Aussies pick up the pace for India showdown

afr.com:

Australia head into their World Cup decider against India with all the pieces in place following a devastating return to form by the vaunted pace attack in the semi-final against South Africa.

Withering opening spells by Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood were decisive against the Proteas in the three-wicket win in Kolkata on Friday, which set Australia up for a chance to win the final of the one-day competition.

Mitchell Starc says it’s “nice to step up in a big game”. Getty

Hundreds of millions of people are expected to watch the final, which starts at 7.30pm on Sunday AEDT in Ahmedabad, against the host nation’s team.

Prior to Thursday’s semi-final, Australia’s fire-and-ice duo of Starc and Hazlewood had been left in the shade byleg-spinner Adam Zampa and his 22 victims at the tournament.

In the semi-final, however, the quicks grabbed eight of the 10 wickets between them for a handy confidence boost before the ultimate test against India’s peerless batting machine.

“It’s probably not been the tournament I would have liked from the get-go,” Starc said after the victory. “But nice to step up in a big game.”

Pace has never failed to be a factor in Australia’s white-ball triumphs and proved key when Aaron Finch’s squad won the nation’s maiden T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates in 2021.

For all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, the glow in the Australian dressing room is akin to the squad’s ebullience during the UAE tournament – where they peaked at the right time.

Australia’s quicks will again look to make early in-roads against the hosts, who racked up 397 for four in their semi-final against New Zealand in Mumbai.

Josh Hazlewood celebrates a wicket against South Africa in Kolkata, India Getty

New Zealand’s pacemen failed to