Australia vs England: 3 turning points in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 clash

There are two ground rules when it comes to gauging the Kangaroos in cricket. First, never write off Australia. Second, always remember the first rule. The revival of the ICC Champions Trophy after eight years witnessed many setbacks in the discourse for the participating teams. However, Australia seemed to have endured the mightiest blow, with the mainstays of the team all ruled out for one reason or another. Skipper Pat Cummins, along with his primary pace option Josh Hazlewood, missed out due to injuries. Mitchell Starc made a late decision to opt out of the ICC tournament due to personal reasons. Effectively, the 2023 ODI World Cup champions were left entirely without their primary seamers. One match into the tournament, however, Australia seemed to be missing no one.

ICC Champions Trophy: All that led to the record chase in the Australia vs England clash

As the groups for the ICC Champions Trophy were announced, Group B was poised as the "Group of Death," with Australia, England, and South Africa pitted against Afghanistan. However, as the injury updates started to hit the headlines, doubts loomed over where Australia stood in the equation, with the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, and Cameron Green ruled out. Needless to say, Australia's batting order, consisting of skipper Steve Smith, Travis Head, and Glenn Maxwell, took over the responsibility of doing the heavy lifting for the team in the tournament. Their campaign opener against England, meanwhile, showed that the batting unit had understood its assignment flawlessly.

• The Ben Duckett and Joe Root partnership for England in the first innings

Winning the toss in Lahore, Steve Smith opted to bowl first in their campaign opener against England. Bowling first, Australia was seen struggling to restrict the partnership between the English batters as Ben Duckett raced to a 150 score. Complementing Duckett from the other end was Joe Root, as their shared partnership of over 150 runs defined the English innings. Steve Smith put seven prospects to bowl, but the Duckett-Root pair emerged invincible, with Root knitting a half-century for himself. Duckett's ton led England to post 351, the highest recorded total in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament so far. The score seemed like an uphill battle for the Kangaroos to chase as England overlooked the possibility of a positive start to their campaign.

• Flying start to the chase, courtesy Matthew Short

No score is insurmountable if a team approaches the chase with a winning mindset, as the Kangaroos showed in the Australia vs. England match. As Matthew Short opened the chase for Australia, the Kangaroos made their intent clear. Even when his partner walked off cheaply at just 6 as Jofra Archer drew first blood, Short exploited the powerplay seamlessly. Giving a strong start to the team, Short smashed 9 fours and a six to score 66 runs off 69 deliveries. Meanwhile, Australia skipper Steve Smith also fell for a low score against Mark Wood within the powerplay.

However, Short found a stable partner in Labuschagne as the opener smashed 63 off 66. Labuschagne departed first as he narrowly missed his fifty. The next man in, Alex Carey, picked up where Labuschagne left off, partnering seamlessly with Short before the latter fell to Liam Livingstone in the 23rd over. Alex Carey and Josh Inglis annihilated England as they quickly pulled the chase in their favor.

• Maiden ODI century for Josh Inglis

A flying start by Short and impactful knocks by Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne set the stage, but the century knock by Josh Inglis scripted the successful chase for the Kangaroos. What better event than an ICC tournament to smash a maiden ODI ton? Inglis knew it as he raced to his sublime-looking ODI century. Taking on Jofra Archer and Mark Wood seamlessly, Inglis played some audacious shots despite the mammoth total. Though Alex Carey departed after scoring 69 off 63, England was left clueless by Inglis' onslaught. The match fell into Australia's lap when their chase master, Glenn Maxwell, and Josh Inglis thrashed the bowlers all around Gaddafi Stadium in the last ten overs.

Josh Inglis’ century scripted a remarkable chase for Australia against England and earned him the @aramco POTM award 👏 #ChampionsTrophy pic.twitter.com/B5reS4kgxo

— ICC (@ICC) February 22, 2025

Inglis' unbeaten ton led Australia to complete the highest-ever recorded chase in the history of ICC ODI tournaments. The wicketkeeper-batter announced his arrival and his suitability in the team as he closed the chase with a six off Mark Wood. England, fresh off their 0-3 whitewash against India, have a lot of lessons lined up for them, despite the confident admissions of Ben Duckett after the series loss to India.