Following their recent victory over South Africa in the tournament’s second semi-final in Kolkata, Australia advanced to the World Cup final. The Proteas batted first to start the game, but the Australian bowling attack’s skill quickly proved too much for the side. Thanks to Australia’s fast attack, South Africa was under a great deal of pressure throughout the powerplay. Travis Head, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc were among the players who claimed wickets in the first innings of the match.
Hazlewood and Head both scored twice apiece, while Cummins and Starc each claimed three wickets. In reference to the outstanding first-inning bowling display, Mitchell Starc stepped up to compliment Josh Hazlewood for his early-overs session against South Africa.
“It was fantastic to open the game with Joshie and me, but our powerplay certainly started us rolling. There were other pivotal moments with bat and ball throughout the day. We haven’t been particularly good at getting powerplay wickets throughout the tournament, so having a powerplay of 2 for 18 or something similar is fantastic. ESPNcricinfo cited Mitchell Starc as stating, “The way Josh bowled throughout to finish two for 12 (from eight overs) was incredible.”
Today, Josh Hazlewood was amazing. Starc
Starc also discussed Hazlewood’s pitch map against South Africa and emphasized his achievements in Test cricket. It is noteworthy that Hazlewood bowled eight overs against the Proteas, taking two wickets and conceding just 12 runs.
“Observing Josh’s pitch map reveals why his bowling in Test matches is so effective. He was amazing today, and we wanted to start matches the way we did—running off each other to have that powerplay and have some momentum into the middle overs. So, Starc remarked, “it was nice to do it in a big game.”