SYDNEY: Steve Smith’s sublime century laid the groundwork and Australia’s pace bowlers finished the job to send the co-hosts storming into a seventh World Cup final with a 95-run victory over champions India on Thursday.

Australia move on to the Melbourne Cricket Ground and a shot at a fifth title against Trans-Tasman rivals and tournament’s co-hosts New Zealand on Sunday, while India head home after four months Down Under having come up short in their bid to retain the title they won four years ago.

The four-time champions, who last won the title in 2007, have now won all seven World Cup semi-finals they have contested since the inaugural edition in 1975.

New Zealand edged Australia by one wicket in the group stage last month to finish atop Pool ‘A’, then beat South Africa with a ball to spare in the first semi-final at Auckland on Tuesday to reach a World Cup final for the first time.

Smith scored 105 off 93 balls and shared a 182-run partnership with Aaron Finch (81) to help Australia post 328-7, a record for a World Cup knockout match.

India might have fancied their chances of chasing the target down after a solid start on a good pitch in perfect weather conditions and backed by the majority of a crowd of 42,330 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood had other ideas, however, and they tore the heart out of India’s top order by sending Shikhar Dhawan (45), Virat Kohli (1) and Rohit Sharma (34) back inside six overs.

When James Faulkner, who had been hammered for 23 runs by Dhawan in his first two overs, got into the act by dismissing Suresh Raina (7), India had lost four of their most coveted wickets for the addition of just 32 runs to fall to 108-4.

Johnson’s bowling was as potent as it has been all tournament and the delivery that clean bowled Rohit Sharma a ball after the opener had the temerity to hit him for six sent one bail flying 20 feet behind the stumps. India were eventually out for 233 in 46.5 overs despite Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s late cameo of 65.

India had won 11 consecutive World Cup matches dating back to a group-stage loss to South Africa in 2011, including their first seven matches in the 2015 edition when they were the only team to bowl out their opposition in every game leading into the semi-finals.

India were unable to capitalise at a venue where they have only once previously beaten Australia in a One-day International.

Australia won the toss and elected to bat, and started nervously with Mohammed Shami beating the edge twice in the opening over and Umesh Yadav (4-72) dismissing David Warner (12) in the fourth.

That brought Smith to the crease, and he picked up where he left off in the pre-World Cup matches against India. He scored a century in each of the four matches in the Test series and 47 in a one-dayer during a stretch of two months when India didn’t win a match on Australian soil.

Man-of-the-match Smith’s second-wicket partnership with Finch gave Australia a solid foundation before India rallied with Yadav removing them both in quick succession.

Smith faced 93 balls and hit 11 boundaries and two sixes before Yadav struck with the first ball of his second spell, making the score 197-2 in the 35th over.

Glenn Maxwell belted 23 from 13 balls before he was out to Ravi Ashwin, Yadav removed Finch in the next over and then Clarke (10) was out to Mohit Sharma, slowing down the strike rate.

Shane Watson (28), James Faulkner (21) and Johnson, who hit 27 from nine balls, contributed late to help Australia become the first team to post a 300-plus total in a World Cup semi-final.

India had some early reprieves, with Sharma edging the fourth ball from Starc to Watson at slip but TV replays were inconclusive on the catch and he got the benefit of the doubt.

Dhawan was on five when he was dropped by wicket-keeper Brad Haddin, diving across to his left, off Hazlewood’s bowling when the Indian total at 14.Dhawan made the most of the let off, taking India past 50 in the 10th over with two boundaries and a six off three consecutive balls in Faulkner’s first over.

India raced to 76 before Hazlewood had Dhawan caught in the deep in the 13th. The Australian pacemen maintained the pressure by conceding just a single from 14 balls until Virat Kohli (1) was caught behind off Johnson when he miscued an ambitious pull stroke.

Sharma pulled Johnson for a six to end a six-over stretch without a boundary but was bowled next ball, and India’s chase was stalling at 91-3 in the 18th over.

Ajinkya Rahane (44) added 70 with Dhoni before he feathered a catch behind off Starc in the 37th over and was given out on review.

With the run rate required rising above 11 per over, and after Dhoni got a life when he was dropped by Clarke on 44, two run-outs virtually ended India’s chances.

Smith had Ravi Jadeja (16) out with a direct hit to make the total 208-6 and Maxwell ended Dhoni’s run-a-ball 65 with another direct hit at the non-striker’s end. Faulkner (3-59) and Starc (2-28) wrapped up the tail.

Scoreboard

AUSTRALIA: Runs Balls 4s 6s
A.J. Finch c Dhawan b Yadav 81 116 7 1
D.A. Warner c Kohli b Yadav 12 7 1 1
S.P.D. Smith c R.G. Sharma b Yadav 105 93 11 2
G.J. Maxwell c Rahane b Ashwin 23 14 3 1
S.R. Watson c Rahane b M.M. Sharma 28 30 2 1
M.J. Clarke c R.G. Sharma b M.M. Sharma 10 12 1 0
J.P. Faulkner b Yadav 21 12 3 1
B.J. Haddin not out 7 7 1 0
M.G. Johnson not out 27 9 4 1

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-7, W-6) 14
TOTAL (for seven wkts, 50 overs) 328
FALL OF WKTS: 1-15 (Warner, 3.1 ov), 2-197 (Smith, 34.1 ov), 3-232 (Maxwell, 37.3 ov), 4-233 (Finch, 38.2 ov), 5-248 (Clarke, 42.1 ov), 6-284 (Faulkner, 46.3 ov), 7-298 (Watson, 47.5 ov).
DID NOT BAT: M.A. Starc, J.R. Hazlewood.
BOWLING: Mohammed Shami 10-0-68-0 (2w); Yadav 9-0-72-4 (4w); M.M. Sharma 10-0-75-2; Kohli 1-0-7-0; Jadeja 10-0-56-0; Ashwin 10-0-42-1.

INDIA: Runs Balls 4s 6s
R.G. Sharma b Johnson 34 48 1 2
S. Dhawan c Maxwell b Hazlewood 45 4 6 1
V. Kohli c Haddin b Johnson 1 13 0 0
A.M. Rahane c Haddin b Starc 44 68 2 0
S.K. Raina c Haddin b Faulkner 7 11 1 0
M.S. Dhoni run out (Maxwell) 65 65 3 2
R.A. Jadeja run out (Smith) 16 17 2 0
R. Ashwin b Faulkner 5 13 0 0
Mohammed Shami not out 1 1 0 0
M.M. Sharma b Faulkner 0 1 0 0
U.T. Yadav b Starc 0 5 0 0

EXTRAS (LB-8, W-5, NB-2) 15
TOTAL (all out, 46.5 overs) 233
FALL OF WKTS: 1-76 (Dhawan, 12.5 ov), 2-78 (Kohli, 15.3 ov), 3-91 (R.G. Sharma, 17.6 ov), 4-108 (Raina, 22.6 ov), 5-178 (Rahane, 36.2 ov), 6-208 (Jadeja, 41.5 ov), 7-231 (Dhoni, 44.3 ov), 8-232 (Ashwin, 45.4 ov), 9-232 (M.M. Sharma, 45.5 ov).
BOWLING: Starc 8.5-0-28-2 (1nb, 2w); Hazlewood 10-1-41-1; Johnson 10-0-50-2 (2w); Faulkner 9-1-59-3 (1nb, 1w); Maxwell 5-0-18-0; Watson 4-0-29-0.

RESULT: Australia won by 95 runs.
UMPIRES: H.D.P.K. Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) and R.A. Kettleborough (England).
TV UMPIRE: M. Erasmus (South Africa).
MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Steve Smith.
FINAL: Australia vs New Zealand, Melbourne (D/N), Sunday (March 29).

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2015

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