun charging at Cummins and Starc, scoring freely and with some remarkable shots.
That was, until, Starc had the final say. He produced a yorker of the absolute highest quality to bowl Stokes on 89, who could scarcely believe the quality of the ball he had received. It was the perfect delivery, and it effectively ended the game.
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Ben Stokes could hardly believe the quality of the ball that dismissed him. (AP: Matt Dunham)
Moeen Ali nicked off for a quickfire 8, Chris Woakes fell victim to some marvellous teamwork between Glenn Maxwell and Finch on the mid-wicket boundary on 26 and Jofra Archer holed out to long-off — all of a sudden, Behrendorff had five well-deserved wickets.
He finished with 5-44 as Starc picked up the final wicket to claim 4-43 of his own. Adil Rashid chipped one harmlessly to cover for 25 to end the match and complete Australia's handsome victory.
The day got off on the wrong foot for Australia, when Morgan won the toss and sent them in on a green pitch under overcast skies.
Both Finch and David Warner were beaten regularly by England's opening bowling attack of Archer and Woakes, but the Aussie batsmen made it through the storm.
The openers passed 100 without losing a wicket for the third time in this tournament, before Warner eventually fell meekly on 53, bunting a Moeen delivery to backward point and exiting the arena to loud boos.
Khawaja made 23 before being clean bowled by Stokes, and the boos returned when Steve Smith entered the fray.
He was alongside Finch as the captain notched his second century of the World Cup, but celebrations did not last long, as the next ball saw him sky a hook shot straight into the hands of Woakes in the deep.
To make matters worse, none of his teammates could emulate his scoring — Maxwell belted impressive boundaries off Archer before departing for 8, and Stoinis struggled mightily before being run out in a farcical mix-up with Smith.
Smith was cursing his own inability to put the pedal down when he fell cheaply for 38 off 34 in the 46th over, leaving wicketkeeper Alex Carey to finish with the tail.
Despite some early struggles, he eventually finished with 38 off 27 in an important innings that helped Australia to a competitive total, even if it was not as formidable as they may have hoped.
See how the action unfolded in our live blog.
Topics: sport, cricket, united-kingdom, england, australia
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