Inglis’ Century Propels Australia to Historic Run-Chase Victory over England in Champions Trophy

Josh Inglis has propelled Australia to a historic victory over England in their Champions Trophy opener, smashing a 77-ball century to defeat their Ashes rivals by five wickets.

Inglis concluded his innings with a magnificent 120 runs from 86 balls, marking his first ODI century which included eight fours and six sixes. Australia eased to a total of 5-356 in just 47.3 overs, achieving the largest successful chase in ICC ODI history.

Inglis’ exceptional power-hitting overshadowed Ben Duckett’s remarkable score of 165, which stands as the highest individual score in Champions Trophy history and helped England amass a total of 8-351 in their Group B opener.

“I’m over the moon,” remarked Inglis, who was born in Leeds before moving to Australia at the age of 14.

“There wasn’t much chat at half-time, but I knew it would be challenging for England with the dew coming in.”

Australia’s chase got off to a shaky beginning as Jofra Archer and Mark Wood dismissed Travis Head (6) and stand-in captain Steven Smith (5) in quick succession. However, the middle-order batsmen retaliated strongly against the English pace attack.

Matthew Short (63) and Marnus Labuschagne (47) put together a 95-run partnership, with Brydon Carse conceding runs at over nine per over during his four-over stint before England opted to bring on spin bowlers in the middle overs.

Adil Rashid claimed the wicket of Labuschagne as the latter attempted to sweep, only to be caught out by Jos Buttler at short cover, followed by Liam Livingstone taking a smart low catch to dismiss Short, leaving Australia at 4-136.

Nevertheless, with the dew settling in, Inglis and Alex Carey (69) expertly orchestrated the run chase, making it challenging for bowlers to manage the slick ball. The duo formed a vital partnership of 146 runs off 116 balls, although England let a chance slip when Australia still required 104 runs for victory.

“The two keepers have been batting beautifully and are in excellent form,” Smith commented.

“Josh operated at a steady pace, finding gaps all over the ground. I’m not sure if he still holds an English passport, but he’s certainly not going anywhere!”

Archer missed a straightforward catch of Carey in the outfield during Rashid’s penultimate over, allowing Carey to complete his half-century, before Inglis hammered Archer for two boundaries in the following over.

Carey eventually fell to Buttler at mid-off off Carse’s returning spell, but Glenn Maxwell finished unbeaten on 32 from 15 balls. Inglis clinched the victory with a towering six off Wood after raising his century with another six off Archer.

“What a fantastic game,” Buttler remarked. “Inglis played an incredible innings.”

Earlier, Ben Duckett became the first player in Champions Trophy history to score over 150 runs after Smith opted to field on a flat pitch after winning the toss.

Duckett blasted 165 runs off 143 balls, featuring 17 fours and three sixes, as Australia’s second-string pace attack found it tough on a dry wicket at the newly revamped Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

The previous record was held by New Zealand’s Nathan Astle, who scored an unbeaten 145 against the United States at The Oval in 2004. The Black Caps’ score of 4-347 in that same match was the previous highest team total in the tournament’s history.

Duckett laid a strong foundation for England’s impressive innings, sharing a 158-run partnership with Joe Root, who contributed 68 runs off 78 balls.

Duckett excelled against the pace attack, showcasing his power with stunning drives down the ground and even reverse sweeping Australia’s top bowler, Adam Zampa (2-64).

Labuschagne (2-41) trapped Duckett in the 48th over as the left-hander went for a sweep against the leg-spinner and was out LBW.

“Duckett has been exceptional at the top of the order across all formats,” Buttler praised. “He has been on the verge of a big score for some time. It’s a pity it came in a losing effort.”

Australia, who entered the tournament missing Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc, did manage to make early breakthroughs.

Ben Dwarshuis (3-66) struck early in his spell as Carey, handing over the wicketkeeping gloves to Inglis, pulled off a stunning diving catch to dismiss Phil Salt (10) and then secured a hard drive from newly promoted No. 3 batter Jamie Smith (15).

Duckett and Root constructed England’s first century partnership in ODIs this year, boasting a run rate better than one per ball. Duckett brought up his century off just 95 balls, striking two glorious boundaries off Spencer Johnson, who was removed from the attack having conceded 54 runs in his seven overs.

Zampa ended the dangerous partnership by dismissing Root LBW in the 31st over, followed by another brilliant catch by Carey to get rid of Harry Brook for just 3 runs. Duckett continued to score briskly despite the loss of Buttler (23) and Livingstone (14) in quick succession as they sought to accelerate the scoring.

Archer provided a late cameo of 21 runs off 10 balls, aggressively hitting Labuschagne for 12 runs off the final three balls. England finished strongly with 83 runs from the last ten overs.

Australia will next face South Africa on Tuesday night, followed by a match against Afghanistan on Friday.