Champions Trophy: Australia defeat England in high-scoring thriller

In the fourth match of the ICC Champions Trophy, Australia created history by successfully chasing the highest-ever target in the tournament’s history, defeating England by five wickets.

Chasing a massive target of 352, Australia successfully reached the total in the 48th over, losing just five wickets. Wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis played a match-winning knock, scoring an unbeaten 120 off 86 balls.

Other key contributions came from Alex Carey 69, Matthew Short 63, and Marnus Labuschagne 47. Meanwhile, Travis Head and captain Steve Smith were dismissed cheaply for 6 and 5 runs, respectively. Glenn Maxwell remained not out with 32 runs.

For England, Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse picked claimed one wicket each.

Earlier, after being invited to bat first, England posted a formidable total of 351/8 in their 50 overs.

Opener Ben Duckett stole the show with a magnificent 165-run innings. Joe Root added 68, while captain Jos Buttler, 23; Jamie Smith, 15; Liam Livingstone, 14; Phil Salt, 10; Brydon Carse, 8; and Harry Brook, 3, failed to make a major impact.

For Australia, Ben Dwarshuis took three wickets while Adam Zampa and Marnus Labuschagne picked up two each. Glenn Maxwell chipped in with one wicket.

In the opening match of the tournament, New Zealand defeated hosts Pakistan by 60 runs on Feb 19. In the second game, India outclassed Bangladesh with a six-wicket victory.

On Friday, South Africa secured a convincing 107-run win over Afghanistan in Karachi.

The much-awaited Pakistan vs India clash is set to take place tomorrow (Feb 23) in Dubai, promising a high-voltage contest.