In the ongoing first Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final between India and Australia at the Dubai International Stadium, the Men in Blue jumped with joy after getting rid of the Aussie openers Cooper Connolly and Travis Head early. Head was looking in great touch with his bat but lost his wicket to Varun Chakravarthy, who dismissed the opener on his score of 39 off 33. Following Head’s departure, captain Steven Smith took the charge and built a 56-run partnership with Marnus Labschagne for the third wicket. However, Labuschagne also lost his wicket after playing a fine innings off 29 off 36 and Smith got to witness the removal of Josh Inglis as well from the other end. Unfazed with the consistent fall of wickets, the right-handed batter held his nerves and produced some fine shots from his bat. In the crunch situation, the Aussie veteran completed his 35th fifty.
Smith also stitched a 54-run run stand with Alex Carey, who went on to score rapid 61 off 57. The 35-year-old fell against Mohammed Shami after scoring 73 off 96 with four fours and a maximum. The India pacer utilised his experience and cleaned him up in the 37th over of the game. Smith’s batting effort played a crucial role in taking Australia to a competitive score of 264 in 49.3 overs.
Steven Smith’s knock gave confidence to Alex Carey
Smith’s knock emboldened Alex Carey’s confidence who looked formidable with his bat and struck his 12th fifty. The southpaw confronted 57 balls and amassed 61 runs with eight fours and a maximum. Carey stood in the middle until the 48th over of the game.
After Carey’s departure to the dugout, Australia saw a little fight from Nathan Ellis (10 off seven) but couldn’t complete their 50 overs as Hardik Pandya cleaned up Adam Zampa to fold them on 264 with three balls to spare.
