England cemented their spot in the final of 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s World Cup with a comfortable eight-wicket win over defending champions Australia in the all-important semi-final clash of this year’s marquee event at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on Thursday.
Asked to bowl first, Chris Woakes finished with the terrific figures of three for 20 while Adil Rashid (three for 54), Jofra Archer (two for 32) and Mark Wood (one for 45) also contributed with the ball to help England bundle out Australia for 223 inside 49 overs.
Swashbuckling batsman Steve Smith was the shining light for Australia as he not only struck a valiant 119-ball 85 laced with six boundaries but also shared a crucial 103-run stand with Alex Carey (46) for the fourth wicket while the wickets at the other end kept tumbling cheaply.
In reply, openers Jason Roy (85 off 65 balls) and Jonny Bairstow (34 off 43 deliveries) provided England with a perfect start by stitching a 124-run partnership for the first wicket before third drop Joe Root (49) and skipper Eoin Morgan (45) helped the hosts cross the mark inside 32.1 overs.
None of the batsmen from the two sides managed to score a century during the match even though Steve Smith (85) and Jason Roy (85) came very close to the one.
A total of 30 centuries have been scored in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 so far.
England batsman Joe Root scored the first century of the ongoing marquee event during the Eoin Morgan-led side’s second group stage clash against Pakistan. Root had struck 107 runs off 104 balls laced with 10 boundaries and a six while his teammate Jos Butler (103) too notched up a ton in the same match. Despite the two centuries, England went on to lose that match by 14 runs.
The third century of the World Cup 2019 was brought by Indian opener Rohit Sharma during the Men in Blue’s opening group stage clash against South Africa at Hampshire Bowl, Southampton.
England opener Jason Roy struck a magnificent knock of 153 off just 121 balls during his side’s clash against Bangladesh to bring up the fourth century of the ongoing cricket’s showpiece event. The fifth century of the 2019 World Cup was scored by Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan during the same match.
Here is the complete list of tons scored in Cricket World Cup 2019 till the second semi-final match between Australia and England on July 11:
| No | Player | Runs | Balls | Team | Opposition | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Root | 107 | 104 | England | Pakistan | Lost |
| 2 | Jos Buttler | 103 | 76 | England | Pakistan | Lost |
| 3 | Rohit Sharma | 122* | 144 | India | South Africa | Won |
| 4 | Jason Roy | 153 | 121 | England | Bangladesh | Won |
| 5 | Shakib Al Hasan | 121 | 119 | Bangladesh | England | Lost |
| 6 | Shikhar Dhawan | 117 | 109 | India | Australia | Won |
| 7 | David Warner | 107 | 111 | Australia | Pakistan | Won |
| 8 | Joe Root | 100* | 94 | England | West Indies | Won |
| 9 | Aaron Finch | 153 | 132 | Australia | Sri Lanka | Won |
| 10 | Rohit Sharma | 140 | 113 | India | Pakistan | Won |
| 11 | Shakib Al Hasan | 124* | 99 | Bangladesh | West Indies | Won |
| 12 | Eoin Morgan | 148 | 71 | England | Afghanistan | Won |
| 13 | Kane Williamson | 106* | 138 | New Zealand | South Africa | Won |
| 14 | David Warner | 166 | 147 | Australia | Bangladesh | Won |
| 15 | Mushfiqur Rahim | 102* | 97 | Bangladesh | Australia | Won |
| 16 | Kane Williamson | 148 | 154 | New Zealand | West Indies | Won |
| 17 | Carlos Brathwaite | 101 | 82 | West Indies | New Zealand | Lost |
| 18 | Aaron Finch | 100 | 116 | Australia | England | Won |
| 19 | Babar Azam | 101* | 127 | Pakistan | New Zealand | Won |
| 20 | Jonny Bairstow | 111 | 109 | England | India | Won |
| 21 | Rohit Sharma | 102 | 109 | India | England | Lost |
| 22 | Jonny Bairstow | 106 | 99 | England | New Zealand | Won |
| 23. | N Pooran | 118 | 103 | West Indies | Sri Lanka | Lost |
| 24 | Rohit Sharma | 104 | 92 | India | Bangladesh | Win |
| 25. | Jonny Bairstow | 106 | 99 | England | New Zealand | Win |
| 26. | Imam Ul Haq | 100 | 100 | Pakistan | Bangladesh | Win |
| 27. | Angelo Mathews | 113 | 128 | Sri Lanka | India | Lost |
| 28. | Rohit Sharma | 103 | 94 | India | Sri Lanka | Win |
| 29. | K L Rahul | 111 | 118 | India | Sri Lanka | Win |
| 30 | Faf du Plessis | 100 | 94 | South Africa | Australia | Win |
A total of 38 centuries were scored in the 2015 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand.
Source: Zee News