India-Australia
Aaron Finch, Steve Smith tons propel Australia to 374/6 against India
Sydney/UNI: Riding on brilliant centuries by captain Aaron Finch and Steve Smith, Australia posted a mammoth total of 374/6 against India in the first ODI of three match series, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, here on Friday.
Finch scored 114 off 124 including 9 fours and 2 sixes while Steven Smith scored 105 off 66 with 11 fours and 4 sixes. Apart from duo, David Warner (69 off 76) and Glenn Maxwell (45 off 19) also made valuable contributions with the bat for Australia.
After winning toss and opting to bat first, openers Aaron Finch and David Warner gave Australia a solid start as they added a century-plus stand for the first wicket.
Shami struck in the 28th over to remove David Warner for 69, giving India the much needed first breakthrough and breaking the 156-run mammoth opening stand between Finch and Warner.
After Warner's wicket, Finch and Smith dominated Indian bowlers and took Australia past the 200-run mark in the 34th over.
Smith played aggressively and completed his half-century off just 36 deliveries while Finch also kept hitting boundaries at regular intervals and went on to score his 17th ODI century, putting the hosts in a dominating position.
Their 108-run stand was brought to an end in the 40th over by Jasprit Bumrah, who sent Aaron Finch (114) back to the pavilion. Marcus Stoinis, who was the next batsman, got out for a first-ball duck, caught behind attempting to play Chahal off the back-foot, as the hosts were reduced to 271/3.
Stoinis' wicket made way for Glenn Maxwell who entertained with a quickfire 45 off 19 balls. He took the team past the 300-run mark in the 43rd over along with Smith before Shami ended his 19-ball stay at the crease in the 45th over.
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Image: Sandip Hor
However, Smith continued his flawless batting and completed his century off 62 balls in the 49th over. In the next over, Shami sent Smith (105) back to the hut.
Alex Carey and Pat Cummins scored six runs in the final over as Australia finished with a massive total of 374 for 6 after 50 overs.
India’s bowlers had a forgettable outing with Bumrah leaking 73 runs and Navdeep Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal combining to give away 172 runs from their 20 overs. Shami was India’s best bowler of the day claiming 3/59 from his 10 overs.
Brief scores: Australia 374/6 (Aaron Finch 114, Steve Smith 105, Mohammed Shami 3/59) vs India.
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