Sports Desk: World
Cup 2011 runners-up Sri Lanka pulled the plug on the ever changing
Group A dynamics to push erstwhile world champions Australia out of the
final edition of Champions Trophy.
The defeat is a serious body blow to Australia’s preparation for Ashes.
Australia’s trans-Tasmanian rivals New Zealand also watched the
former’s game against Sri Lanka with much anticipation, for its own fate
hinged on the outcome of the crucial tie.
However, Sri Lanka’s comprehensive win put an end to all permutations and combinations.
It was one of those rare
occasions when Australia’s claim was not viewed as the strongest. If
captain Clarke’s injury was not enough, David Warner more than made up
for it with his drunken brawl with English player Joe Root.
In Warner’s absence,
Aussies tested different openers to partner Shane Watson at the top. The
move failed and the team failed not just in batting, but also in
bowling and fielding departments.
Australia, in order to
qualify for semis, needed to take net run rate into the equation,
besides winning the tie against Sri Lanka.
This meant that they needed to overhaul Sri Lanka’s 253 in mere 29.1 overs.
The Aussies began their chase in right earnest, with Wartson smacking a boundary first ball and Maxwell playing a cameo.
However, they needed someone to play reasonably long; something that never happened.
Careless strokeplay and dodgy shot selection exacerbated their plight, as the Kangaroos’ campaign ended in Group stage itself.
The defeat also earned a dubious distinction for this Australian squad.
For the first time since the inception of Champions Trophy in 1998,
Australia was handed a wooden spoon, and finished at the bottom of the
table.
The ‘record’ puts Aussies under added pressure going into the Ashes.
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