Australia win maiden T-20 World Cup in style

Rex Clementine in Dubai

A terrific run chase by Australia thanks to half-centuries from Mitchell Marsh and David Warner saw them winning their maiden T-20 World Cup last night here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The Aussies had won the 50 over World Cup on five occasions but the T-20 World Cup had eluded them and they made amends yesterday with a superb effort beating Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand by eight wickets and seven balls to spare.

The World Cup had seen two outstanding semi-finals and many had expected a close contest in the final too but the Aussies were too good making New Zealand’s spinners look ordinary. David Warner had come to form in the Sri Lankan game after being dropped by Kusal Perera early in the innings and he finished off the final with 53 runs in 38 balls with four fours
and three sixes. He finished as tournament’s highest run getter behind Babar Azam, who had scored 303 runs.

Warner had 289 while Sri Lanka’s Charith Asalanka was fifth with 231 runs. Warner was named Player of the Tournament. Man of the Match award went to Mitchell Marsh, the son of former Sri Lanka coach Geoff Marsh. The younger Marsh batting at number three remained unbeaten on 77 off 50 balls having reached his half-century off only 31 balls. He hit six fours and four sixes.

New Zealand had posted a competitive 172 but that wasn’t enough to end their white ball global title drought. Captain Kane Williamson had come up with a tremendous effort to help his team go past the 170 mark. While Marsh and Warner slogged to get their team over the line, Williamson, a touch player, just used the bowlers pace to score his runs. There were three sixes in his innings, successive one-handed ones off Maxwell and a flicked six that ended up in the stands off Mitchell Starc.

Hazlewood was pretty handy with the ball picking up three wickets and
conceding just 16 runs. A lot of Sri Lankan fans seemed to be backing the Kiwis after they narrowly lost the 2019 World Cup (50 overs). But as was the case during the 2009 Champions Trophy final at Centurion and 2015 50 over World Cup final in Melbourne, the New Zealanders failed to test the Aussies in another big game.