Fifteen minutes before the floodlights came on at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday evening, silence swept across the stadium. Players from Australia and India, joined by match officials and representatives from Cricket Victoria and Cricket Australia, stood in the outfield to honour Ben Austin, the 17-year-old Victorian cricketer who died last week after being struck by a ball during training at Ferntree Gully. His image filled the big screens, a young man with a cap slightly askew and a ready smile.
Austin had captained the FTGDCA under-16s to a grand final win earlier this year and represented Rowville Sports Academy, earning quiet praise for his calmness in the field. The Ferntree Gully Cricket Club said it was “absolutely devastated”, while the Waverley Park Hawks Junior Football Club described him as “a kind, respectful, popular and much loved player”. Black armbands were worn by everyone on the field, from players to ground staff, and the crowd observed a minute’s silence.
Play began under clear skies before a sell-out crowd of 82,328, with Australia captain Mitchell Marsh winning the toss and choosing to bowl on a surface offering early movement. It proved a wise call. Josh Hazlewood, in his final white-ball match before Ashes duty, produced a devastating four-over burst that reduced India to rubble. He finished with 3 for 13, dismissing Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, each for single digits.
Hazlewood’s spell cut through India’s top order, setting the tone for a disciplined bowling display. Nathan Ellis, returning to international cricket at the MCG, backed him up with two lbws, including Sanju Samson early and Abhishek Sharma late in the innings. Marcus Stoinis and Xavier Bartlett shared the remaining wickets as India were bowled out for 125 in 18.4 overs.
Abhishek Sharma stood apart amid the collapse, scoring a defiant 68 from 37 balls and finding little support beyond Harshit Rana’s 35. Between them they shared India’s only meaningful partnership of 56, but once broken, the innings unravelled quickly. India’s two run outs summed up their night, the final one a mix-up that left Jasprit Bumrah stranded halfway down the pitch.
Australia’s chase started briskly. Marsh and Travis Head added 51 in quick time, with Marsh racing to 46 off 26 balls and Head hitting 28 from 15. Varun Chakaravarthy, the world’s top-ranked T20 bowler, halted the charge with two wickets—Head caught by Tilak Varma, and Tim David caught and bowled. But the target proved too small to defend.
Bumrah returned to snare two wickets in his final over, dismissing Mitchell Owen and Matthew Short—the latter bowled for a golden duck just days after finger surgery—but the contest was already over. Marcus Stoinis sealed the win with six to take Australia to 126 for six with 6.4 overs to spare.
Hazlewood was named player of the match for his opening spell. “Keep it simple,” he said at the presentation, smiling after what he confirmed was his final white-ball appearance before returning to Sheffield Shield duty in Sydney.
The victory gave Australia a 1–0 lead in the five-match series, following the washout in Canberra earlier in the week. The next game will be played in Hobart on Sunday.
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