Josh Inglis believes his unbeaten century in Australia's Champions Trophy victory over England might have been his best innings ever. (Match Blog | Full Coverage | Cricket News)
Leeds-born Inglis was Australia's hero as they chased down a daunting target of 352 in Lahore, hitting a sensational 120 off just 86 balls.
That knock included six maximums and a 146-run partnership with Alex Carey for the fifth wicket, helping Australia achieve the highest successful chase ever recorded at a global 50-over tournament.
Inglis needed just 77 balls to reach his ton, making it the joint-quickest century in Champions Trophy history, equalling Virender Sehwag in 2002, also against England.
Asked if he had just enjoyed the best innings of his career, Inglis told reporters: "Maybe under the circumstances 바카라 it's really special.Â
"I think in an ICC event, you want to have an impact, and you want to help your team win a game, so maybe. I'll reflect on that in the future!
"I'm over the moon. We knew it was going to be tough coming up against England. It always is. Coming up against 350, a lot of things have to go right to chase that down."
Asked if it meant more to produce his mammoth score against the country of his birth, Inglis added: "It doesn't matter who it's against. It's a really tight, quick tournament.Â
"We knew how we started the World Cup in India last year and we weren't able to get a good start, we knew you can't work your way into this Champions Trophy.Â
"You've got to be right on it from the first game. So, I think that's probably the most pleasing thing, to get a win on the board in game one."
England's tally of 351 is the highest they have ever failed to defend in the ODI format, meanwhile, and they now have a mountain to climb if they are to reach the semi-finals.
Their defeat came despite Ben Duckett making a tournament-record score of 165, and captain Jos Buttler said the England opener did not deserve to be on the losing side.
"It was a fantastic game. Both sides played well, but credit to Australia, it was a fantastic innings from Inglis," he said during the post-match presentations.
"Our 350 was a pretty good score, but it was wet and the dew was a worry. Ben Duckett has been brilliant at the top of the order in all formats, he's been threatening a big contribution for some time.Â
"Just a shame it was in a losing cause. Everyone has played enough cricket to know you need to go on, but you have to take the focus off yourself and focus on the big partnerships."
