CWC 2019: “We were totally outplayed by England”, admits Aaron Finch

England crushed the defending champions by 8 wickets in the second semi-final at Edgbaston on July 11.

England openers made the mockery of Australia's total in the second semi-final | Getty

After his team’s humiliating 8-wicket defeat in the semi-final against England, Australia skipper Aaron Finch admitted that they were "outplayed" by the arch-rivals in all departments.

Despite winning the toss and batting first at Edgbaston, the defending champions were bundled out for 223 in 49 overs before allowing England to overhaul the target with 107 balls to spare.

"We were totally outplayed today. We expected the new ball to seam a little but they bowled a great length, hitting the stumps a lot," Finch said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

"We had to have a lot things go right for us. We had to take our chances and bowl them out. We tried to take wickets but when you are aggressive with the ball and they are aggressive with the bat, things can happen very quickly," he added.

Jason Roy (85 off 65 balls) and Jonny Bairstow (34 off 43 balls) made the mockery of Australia’s total with a superb 124-run partnership for the first wicket. It was their fourth consecutive 100+ stands in this World Cup and the Aussie captain was full of praise for the English openers.

"They played exceptionally well. We know how dominant they are when they get on top. You've got a very good cricket team in England," he said.

For just the second time in the past seven World Cups, Australia have failed to make the final. But Finch said he was proud of his team's efforts 12 months after they were crushed 5-0 by England in a one-day international series.

"We have a lot of positives from the campaign. We've come a long way from when we were in England a year ago. We came here thinking we could win the tournament. We've had backs to the wall and character shown and I'm proud of how the group have progressed but it still hurts," he concluded.

(With AFP inputs)

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 12 Jul, 2019

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