Zampa stars as Aussies down Ashes rivals

Adam Zampa embodied his reputation as the beating heart of Australia's one-day side as the leg-spinner landed the decisive blows in their 33-run win over England, whose World Cup from hell went from miserable to worse. 

Ben Stokes threatened to play the kind of innings his Ashes opponents have come to fear but the Aussies' spirited leg-spinner dismissed him right as he was ready to explode in front of 55,052 fans in Ahmedabad.

Zampa delivered the most miserly 10-over spell of the tournament, returning the terrific figures of 3-21, having earlier clubbed 29 off just 19 balls. His 19 victims at 17.05 make him the World Cup's leading wicket taker.

The 31-year-old capped his player-of-the-match performance with one of the better catches of his career, running nearly 30 metres off the fine-leg rope and diving full length on the dewy Narendra Modi Stadium outfield to reel in a skied ball.

Marnus Labuschagne's 71 from 83 had underpinned Australia’s all-out 286 batting first.

It was a competitive but hardly intimidating tally that should been gettable given how the surface moisture sped up a pitch that Jos Buttler described as "tacky" after he won the toss.

But England’s chase faltered as Mitchell Starc took two early wickets, before Zampa and Pat Cummins (2-49) suffocated their opponents through the middle overs as even a set Stokes struggled to keep pace.

The result officially ends England's hopes of defending their 50-over title, while Australia now only need to beat one of Afghanistan or Bangladesh in their remaining matches to seal a semi-final berth.

Zampa had Buttler caught attempting to hit his seventh ball for six, before landing the even bigger fish of Stokes when Marcus Stoinis made up for dropping Joe Root earlier in the evening by holding on to the left-hander's sweep.

Jonny Bairstow, bristling to make an impact against opponents he still feels slighted by from a spiteful Test series earlier this year, took a stunning outfield catch to dismiss the recalled Stoinis.

But the opener was then strangled down the leg- side on the first ball of England's chase, much to Starc’s sheepish glee.

Joe Root (13) and Buttler (1) continued their dismal campaigns with the bat, leaving the responsibility of the chase entirely on Stokes' shoulders.

Dawid Malan (50 off 64) had scored quickly enough to allow Stokes to make a typically measured start to his innings, before the talisman erupted with sixes off consecutive overs from Starc and Travis Head.

He was left distraught when he paddled one of Zampa's most innocuous offerings to short fine-leg.

With the bat, Australia squandered a succession of starts as recalled allrounders Cameron Green (47 off 52) and Stoinis (35 from 32) both played solid hands in the absence of Glenn Maxwell (concussion) and Mitch Marsh (personal reasons).

But Zampa was surprisingly effective in a laconic late hand after the last recognised batter (Stoinis) was dismissed with six overs left.

Australia were bowled out with three balls to spare after Woakes took his fourth wicket, having earlier removing both openers inside the first six overs.

It marked a fifth consecutive innings against England that David Warner (15) has been out to Woakes, after the swing bowler got the better of him during the back-end of the Ashes.

All three of Steve Smith (44 off 52), Labuschagne and Green benefited from having the time to build an innings, with the latter putting in his best performance of the tournament amid an entertaining duel with Mark Wood.

Targeted by bouncers, Green’s boldness paid off with a series of boundaries, though he could easily have been out on multiple occasions to the electric speedster.

On 16, Green's bat went flying towards square leg as a top-edge off a Wood short ball landed safely between three fielders, while he was struck on the gloves on an even quicker bumper.

Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup fixtures

October 8: Lost to India by six wickets

October 12: Lost to South Africa by 134 runs

October 16: Defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets

October 20: Defeated Pakistan by 62 runs

October 25: Defeated Netherlands by 309 runs

October 28: Defeated New Zealand by five runs

November 4: Defeated England by 33 runs

November 7: v Afghanistan, Mumbai (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 11: v Bangladesh, Pune, 4pm AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

2023 World Cup standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Total points PTS
1 India Men IND	9	9	0	0	0	2.57	0	18
2 South Africa Men SA	9	7	2	0	0	1.261	0	14
3 Australia Men AUS	9	7	2	0	0	0.841	0	14
4 New Zealand Men NZ	9	5	4	0	0	0.743	0	10
5 Pakistan Men PAK	9	4	5	0	0	-0.199	0	8
6 Afghanistan Men AFG	9	4	5	0	0	-0.336	0	8
7 England Men ENG	9	3	6	0	0	-0.572	0	6
8 Bangladesh Men BAN	9	2	7	0	0	-1.087	0	4
9 Sri Lanka Men SL	9	2	7	0	0	-1.419	0	4
10 Netherlands Men NED	9	2	7	0	0	-1.825	0	4

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

PTS: Total points