2015 Cricket World Cup Pool A facts for kids
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Pool A was one of the two groups in the 2015 Cricket World Cup. It ran from February 14 to March 14, 2015. This group included the host countries, Australia and New Zealand. Also in Pool A were England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Scotland.
All seven teams played against each other once. The top four teams from Pool A moved on to the next stage, called the quarter-finals. These teams were New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
Contents
- Team Standings
- Match Summaries
- New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
- Australia vs England
- New Zealand vs Scotland
- Afghanistan vs Bangladesh
- New Zealand vs England
- Australia vs Bangladesh
- Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka
- England vs Scotland
- Afghanistan vs Scotland
- Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
- New Zealand vs Australia
- England vs Sri Lanka
- Australia vs Afghanistan
- Bangladesh vs Scotland
- New Zealand vs Afghanistan
- Australia vs Sri Lanka
- Bangladesh vs England
- Scotland vs Sri Lanka
- New Zealand vs Bangladesh
- Afghanistan vs England
- Australia vs Scotland
Team Standings
This table shows how the teams in Pool A finished. The top four teams moved forward in the tournament.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  New Zealand |
6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 2.564 | |
| 2 |  Australia |
6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2.257 | |
| 3 |  Sri Lanka |
6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.371 | |
| 4 |  Bangladesh |
6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0.136 | |
| 5 |  England |
6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | −0.753 | |
| 6 |  Afghanistan |
6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | −1.853 | |
| 7 |  Scotland |
6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2.218 |
- Advanced to knockout stage.
Match Summaries
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
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14 February
11:00 (NZDT) Scorecard |
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Corey Anderson 75 (46)
Jeevan Mendis 2/5 (2 overs) |
Lahiru Thirimanne 65 (60)
Corey Anderson 2/18 (3.1 overs) |
- Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field.
- Kumar Sangakkara (SL) became the second highest run scorer in ODIs.
The first game of the 2015 Cricket World Cup was between hosts New Zealand and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first. New Zealand scored a big 331 runs. In reply, Sri Lanka could only manage 233 runs. New Zealand won by 98 runs. Corey Anderson was named Man of the Match for his great batting and bowling.
Australia vs England
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14 February
14:30 (AEDT) (D/N) Scorecard |
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James Taylor 98* (90)
Mitchell Marsh 5/33 (9 overs) |
- England won the toss and elected to field.
- Steven Finn took a hat-trick in this match dismissing Brad Haddin, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Johnson in three successive deliveries.
- The match ended when James Anderson was run out straight after James Taylor was given out lbw. As Taylor's decision was reviewed and overturned, the ICC later admitted that the ball should have been declared dead (according to Article 3.6a of Appendix 6 of the Decision Review System Playing Conditions), and so Anderson was incorrectly given out.
Australia batted first after England won the toss. Aaron Finch scored an amazing 135 runs for Australia. Later, Glenn Maxwell and Brad Haddin added quick runs. England's Steven Finn took a hat-trick, getting three wickets in a row. Australia finished with a huge score of 342 runs.
England struggled in their chase. Mitchell Marsh took five wickets for Australia. James Taylor scored 98 runs but couldn't win the game for England. Australia won by 111 runs. Aaron Finch was the Man of the Match.
New Zealand vs Scotland
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17 February
11:00 (NZDT) Scorecard |
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Matt Machan 56 (79)
Daniel Vettori 3/24 (8.2 overs) |
Kane Williamson 38 (45)
Josh Davey 3/40 (7 overs) |
- New Zealand won the toss and elected to field.
- Four players were dismissed for golden ducks during Scotland's innings, the first such instance in World Cups. Five Scotland players were dismissed for ducks, the most in Scotland's history.
New Zealand chose to bowl first against Scotland. Trent Boult and Tim Southee took early wickets, leaving Scotland in trouble. Scotland was bowled out for 142 runs. Daniel Vettori also took three wickets for New Zealand.
New Zealand's chase was tricky. They lost wickets often, but Kane Williamson scored 38 runs. In the end, New Zealand won by 3 wickets. Trent Boult was the Man of the Match for his excellent bowling.
Afghanistan vs Bangladesh
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18 February
14:30 (AEDT) (D/N) Scorecard |
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Afghanistan 162 (42.5 overs) |
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Mushfiqur Rahim 71 (56)
Shapoor Zadran 2/20 (7 overs) |
- Bangladesh won the toss and elected to bat.
- Shakib Al Hasan became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to reach 4,000 ODI runs.
Bangladesh batted first against Afghanistan. Mushfiqur Rahim scored 71 runs, helping Bangladesh reach 267. Afghanistan struggled to chase the runs. Mohammad Nabi scored 44, but Afghanistan was bowled out for 162. Bangladesh won by 105 runs. Mushfiqur Rahim was the Man of the Match.
New Zealand vs England
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20 February
14:00 (NZDT) (D/N) Scorecard |
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- England won the toss and elected to bat.
- Tim Southee (NZ) took the third-best bowling figures in World Cup history and the best by a New Zealander in ODIs.
- Brendon McCullum (NZ) scored the fastest fifty in World Cup history (18 balls), the third-fastest overall and the fastest ODI fifty by a New Zealander.
England chose to bat first against New Zealand. They were bowled out for only 123 runs. New Zealand's fast bowler Tim Southee took an amazing 7 wickets! This was one of the best bowling performances in World Cup history.
New Zealand chased the runs very quickly. Their captain, Brendon McCullum, scored the fastest fifty in World Cup history, reaching 50 runs in just 18 balls. New Zealand won easily by 8 wickets with many overs to spare. Tim Southee was the Man of the Match.
Australia vs Bangladesh
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21 February
13:30 (AEST) (D/N) Scorecard |
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- No toss.
- Match called off at 16:42 due to heavy rain.
- This was only the second ever World Cup match abandoned without a ball being bowled.
This match between Australia and Bangladesh was called off because of heavy rain. No balls were bowled, so the game ended in a draw.
Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka
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22 February
11:00 (NZDT) Scorecard |
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Afghanistan
232 (49.4 overs) |
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Asghar Afghan 54 (57)
Lasith Malinga 3/41 (7 overs) |
Mahela Jayawardene 100 (120)
Hamid Hassan 3/45 (9 overs) |
- Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field.
- Both Sri Lanka openers (Lahiru Thirimanne and Tillakaratne Dilshan) were dismissed for golden ducks. It was the second time in ODI history where this has occurred.
- Hamid Hassan became first Afghan bowler to take 50 ODI wickets and seventh-quickest in the world to take 50 ODI wickets.
Sri Lanka chose to bowl first against Afghanistan. Afghanistan scored 232 runs. Lasith Malinga took three wickets for Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka had a very bad start, losing three wickets for only 18 runs. But Mahela Jayawardene scored a brilliant 100 runs. He built a strong partnership with Angelo Mathews. Later, Thisara Perera scored quick runs to help Sri Lanka win by 4 wickets. Jayawardene was the Man of the Match.
England vs Scotland
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23 February
11:00 (NZDT) Scorecard |
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Moeen Ali 128 (107)
Josh Davey 4/68 (10 overs) |
Kyle Coetzer 71 (84)
Steven Finn 3/26 (9 overs) |
- Scotland won the toss and elected to field.
England batted first after Scotland won the toss. Moeen Ali scored 128 runs, helping England reach a big total of 303. Scotland's Josh Davey took four wickets.
Scotland tried to chase the runs, with Kyle Coetzer scoring 71. But England's bowlers, including Steven Finn who took three wickets, were too strong. England won by 119 runs. Moeen Ali was the Man of the Match.
Afghanistan vs Scotland
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26 February
11:00 (NZDT) Scorecard |
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Afghanistan 211/9 (49.3 overs) |
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Matt Machan 31 (28)
Shapoor Zadran 4/38 (10 overs) |
Samiullah Shenwari 96 (147)
Richie Berrington 4/40 (10 overs) |
- Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field.
- This was the first time Scotland scored over 200 in a World Cup match.
- Alasdair Evans and Majid Haq's ninth-wicket partnership of 62 was Scotland's best ninth-wicket partnership in ODIs.
- This was Afghanistan's first ever World Cup win.
- Scotland captain Preston Mommsen was fined 20% of his match fee, and the other Scotland players 10%, for a slow over rate.
Afghanistan chose to bowl first against Scotland. Scotland scored 210 runs. Shapoor Zadran took four wickets for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's chase was very exciting. Samiullah Shenwari scored 96 runs, almost reaching a century. Afghanistan won by just 1 wicket in the last over. This was Afghanistan's first ever win in a Cricket World Cup! Samiullah Shenwari was the Man of the Match.
Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
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26 February
14:30 (AEDT) (D/N) Scorecard |
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- Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat.
- Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara's unbroken partnership of 210 was Sri Lanka's highest second-wicket partnership in ODIs.
- Kumar Sangakkara became the fourth cricketer to play 400 ODI matches.
- Dilshan's score of 161 not out was the highest individual score in an ODI without hitting a six.
Sri Lanka batted first against Bangladesh. Tillakaratne Dilshan scored an amazing 161 runs, and Kumar Sangakkara also scored a century. They built a huge partnership, helping Sri Lanka reach 332 runs.
Bangladesh tried to chase the big score. Sabbir Rahman scored 53 runs. But Sri Lanka's bowlers, especially Lasith Malinga with three wickets, were too good. Bangladesh was bowled out for 240. Sri Lanka won by 92 runs. Dilshan was the Man of the Match.
New Zealand vs Australia
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28 February
14:00 (NZDT) (D/N) Scorecard |
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- Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
- This is Australia's lowest score batting first in a World Cup game.
- Australia lost 8/26 during their innings, their worst collapse in ODI history.
- This match was played for the Chappell–Hadlee Trophy, the trophy which is usually the prize in any stand-alone ODI series between Australia and New Zealand.
- New Zealand qualified for the quarter-finals as a result of this match.
Australia chose to bat first against New Zealand. They started well but then lost many wickets quickly. Trent Boult took five wickets for New Zealand, and Australia was bowled out for only 151 runs. This was Australia's lowest score batting first in a World Cup.
New Zealand's chase was also full of drama. Their captain, Brendon McCullum, scored a fast 50 runs. But then Australia's Mitchell Starc took six wickets, making the game very close. New Zealand needed 6 runs with only one wicket left. Kane Williamson hit a six to win the match by 1 wicket! Trent Boult was the Man of the Match.
England vs Sri Lanka
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1 March
11:00 (NZDT) Scorecard |
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Lahiru Thirimanne 139* (143)
Moeen Ali 1/50 (10 overs) |
- England won the toss and elected to bat.
- Joe Root became the youngest English player to score a century at a World Cup.
- Lahiru Thirimanne became the youngest Sri Lankan player to score a century at a World Cup.
- Sri Lanka became the first team in a World Cup match to chase down a score of more than 300 runs for the loss of only one wicket.
- Suranga Lakmal (SL) was fined 30% of his match fee for bowling two beamers in the final over.
England chose to bat first against Sri Lanka. Joe Root scored 121 runs, helping England reach a strong total of 309.
Sri Lanka chased the runs very well. Lahiru Thirimanne scored 139 runs, and Kumar Sangakkara scored 117 runs. They made a huge partnership and won the match by 9 wickets. This was a record chase for Sri Lanka in a World Cup match. Sangakkara was the Man of the Match.
Australia vs Afghanistan
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4 March
14:30 (AWST) (D/N) Scorecard |
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Afghanistan 142 (37.3 overs) |
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David Warner 178 (133)
Shapoor Zadran 2/89 (10 overs) |
Nawroz Mangal 33 (35)
Mitchell Johnson 4/22 (7.3 overs) |
- Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field.
- Australia's score of 417/6 is the second highest in World Cup history.
- Dawlat Zadran (Afg) became the third bowler in World Cup matches to concede 100 runs or more in an innings.
- Australia's victory margin of 275 runs is the third highest in World Cup history.
Afghanistan chose to bowl first against Australia. Australia scored a massive 417 runs, which was one of the highest scores in World Cup history. David Warner scored 178 runs, and Glenn Maxwell scored a very fast 88 runs.
Afghanistan struggled in their chase. Mitchell Johnson took four wickets for Australia. Afghanistan was bowled out for 142 runs. Australia won by 275 runs, which was one of the biggest wins in World Cup history. David Warner was the Man of the Match.
Bangladesh vs Scotland
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5 March
11:00 (NZDT) Scorecard |
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Kyle Coetzer 156 (134)
Taskin Ahmed 3/43 (7 overs) |
Tamim Iqbal 95 (100)
Josh Davey 2/68 (10 overs) |
- Bangladesh won the toss and elected to field.
- This was the first time Scotland scored more than 300 in a World Cup match, and the first time ever that Scotland scored more than 300 against a Test-playing nation.
- Kyle Coetzer scored Scotland's maiden World Cup century and the highest score by an associate nation player in World Cups.
- This is Bangladesh's highest ODI run-chase and second highest run-chase in World Cup history.
- Scotland was eliminated from the World Cup as a result of this match.
Bangladesh chose to bowl first against Scotland. Scotland's Kyle Coetzer scored an amazing 156 runs, their first World Cup century. Scotland reached a high score of 318.
Bangladesh successfully chased this big total. Tamim Iqbal scored 95 runs. Bangladesh won by 6 wickets, making it their highest successful chase in a One Day International (ODI) match. Kyle Coetzer was the Man of the Match.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan
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8 March
11:00 (NZDT) Scorecard |
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Afghanistan
186 (47.4 overs) |
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Najibullah Zadran 56 (56)
Daniel Vettori 4/18 (10 overs) |
Martin Guptill 57 (76)
Shapoor Zadran 1/45 (10 overs) |
- Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat.
- Daniel Vettori (NZ) took his 300th ODI wicket in this match.
- Afghanistan was eliminated from the World Cup as a result of this match.
Afghanistan chose to bat first against New Zealand. They scored 186 runs. New Zealand's Daniel Vettori took four wickets and also reached 300 ODI wickets in this game.
New Zealand chased the runs easily. Martin Guptill scored 57 runs. New Zealand won by 6 wickets. Daniel Vettori was the Man of the Match.
Australia vs Sri Lanka
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8 March
14:30 (AEDT) (D/N) Scorecard |
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Kumar Sangakkara 104 (107)
James Faulkner 3/48 (9 overs) |
- Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
- Umpire Ian Gould stood in his 100th ODI match.
- Glenn Maxwell scored his maiden ODI century, the fastest by an Australian in a World Cup (51 balls) and the second-fastest overall.
- Tillakaratne Dilshan hit six fours off an over, bowled by Mitchell Johnson, the first time this has happened in World Cup history.
- Kumar Sangakkara became the second player to score 14,000 ODI runs, and scored a record third consecutive World Cup century.
- Dinesh Chandimal retired hurt, and did not return to complete his innings.
- New Zealand were confirmed as Pool A winners as a result of this match.
- Australia qualified for the quarter-finals as a result of this match.
Australia chose to bat first against Sri Lanka. Glenn Maxwell scored a very fast 102 runs, the quickest century by an Australian in a World Cup. Australia reached a huge score of 376 runs.
Sri Lanka fought hard in their chase. Tillakaratne Dilshan hit six fours in one over, which was a World Cup first. Kumar Sangakkara scored his third century in a row, a new record! But Australia's bowlers, like James Faulkner who took three wickets, helped them win by 64 runs. Glenn Maxwell was the Man of the Match.
Bangladesh vs England
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9 March
14:00 (ACDT) (D/N) Scorecard |
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Mahmudullah Riyad 103 (138)
James Anderson 2/45 (10 overs) |
Jos Buttler 65 (52)
Rubel Hossain 4/53 (9.3 overs) |
- England won the toss and elected to field.
- Mahmudullah Riyad became the first player to score a century for Bangladesh in a World Cup match.
- Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim's partnership of 141 was the highest partnership for any wicket for Bangladesh in a World Cup match. It was also Bangladesh's highest ODI partnership against England.
- This was also Bangladesh's highest score in an ODI against England.
- Bangladesh and Sri Lanka qualified for the quarter-finals as a result of this match. This was only the second time that Bangladesh had progressed past the group stage of a World Cup and their first appearance in the knockout stage.
- England was eliminated from the World Cup as a result of this match.
- Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza was fined 40% of his match fee for a slow over rate. The other Bangladesh players were fined 20% of their match fee.
England chose to bowl first against Bangladesh. Mahmudullah Riyad scored 103 runs, becoming the first Bangladeshi player to score a century in a World Cup. Bangladesh reached 275 runs.
England tried to chase the score, with Jos Buttler scoring 65. But Bangladesh's Rubel Hossain took four wickets. Bangladesh won by 15 runs. This win meant Bangladesh qualified for the quarter-finals, and England was out of the tournament. Mahmudullah Riyad was the Man of the Match.
Scotland vs Sri Lanka
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11 March
14:30 (AEDT) (D/N) Scorecard |
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Kumar Sangakkara 124 (95)
Josh Davey 3/63 (8 overs) |
Freddie Coleman 70 (74)
Nuwan Kulasekara 3/20 (7 overs) |
- Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat.
- Kumar Sangakkara hit a record fourth consecutive ODI century.
- Sangakkara has now taken 54 dismissals as a wicket keeper, the most by any player in World Cups.
- Angelo Mathews scored Sri Lanka's fastest World Cup fifty and their second fastest in all ODIs (20 balls).
- This is the highest score conceded by Scotland in an ODI.
Sri Lanka chose to bat first against Scotland. Kumar Sangakkara scored his fourth century in a row, a new world record! Angelo Mathews also scored a very fast fifty. Sri Lanka reached a huge score of 363 runs.
Scotland tried to chase, with Freddie Coleman scoring 70. But Sri Lanka's bowlers, including Nuwan Kulasekara who took three wickets, were too strong. Sri Lanka won by 148 runs. Kumar Sangakkara was the Man of the Match.
New Zealand vs Bangladesh
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13 March
14:00 (NZDT) (D/N) Scorecard |
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Mahmudullah Riyad 128* (123)
Corey Anderson 2/43 (10 overs) |
- New Zealand won the toss and elected to field.
- Mahmudullah Riyad became the first Bangladesh player to score two consecutive World Cup centuries.
- Ross Taylor became the fourth New Zealand player to score 5,000 runs in ODI matches.
New Zealand chose to bowl first against Bangladesh. Mahmudullah Riyad scored his second century in a row for Bangladesh, making 128 runs. Bangladesh reached 288 runs.
New Zealand chased the runs successfully. Martin Guptill scored 105 runs. Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan took four wickets, but New Zealand won by 3 wickets in a close finish. Martin Guptill was the Man of the Match.
Afghanistan vs England
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13 March
14:30 (AEDT) (D/N) Scorecard |
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Afghanistan
111/7 (36.2 overs) |
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Shafiqullah 30 (64)
Chris Jordan 2/13 (6.2 overs) |
Ian Bell 52* (56)
Hamid Hassan 1/17 (5 overs) |
- England won the toss and elected to field.
- Afghanistan's innings ended in the 37th over and England's target reduced to 101 off 25 overs due to rain.
England chose to bowl first against Afghanistan. Afghanistan scored 111 runs. The game was shortened due to rain.
England's target was reduced to 101 runs. Ian Bell scored 52 runs, and England won easily by 9 wickets. Chris Jordan was the Man of the Match.
Australia vs Scotland
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14 March
14:30 (AEDT) (D/N) Scorecard |
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Matt Machan 40 (35)
Mitchell Starc 4/14 (4.4 overs) |
Michael Clarke 47 (47)
Rob Taylor 1/29 (5 overs) |
- Australia won the toss and elected to field.
Australia chose to bowl first against Scotland. Scotland was bowled out for 130 runs. Mitchell Starc took four wickets for Australia.
Australia easily chased the runs. Captain Michael Clarke scored 47 runs. Australia won by 7 wickets. Mitchell Starc was the Man of the Match.
