Champions Trophy: Aakash Chopra hails Australia's historic victory over England
What's the story
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has praised Australia for their historic victory against England in the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Despite being a weakened team, especially in the bowling department, Australia successfully chased a record total set by England.
The match took place on Saturday, February 22, as part of Group B's fixtures in Lahore.
The Aussies' chase was fired by Josh Inglis' historic ton combined with Alex Carey and Matthew Short's half-centuries.
Here's more.
Record chase
Australia overcame England's record total
England set a mammoth 352-run target for Australia.
Despite losing key players Travis Head and Steve Smith early, Australia chased the target with five wickets.
This was their first win in CT since 2009, and that too without the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Marcus Stoinis, and Mitchell Marsh.
"Australia, what do you do? A fun fact was that 2009 was the last time they won a Champions Trophy match," said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
Match heroes
Chopra highlights key performances in Australia's win
Chopra emphasized the important contributions of Short and Marnus Labuschagne, who added important runs after early wickets.
He also lauded Inglis and Carey for their match-winning partnership.
"However, Matthew Short played well. Marnus Labuschagne played well with him," Chopra said on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra.'
"Then they lost back-to-back wickets. However, Josh Inglis and Alex Carey, how well the duo batted."
Historic chase
Chopra calls Australia's chase '1 of the finest'
Chopra called Australia's successful chase "one of the finest in ODI cricket history."
He stressed that even when four wickets had fallen, Australia won with 2.3 overs to spare.
"This is a lesson for everyone. If you are chasing such a big total, you need to stay close to the required run rate," he advised future teams facing similar situations.
"How can you make a 350-score so one-sided? It wasn't a minnow team, it was England," he noted.
Match recap
Australia hammer England, register highest successful run-chase in Champions Trophy
As mentioned, Australia scripted history after beating England in the ongoing Champions Trophy at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium.
The Men in Yellow chased down 352, now the highest successful run-chase in CT history.
Ton-up Inglis and Alex Carey powered the Aussies after they were down to 136/4. Inglis and Carey formed a match-winning partnership thereafter.
The former, along with Glenn Maxwell, helped Australia win in 47.2 overs.
Duckett's record-breaking 165 propelled England to their highest-ever total in the 50-over tournament.