• Australia's Adam Zampa takes the catch to dismiss England's David Willey. Reuters
    Australia's Adam Zampa takes the catch to dismiss England's David Willey. Reuters
  • Australia's players celebrate their win at the end of the match against England. AFP
    Australia's players celebrate their win at the end of the match against England. AFP
  • Jos Buttler of England cuts a dejected figure. Getty
    Jos Buttler of England cuts a dejected figure. Getty
  • England's Ben Stokes plays a shot. AFP
    England's Ben Stokes plays a shot. AFP
  • Australia batter Cameron Green is bowled by England's David Willey for 47. Getty Images
    Australia batter Cameron Green is bowled by England's David Willey for 47. Getty Images
  • England spinner Adil Rashid celebrates the wicket of Australia's Steve Smith who was out for 44. Getty Images
    England spinner Adil Rashid celebrates the wicket of Australia's Steve Smith who was out for 44. Getty Images
  • Marnus Labuschagne scored 71 off 83 balls for Australia. Getty Images
    Marnus Labuschagne scored 71 off 83 balls for Australia. Getty Images
  • England's Adil Rashid celebrates the wicket Australia batter Josh Inglis. Getty Images
    England's Adil Rashid celebrates the wicket Australia batter Josh Inglis. Getty Images
  • Australia's Josh Inglis after losing his wicket for three. Reuters
    Australia's Josh Inglis after losing his wicket for three. Reuters
  • England bowler Chris Woakes celebrates the wicket of Australia's David Warner, who was out for 15. Woakes finished with figures of 5-54. AP
    England bowler Chris Woakes celebrates the wicket of Australia's David Warner, who was out for 15. Woakes finished with figures of 5-54. AP

Adam Zampa stars as Australia knock out England and close on World Cup semi-final spot


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Spinner Adam Zampa starred with bat and ball as Australia knocked defending champions England out of the World Cup with a 33-run win on Saturday.

Chasing 287 for victory in Ahmedabad, England folded for 253 in 48.1 overs despite a valiant 64 from Ben Stokes to slump to their sixth defeat in seven matches and stay bottom of the 10-team table.

Five-time champions Australia edged closer to securing a semi-final berth alongside India and South Africa - both already qualified for the last four - with their fifth straight win.

Zampa returned figures of 3-21 with his leg-spin to puncture England's hopes that were raised by a couple of partnerships including a 63-run fifth-wicket stand between Stokes and Moeen Ali, who hit 42.

"We put on a really competitive total, but it was going to be tough to defend," said Zampa.

"The ground felt really dewey, really wet. So length control, attacking the stumps, trying to guess what the batsman was going to do was really important."

Zampa, who had earlier hit 29 with the bat, dismissed Stokes when the English star mistimed a paddle to be caught at short fine-leg and departed with a shake of his head.

Wickets kept tumbling with Liam Livingstone and Moeen falling in quick succession for a familiar England tale in this tournament where they have also lost to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

Zampa, who leads the World Cup bowling chart with 19 wickets, also took a superb outfield catch to help dismiss David Willey.

"It certainly feels like a low point. I've had a few but definitely as a captain," said England skipper Jos Buttler.

"To be stood in this position having arrived in India with high hopes is incredibly tough and disappointing. It hurts a lot."

Left-arm Mitchell Starc struck with two early wickets for Australia including Jonny Bairstow on the first ball of the chase and then Joe Root for 13.

Dawid Malan made 50 before skipper Pat Cummins took him out.

England, in their remaining two matches, are left to fight for a place in the 2025 Champions Trophy with the top seven teams from this World Cup gaining entry into the tournament where hosts Pakistan will have automatic qualification.

Batsmen set up victory for Australia with Marnus Labuschagne top-scoring with 71 and useful contributions from Steve Smith (44), Cameron Green (47), Marcus Stoinis (35) and Zampa (29 off 19 balls).

Chris Woakes returned figures of 4-54 and was supported by fellow quick Mark Wood and leg-spinner Adil Rashid, with two each, to help bowl out Australia for 286.

Woakes struck early to remove the openers including previous-match centurion Travis Head, for 11, and David Warner, for 15.

Steve Smith and Labuschagne put on 75 runs to steady the innings but Rashid broke through.

Rashid dismissed Smith and then had Josh Inglis (three) caught at backward point after the batsman attempted a reverse sweep.

Labuschagne reached his 50 and put on a partnership of 61 with Green before falling to Wood. He made 71.

Green and Stoinis, the two players coming into the team in place of Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh, put on 45 for the sixth wicket.

England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

Updated: November 04, 2023, 6:58 PM