• Australia 297-9; England 285 all out
• Smith responds to boos with an impressive 116
Whatever the intention, phoney wars don’t end up much sillier than this World Cup warm-up. Jos Buttler offered a spectacle with a whirlwind half-century, after Steve Smith had done the same with a hundred, while a close finish provided some fun as England were bowled out 12 runs short of Australia’s 297.
Admittedly England playing Australia in any cricket match has cachet. The prospect of this dominant England side getting one over its biggest rival drew 10,000 people on the pilgrimage to the Hampshire Bowl outside Southampton.
Written by Geoff Lemon at the Hampshire Bowl
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/25/england-australia-cricket-world-cup-warmup-report under the title “Steve Smith’s century gives Australia World Cup warm-up win over England”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
