Australia comfortably beat Ireland by 42 runs but were denied the chance to pass England on net run rate in Group 1 at the T20 World Cup.
The hosts had looked on course for a huge NRR advantage when Ireland slumped to 25-5 when chasing 180 for the win. But Lorcan Tucker hit an unbeaten 71 to briefly give Ireland a glimmer of hope of pulling off another tournament upset.
After the early exit of David Warner, Australia scored quickly with Aaron Finch leading the way with 63 runs off 44 balls before the Aussie captain limped off the field with a hamstring injury.
Finch was ably assisted as Australia reached 179-5, Marcus Stoinis and Mitch Marsh scoring 35 and 28 respectively. The pick of the Irish bowlers were Barry McCarthy (3-29) and Joshua Little (2-21).
In response, the Irish had the worst possible start as Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell both took two wickets in their opening overs before Tucker’s solo effort helped create a respectable total.
