Australia and India warmed up for the World Cup quarter-finals with comfortable victories in their final group games today.
Australia, the co-hosts, jumped above Sri Lanka into second in Pool A with a quickfire win over an outgunned Scotland at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Despite an interruption of 90 minutes due to rain, Michael Clarke’s men raced to finish the job in a contest that lasted just 41 overs.
Scotland, who end their tournament bottom of the pool having lost all six games, came out swinging and were skittled for 130 in 25.4 overs as a result.
Eighty of those runs came in boundaries, though five of the dismissals were ducks, with Mitchell Starc taking four for 14. In reply, Australia sent Clarke up the order to open the batting with Aaron Finch, to give the captain some much-needed time in the middle.
The ploy appeared to work as Clarke smashed a run-a-ball 47, before the rain intervened with Australia 92 for three. On the resumption of play, David Warner and James Faulkner went into overdrive as the hosts chased down their target in 15.2 overs.
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India prepared for their quarter-final against Bangladesh with a hard-fought yet ultimately comfortable six-wicket defeat of an impressive Zimbabwe in Auckland.
Zimbabwe, thanks to 138 off 110 balls from Brendan Taylor, the captain, in his last international appearance posted a highly competitive 287 all out off 48.5 overs.
As has been the case throughout the group stages, however, their bowling could not match up to the batting effort. Suresh Raina hit 110 not out and Mahendra Singh Dhoni an unbeaten 85 as India edged home with an over and two balls remaining to stay alongside New Zealand as the only sides with perfect records left in the World Cup.