Courtesy: ICC
The second match of Group B in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 kicked off on February 22 at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore as heavyweights Australia and England faced off against each other in an extremely exciting contest. Australia managed to win their Champions Trophy opener against England, overhauling the target of 352 runs, the highest in tournament history, courtesy to a solid unbeaten knock of 120 by wicket-keeper Josh Inglis.
For the unversed, Australia won the toss and decided to field first. England was able to put up a big total of 351 runs on the board for Australia to chase. Ben Duckett was the star of the show for England’s batting as he racked up a massive score of 165 off 143 deliveries. Joe Root also contributed to the team’s total with a valuable knock of 68 runs.
Ben Duckett’s 165 in vain as Josh Inglis’s century proves to be the real game-changer
With seasoned names like Travis Head and skipper Steve Smith failing to deliver with the bat and getting dismissed early on, Matt Short and Marnus Labuschagne built an important partnership scoring 63 and 47 respectively and shaping Australia’s run chase.
However the most important partnership was between Josh Inglis and Alex Carey as the duo carried Australia past the 280 mark before the left-hander was dismissed for 69 by Brydon Carse. However, Inglis played a spectacular innings of 120 unbeaten off 86 deliveries, to take England over the line.
Glenn Maxwell played a brilliant cameo as he came in almost as an impact player to finish off the innings with Josh Inglis. A solid knock of 32 off 15 deliveries with a massive strike rate of 213, Maxwell really came out to haunt the England bowling attack and cause them some serious problems.
After such a thrilling first group stage match, Australia will take on South Africa next on the February 25, while England will face off against Afghanistan on February 26; which will be a potential do-or-die fixture for England to remain alive in this tournament.
