Australia 253 for 7 (Harjas 55, Weibgen 48, Peake 46*, Limbani 3-68) beat India 174 (Adarsh 47, Abishek 42, Beardman 3-15, MacMillan 3-43) by 79 runs
The pace pack snuffed out six Indian wickets to bring their unbeaten campaign to a juddering halt after the top order had no answer to Australia’s heat and hostility. Beardman inflicted maximum damage, finishing with 3 for 15 off seven overs.
Most admirable was the manner in which he overcame a slow start and made up for it with his superb takedown of India’s excellent spinners that powered them to 253 for 7, which was 79 too many for India.
India’s chase hardly got out of second gear. Adarsh Singh, the opener, painstakingly made 47 and hung around till the 31st over in the hope of trying to pull off a late heist after the top order that brushed past attacks in the lead up to the knockouts folded cheaply.
A miscued pull to a sharp Beardman bouncer, just an over after he had hooked a short ball for six, had Adarsh gloving to wicketkeeper Ryan Hicks all but sealed it for Australia as India slumped to 115 for 7.
The final stamp of victory was achieved in the 44rd over when Tom Straker, their semi-final hero over Pakistan, packed off Tiwari to trigger massive celebrations in the Australian camp as they lifted their fourth title overall.
More to follow