Ireland collapsed from 121/2 to 198 all out and Australian opener Usman Khawaja (82 not out from 77 balls) took full use of the opportunity to get back to form in the one-off One-Day International between the two teams at Benoni on Tuesday. Australian skipper Steve Smith (59 not out from 74), who went back home mid-way through the Sri Lankan tour, scored a steady fifty to steer his side home by nine wickets in just 30.1 overs. Australia's Adam Zampa (3/37) was the pick of the bowlers, continuing to cash in on a regular spot in the shorter formats.
After crashing to a massive defeat against South Africa a few days ago, few gave lowly Ireland any chance of upsetting the world champions. The hard-hitting Paul Stirling gave the Irish a solid platform as he took on the bowling in the early overs. John Anderson, despite looking shaky at the crease, got the scoreboard ticking but his departure triggered a collapse, as William Porterfield's side lost their last eight wickets for just 77 runs.
Warner, sticking to his buccaneering style, lay into the Irish bowlers, scoring a quickfire 30-ball 48. After Warner's dismissal, Smith and Khawaja got together to take the side home, stitching an unbeaten 126-run stand for the second wicket.
Brief Scores:
Ireland 198 in 43.5 Overs (John Anderson 39, Paul Stirling 30, Adam Zampa 3/37, John Hastings 2/31) lost to Australia 199/1 in 30.1 Overs (Usman Khawaja 82 not out, Steve Smith 59 not out; Tim Murtagh 1/21) by 9 wickets