England began their World Cup preparations with a crushing 216-run victory against an ACT XI at the Manuka Oval.
If confidence and time in the middle was the aim of this first warm-up match of the tour, it was mission accomplished for England, who posted 364 for six before routing the hosts for 148.
There needs to be some perspective given the ACT side contained just one full-time professional. The rest of their ranks were made up of school teachers, students, a labourer, a tennis professional and even a Macedonian bricklayer.
The uncompetitive nature of this contest, played in front of little over 100 spectators, was summed up by the fact the hosts allowed England to bat first without even conducting a toss.
Yet the signs were overwhelmingly positive for a side which badly need to find confidence and rhythm ahead of their opening Tri-Series game against Australia in Sydney on Friday.
There will be one more warm-up match in Canberra before then, when a Prime Minister’s XI captained by Chris Rogers and Australia World Cup squad members Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins provide the opposition.
But a gradual build-up in intensity and performance can be afforded with a month to go before England start their World Cup campaign against Australia in Melbourne.
When a 13-man team excluding batsmen Alex Hales and Gary Ballance was named this morning, the indications were that England have already decided on a top six for the tournament comprising Moeen Ali, Ian Bell, James Taylor, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara.
So it will please Peter Moores, the coach, that five of those batsmen passed 50 during an innings that received a turbo-charged finale thanks to the 105 runs scored by Bopara and Chris Woakes in the final 8.2 overs.
The only concern may be that the one member of that top six not to cash in was Morgan, handed the captaincy after Alastair Cook’s sacking last month in the belief the added responsibility would result in an upturn in his batting form.
While the top six appears set in stone, England’s bowling could be a moveable feast during the Tri-Series against Australia and India, such is the uncertainty over its composition.
The returning Stuart Broad and James Anderson, back from injury and prescribed rest respectively, picked up three wickets between them as England dismissed their opponents in 32.4 overs.
But the star of the show with the ball was spinner James Tredwell, who took three wickets in nine balls without conceding a run – before finishing with a final analysis of three for 11.
Tredwell is not even guaranteed a place in England’s World Cup team, with the thinking being he may only merit selection on the slower surfaces of New Zealand, where the team plays three first-round games, rather than the quicker, bouncier pitches on offer in Australia.
If Tredwell is left out at any point, England always have a spin option in Moeen Ali and, after earlier hitting a 39-ball half-century, the all-rounder picked up two wickets to wrap-up the ACT XI’s innings.
Moeen’s opening partnership with Bell will be key to any success England have at the World Cup and while the pair’s 75-run stand in 10 overs looks decent enough on paper, it doesn’t tell the full story.
Bell, reprising the opening role he lost at the end of last summer to Hales, did not make an irresistible case for his continued inclusion, scoring 51 in 62 balls in an innings that included just two fours. He also should have been dismissed to the fourth ball of the match when Shane Devoy dropped a simple catch at point.
But with a minimum of eight more matches to find fluency before the World Cup, neither England nor Bell will be overly concerned.
Moeen had already been stumped off the bowling of Devoy by the time Bell departed, caught at point by Josh Connolly off the seam bowling of Cameron Suidgeest.
That brought James Taylor and Joe Root together at the crease and the pair put on 34 before the former was bowled by 16-year-old leg-spinner Mac Wright for 55.
Root was England’s outstanding one-day batsman of 2014 and he started the new year in good touch too, scoring 56 off 46 balls. He fell edging the slow left-arm spin of Devoy to gully, the first of three quick wickets for the ACT team which left England on 259 for six.
Morgan was among those, reaching 32 before he was caught reverse sweeping Devoy, and Jos Buttler was the final England wicket to fall when he was run out after a mix-up with Bopara.
Bopara, though, ensured England would not miss Buttler’s presence at the end of the innings, hitting 56 off 27 balls in his rapid stand with Woakes which ensured an imposing total the ACT team never looked likely to chase down.
