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Following his team's loss to Australia in their ICC Champions Trophy campaign, England skipper Jos Buttler expressed delight in Ben Duckett's record-breaking knock and hailed Australia for chasing down a massive total of 352 runs.
Duckett smashed 165 runs, securing the highest-ever individual score in the history of the ICC Champions Trophy, but a century from Josh Inglis eclipsed his effort as his century and assists from Alex Carey and Glenn Maxwell guided Australia to a five-wicket win over England at Lahore. Speaking in the post-match presentation, Buttler said, "Fantastic game, both sides played really well. We put on a really good score there. Credit to Australia. Fantastic innings there from Josh Inglis to see his side home. I think 350 you would take that at the start. Pretty good score. Dew was a worry and it was wet. Whatever happens with the conditions, to chase down 350 is a fantastic effort." "He (Duckett) played brilliantly. He is been brilliant at the top of the order in all the formats. He can be incredibly consistent in this format. Delighted for him with the way he played. Just a shame it is in a losing cause. Rather, focus on partnerships rather than individuals. Take the focus off yourself and work on getting those big partnerships. Root and Duckett did that. I thought those two (Root and Livingstone) bowled really well today. They created chances. Credit to Australia. We tried to find ways to break that partnership between Inglis and Carey earlier but just couldn't manage it. Sometimes, you have to give credit to the opposition," he concluded. Australia opted to bowl first and looked set for a fine outing when England was reduced to 43/2, with a move to promote young wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith at number-three not paying off. However, Ben Duckett and Joe Root (68 in 78 balls, with four boundaries) responded with a well-compiled counter-attack, helping England cross 200 runs with a 158-run stand. With wickets falling at the other end, Duckett kept swinging mercilessly his way towards 165 in 143 balls, with 17 fours and three sixes. England scored 351/8 in their 50 overs. Ben Dwarshuis (3/66) was the pick of the bowlers for Australia, while Adam Zampa (2/64) and Matthew Short (2/41) took two wickets as well. In the run-chase of 352, Australia lost Travis Head and Steve Smith for single-digits, losing their two most reliable bats at the score of 27/2. A 95-run stand between Labuschagne (47 in 45 balls, with five fours) and Matt Short (63 in 66 balls, nine fours and six) took Australia beyond the 100-run mark, but Aussies once again stumbled to 136/4 thanks to some brilliance of spin wizard Adil Rashid. But with an explosive trio of middle-order batters still waiting, giving up was not a choice. 'Aussie mentality' did start to set in with every boundary hit, with every six sent into the skies. An aggressive Alex Carey (69 in 63 balls, with eight fours) had a 146-run partnership that put the match within Australia's reach. Carey was dismissed by Brydon Carse, but Inglis (120* in 86 balls, with eight fours and six sixes) and Maxwell (32* in 15 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) finished off the match by unleashing some T20-style shots with their trademark audacity, giving no heed to match situation and lack of batting firepower left below them, with 15 balls left and five wickets in hand. (ANI)
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