The Australian cricket team on Monday defeated the Ireland side in their fourth match of Super 12 and moved into the second spot in Group 1. The Aaron Finch-led side got better of Andrew Balbirnie's Ireland in Brisbane by 42 runs. With this win, defending champions Australia have kept their semifinal hopes alive in the tournament.
Ireland won the toss and opted to bowl first. Australia lost David Warner early but their batters contributed well. Led by Aaron Finch, Australia finished at 179 in 20 overs. Finch got a brilliant 63 off 44 balls, while Marcus Stoinis scored 35 off 25 balls. For Ireland, Barry McCarthy got 3 wickets,
while Joshua Little scalped 2.
Coming out to bat, Ireland were blown away by the Aussie bowlers. Cummins and Maxwell took the initial wickets and Ireland was soon limping at 25/5 in 4 overs. However, led by Lorcan Tucker, Ireland fought back. The wicket-keeper batter took the Aussie bowlers and spiced up things. However, with not much support, he could not do much. Australia overcame Ireland's scare and bowled them out for 137. In the end, Australia won by 42 runs.
The defending champions are in the second spot behind New Zealand. They now face Afghanistan in their final match on November 4.