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Cricket World Cup 2019 Results: Top Run-Scorers and Stats After Saturday
June 15, 2019
Australia captain Aaron Finch propelled himself to the top of the run-scorer table at the ICC Cricket World Cup on Saturday after his 153 helped his team beat Sri Lanka by 87 runs.
Finch opened the batting and amassed his total from just 132 balls before falling in the 32nd over with Australia on 273. Helped by Steve Smith (73), the skipper was key in Australia posting 334 for seven.
Despite a promising start and a score of 97 from captain Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lanka were only able to post 247 all out after 45.5 overs in response.
In the second game of the day, South Africa earned their first win of the tournament by nine wickets with a dominant display against Afghanistan. The Proteas bowled out their opponents for just 125.
Top Run-Scorers
1. Aaron Finch, Australia: 343
2. David Warner, Australia: 281
3. Joe Root, England: 279
4. Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh: 260
5. Steve Smith, Australia: 243
Top Wicket-Takers
1. Mitchell Starc, Australia: 13
2. Pat Cummins, Australia: 11
3. Mohammad Amir, Pakistan: 10
4. Jofra Archer, England: 9
5. Lockie Ferguson, New Zealand: 8
All statistics per the tournament's official website
Results
Australia (334-7, 50 overs) beat Sri Lanka (247 all out, 45.5 overs) by 87 runs
South Africa (131-1, 28.4 overs) beat Afghanistan (125 all out, 34.1 overs) by nine wickets
Saturday Recap
Finch offered another reminder of how dangerous he can be at the top of the order.
The big-hitting batsman paced his knock perfectly, averaging roughly a run for every ball he faced before teeing off late on to give Australia a foundation to post a massive score:
The Test Match Special account noted Finch scored his runs all around the wicket:
The CricViz Analyst also illustrated how the Australia skipper upped the ante late on in his innings:
Smith's 73 allowed Finch to be aggressive, while Glenn Maxwell also bludgeoned an unbeaten 46 from just 25 balls after Smith and Finch had departed.
Sri Lanka's response was exceptional to begin with; after 10 overs, openers Karunaratne and Kusal Perera were 87 without loss. Eventually, the duo put on 115 for the first wicket before Mitchell Starc struck to remove Perera.
With Karunaratne at the crease, Sri Lanka were always in with a chance of a successful chase. However, he departed an agonising three runs short of his century in the 33rd over. Starc then blitzed through the Sri Lankan batting lineup, finishing with an impressive four wickets.
Cricket journalist Freddie Wilde praised the Australian left-armer's efforts:
Freddie Wilde @fwildecricketStarc has the best strike rate in the history of ODI cricket for a reason. He’s more than just a fast bowler who swings it - he’s a brave bowler who dares to attack. No pace bowler in the @CricViz database pitches a higher proportion of balls fuller than 6m than his 49%. #CWC19
The second match of the day was rain-interrupted, although there was a clear gulf in quality from the off.
After a relatively bright start from Afghanistan, their middle order capitulated against the South African bowling. They slumped from 69-2 to 70-6; Imran Tahir did most of the damage for the Proteas with the ball, taking four wickets from just seven overs.
Even with their struggles at the World Cup considered, South Africa were never going to falter in response, with Quinton de Kock top-scoring with 68 as they breezed to their target.