Australia’s departure a sideshow as India chases T20 World Cup glory

Australia’s unceremonial dumping from the Twenty20 World Cup by England may have damaged home pride but it hasn’t hurt the tournament. International white ball cricket in Australia is now the domain of the South Asian diaspora, dominated by India. Traditional Australian cricket followers have been recovering from the AFL and rugby league seasons and trying to pick winners during the spring carnival of horse racing. That was confirmed when Australia’s last match for the tournament, against Afghanistan in Adelaide on Friday night, was the first to rate over a million viewers, combining the Channel Nine and Fox audiences. Steve Smith of Australia out LBW for four runs bowled by Naveenulhaq Murid of Afghanistan. Credit: The cricket season doesn’t really start in Australia until the Melbourne Cup is run and won.

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