Australia pulled off an incredible win to kick-start their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign. The Steve Smith-led side beat England by 5 wickets at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday, which saw over 700 runs being scored and history getting scripted.
Asked to bat, England didn’t have a great start to their innings as opening batter Phil Salt (10) and Jamie Smith (15) were back in the hut after having starts. However, Ben Duckett (165) batted till the end and played a stellar innings. The opening batter registered the highest-ever score in the history of the tournament.
Ben Duckett hits highest-ever score in ICC Champions Trophy, Joe Root hits fifty as England post a total of 351
Joe Root (68), who batted at four, supported him well as they stitched a 158-run partnership for the third wicket. After his wicket, Duckett didn’t get any support but made sure he scored runs quickly for the team.
Jos Buttler (23) had a start but couldn’t make it count. But pacer Jofra Archer (21*) hit some blows in the end as England posted a total of 351, which was the highest score in the ICC Champions Trophy history.
Josh Inglis slams 120*, and support from Matthew Short, Alex Carey and Glenn Maxwell allows Australia to register the highest chase in ICC events
Chasing the target, Australia got off to a horrible start with experienced campaigners in Travis Head (6) and Steve Smith (5) bagging low scores and the team was left reeling at 27 for two. With the team under pressure, Matthew Short (63) hit a vital fifty. He, along with Marnus Labuschagne (47), batted well in the middle as the duo added 95 runs for the third wicket.
But the limelight was stolen by Josh Inglis (120*). The keeper-batter went from the word go and slammed England bowlers to put them under pressure. Alex Carey (69) supported him well as the duo added 146 runs for the fifth wicket to bring their team back into the game after they were reduced to 136/4.
In the end, Glenn Maxwell (32*) did what he does best as he, along with Josh Inglis, took Australia home with five wickets in hand. The Steve Smith-led side scripted history as they registered the highest-ever chase in the history of ICC events.
Also read: Watch: Liam Livingstone goes WILD after taking a screamer to dismiss Matthew Short in CT 2025
ICC Champions Trophy Points Table
The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table saw a change in Group B. Australia moved to second after their incredible win, while South Africa stayed at the top. England are third, while Afghanistan are fourth. Group A, on the other hand, has New Zealand on top, with India at second.
Here’s the Points table for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025:
|
Group A |
Mat |
Won |
Lost |
Tied |
NR |
Pts |
NRR |
|
New Zealand |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
+1.200 |
|
India |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
+0.408 |
|
Bangladesh |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
-0.408 |
|
Pakistan |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
-1.200 |
|
Group B |
Mat |
Won |
Lost |
Tied |
NR |
Pts |
NRR |
|
South Africa |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
+2.140 |
|
Australia |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
+0.475 |
|
England |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
-0.475 |
|
Afghanistan |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
-2.140 |