Cricket is a funny game, boss! Ek waqt lag raha tha ki Australia aaram se jeet jayega, aur phir achanak aisa collapse hua ki Aussie fans ke paseene choot gaye. Agar aapko lagta hai ki sirf Pakistan hi jeeta hua match fasane mein expert hai, toh bhai aaj Australia ne unhe kadi takkar di hai. Harare mein khele gaye is thriller mein Josh Inglis ne century toh maari, lekin unke out hote hi match aisa fasa ki last wicket tak baat pahunch gayi. Luckily for them, Nathan Ellis ne woh kar dikhaya jo bade-bade dhurandhar nahi kar paaye.
The Guru Story
Match ka hero beshak Josh Inglis tha, jisne 102 balls par 103 runs ki behtareen innings kheli. Yeh unka second ODI hundred tha aur unhone batting order mein Number 4 par aakar puri zimmedari nibhayi. Jab tak Josh Inglis crease par the, aisa lag raha tha ki Australia walkover kar lega. Lekin jaise hi woh Sikandar Raza ki ball par chakma kha kar stump out huye, Australia ki naiyya doobne lagi. Tab team ko 45 runs chahiye the aur haath mein sirf do wickets bache the.
Iske baad jo hua, woh kisi movie script se kam nahi tha. Adam Zampa saste mein nipat gaye aur scorecard par ab bhi 27 runs baaki the aur sirf ek wicket bacha tha. Yahan par Nathan Ellis ne apna cool temperament dikhaya. Unhone na sirf strike rotate ki balki pressure ko absorb kiya. Unka saath de rahe the Spencer Johnson, jinhone 13 balls par 7 runs banakar deewar khadi kar di. Jab last over mein 9 runs chahiye the, tab Nathan Ellis ne pehli hi ball par lamba chakka maarkar Zimbabwe ka dil tod diya. Australia ne yeh match 1 wicket se jeet kar series apne naam ki, lekin Zimbabwe ne bata diya ki woh ab minnows nahi rahe.
Analysis & Numbers
- Josh Inglis ne apni innings mein 103 runs banaye, jo unka ODI career ka second hundred hai. Unhone middle overs mein strike rotation ka masterclass dikhaya.
- Nathan Ellis ne career-best 36* runs banaye. Unka previous List A record utna khaas nahi tha, lekin pressure situation mein unhone kisi veteran finisher ki tarah batting ki.
- Australia ki pichle char ODIs mein yeh doosri 1-wicket victory hai. Isse pehle unhone Bangladesh ke khilaaf Mirpur mein bhi aise hi saansein rokne wala match jeeta tha.
- Sikandar Raza ne ek baar phir prove kiya ki woh big-match player hain, unka spell match ko end tak le jane mein bada factor raha.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
Dekho bhai, Australia is Australia for a reason. Yeh log girte hain, ladkhadate hain, lekin jeetna jaante hain. Josh Inglis ne sahi kaha ki World Cup se pehle aise close finishes team ka character build karte hain. Wahan Pakistan jaisi teams hain jo aise mauke par panic kar jati hain aur fans ka dil tod deti hain, lekin Aussies ke paas Nathan Ellis jaise fighters hain jo bottom order mein aakar game badal dete hain. Agla stop South Africa hai, jahan Pat Cummins aur Mitchell Starc ki wapasi hogi. Zimbabwe ke liye respect hai, unhone fight dikhayi, par Australia ka luck aur pluck unse thoda upar nikal gaya.
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