T20 World Cup 2022, Match 31: Australia vs Ireland - Talking points and Who Said What

Australia got the job done in the must-win encounter as the side earned the two points off the Ireland fixture in Super 12 stage of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The Aaron Finch-led side were put to bat first by the Irish skipper as the title defence was on the line at the Gabba.

David Warner endured yet another blow in his performance as he was dismissed for just three off seven balls. His partner and skipper Finch, who was heavily criticised for his slow outing against Sri Lanka, smashed the ball numerous times in his 44-ball 63 with a strike rate of 143.18. Later down the middle order came in all-rounder Marcus Stoinis who played a brief cameo, scoring 35 off 25 balls that helped the side attain a grand total of 179 in their stipulated 20 overs.

In response, the Irish batters were no match to the sensational display by the Aussie bowling unit as the side lost wickets in quick succession. In under 10 overs, Ireland had lost seven wickets that put them in the backfoot almost the entire match. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell, and Adam Zampa all played a vital role for the side as they picked up 2 wickets each in their outing against the Irish batters ending their chase 18.1 overs with a score of 137.

Rejuvenated Australian side

Australia suffered a massive loss to neighbours New Zealand in their first fixture which handed a blow in terms of net run rate too. Dismal outings by the entire team against the Kiwis gave them a minor scare over their semi-final’s hopes being dashed out.

However, the Aussies are known to bounce back and come back stronger and that is precisely what Aaron Finch and Co. did in their matches against Sri Lanka and Ireland. With the title on the line every single game, Australia fought like champions in the match against the Irishmen and looked fresh to defend their title. With just a week to go before the Super 12 concludes, Australia look like strong contenders to cement their spot in the semi-finals.

Tucker’s aggression with the bat

The lone wolf in the batting line-up, Lorcan Tucker played out a terrific knock against the Aussies that handed them quite a few heartaches on occasions. Tucker had a slow start as wickets kept tumbling at the other end and he had no help coming his way. The keeper-batter took matters to his own hands and as he entered his 40’s, Tucker shifted gears and got numerous boundaries and a maximum to his name in his unbeaten 48-ball 71 innings.

Mitchell Starc’s classic in-swingers

The pace spearhead got massive swing in his deliveries against the batters that bamboozled them on occasions. Known for his in-swing, Starc delivered quite a few balls that beat the batters and was unplayable by them. Furthermore, it was courtesy of his in-swinging deliveries that got him the two wickets against Ireland. The pacer was proving to be economical till Tucker on the other end handed a major beating in his final over that ended his figures with 43 runs off four overs and two wickets.

Winning skipper, Aaron Finch said:

It was a good performance. Getting 180 was a decent score on that wicket. We knew we had to lay the foundation early and couldn't risk being 4-5 down. Just a little bit of hammy tightness, he (Tim David) sat out as a precaution. It is nice when it works like that (not opening with Starc), doesn't always work but there's a lot of time and planning that goes into it, sometimes you look great and sometimes you look stupid, you take the good with the bad in this format. It would have been nice, having them 5 for 25 to really push that forward, Tucker played a helluva knock there.

Losing Skipper, Andy Balbirine said:

It was hardly fought. The first innings got away, we bowled well but a couple of overs didn't go our way and certainly didn't get the start with the bat, but to show the fight at the end was nice. Looking at the scoreboard we thought it wasn't against us, again the wickets column was a problem and who knows if someone had stayed with Tucker. He has had a really good World Cup and these wickets here suit him.

Player of the Match, Aaron Finch said:

It wasn't the easiest wicket, it was a lot slower than what we expected. They changed their pace really well and bowled a lot of cutters early in the innings, it was hard to get a rhythm and we did well to get 180. Not at all (felt the pressure). The support from the change room and support staff has been unbelievable. T20 is a high risk game, sometimes you get it off the middle and sometimes you don't. Like I said, when they went to try and bowl really wide it was easier and tough when they took the pace off. Really a hammy twinge I think, I will get a scan tomorrow, I have a history of them. It doesn't look bad at the moment but let's see how it goes after the scan. Very hopeful (of our chances).