Ali Martin’s report.
Jane McDonald is more than chirpy in Wellington. “More OBO attention from NZ. What a jolly old start to the week here!”
Not so jolly for the old adversaries over the Tasman. Justin Langer’s eyes are empty. Jofra Archer is man of the match, Eoin Morgan says the bowlers made him look good. On bringing back Woakes and Archer mid-innings “It was the only way we were going to win the game. It was like your stack is going low and you need to go in pretty soon if you want something to happen. The bowlers made us look good, particularly when Jof and Woakesy came back against Labuschagne and Finchy.”
That’s it from me, thanks for all the emails and many apologies once again for the technical issues early on in the second innings. One last hurrah - see you on Wednesday!
Aaron Finch has his hands on his hips and looks a little shell-shocked. His manners are immaculate, though, as always:
“We knew that it would be tough for new batters to start on a wicket like that, but we are still very disappointed. We might not have been 100% committed to our plans, and might have overplayed the situation in our heads.”
They played nicely. We bowled a touch wide and gave them a few opportunities to free their arms. They’re no excuse for that collapse. Not the most viewer-friendly contest, but there was a contest between bat and ball. When you’ve got an opportunity to see the chase home, you’re disappointed.”
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England win by 24 runs!
What can you say about this England side that hasn’t been said before? They have in their locker a string of tenacity that somehow pulls them along when all seems lost. Morgan induces panic in his opposition with a bowling change, a run-out, a catch. On a testing wicket, England dredged out runs from the tail to haul themselves over 200. Then after a sensational spell from Jofra Archer with the new ball, Morgan switched his bowlers, gambled as Australia looked as if they were going to run away with it by bringing back Archer and Woakes. That left the Curran brothers, and Rashid, who wrapped things up, cool as you like. So, after a summer like no other, it is 1-1 with just one game of the men’s international summer to play!
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WICKET! Carey stumped Buttler b Rashid 36
Carey has to have a slam and shimmies down the pitch, misses Rashid’s googly, and Buttler whips off the bails! From nowhere, victory!
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48th over: Australia 205-9 (Carey 35, Hazlewood 7) Australia need 27 off 12 balls. Eoin Morgan dries the ball vigorously on his trouser leg. It’s late and the dew is heavy. Carey does the maths and after three singles slams Sam Curran, with balletic violence, to the boundary. A couple more from a shovel and that’s ten off the over.
47th over: Australia 195-9 (Carey 27, Hazlewood 5) Australia need 37 off 18 balls. Rashid is back to finish his spell. Carey reverse-swipes him for two , brushing the finger tips of Tom Curran. Then hoicks him leg-side, and finally has a boundary to his 34th delivery!
46th over: Australia 181-9 (Carey 17, Hazlewood 2) Australia need 47 off 24 balls. Sam Curran’s hair sticks to his head on a sweaty September night as he runs in and delivers more of the same set of 85mph sensible belt and braces balls.
45th over: Australia 181-9 (Carey 17, Hazlewood 2) In a moment of carelessness, Hazlewood calls for a single off the last ball of Tom Curran’s over. As they murmur on the radio, it pretty much sums up Australia’s night.
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44th over: Australia 177-9 (Carey 15, Hazlewood 0) A third wicket for Sam Curran, as Zampa runs out of patience after playing three dots in a row. Seven overs 3-22 in his first run-out since early July.
Jonathan types a jaunty email from a blustery Auckland: “Enjoying watching OBO tick over whilst making Mr.9’s school lunch! There is only one thing better that Kiwis love than watching an England team implode & thats watching an Aussie team implode! My Monday morning has a better bounce in its step since Woakes & Archer....”
WICKET! Zampa c Archer b S Curran 2
Zampa spoons the ball high and into the clasped hands of Archer waiting at mid off who takes the ball above his head. The death rattle sounds.
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43rd over: Australia 175-8 (Carey 13, Zampa 2) These Curran’s, you can’t hit ‘em! Just three runs, and awkward ones at that off Tom.
Hi Tanya, writes Adrian.
Sitting here in Bermuda waiting for a Category 2 Hurricane to hit us directly in 12 hours time. Preparations done and now watching OBO and loving a different kind of tension. Must be on from here, no ?
Blimey. Good luck Adrian. Time to pull out the old Keith Miller quote about Messerschmitts?
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42nd over: Australia 172-8 (Carey 11, Zampa 1) Carey slices Sam Curran and they sprint through for three runs; but they can’t garner any more from the over. This is getting a bit desperate for Australia - from 144-2 to 164-8 and the balls left are dropping away. England were 152 for 8 at a similar stage, but both Rashid and Tom Curran are significantly better than Zampa.
“ Botham in oz 87,” tweets Paddy Blewer. “Fat. Past it. But somehow.....”
41st over: Australia 169-8 (Carey 8, Zampa 1) Tom Curran isn’t giving anything away, not after his brother did the hard work. A couple of singles and a leg bye off the over.
Sam Curran then @tjaldred. Might not justify his slot with his pace, nor with the bat, but... The indefinable quality of "making things happen" is an asset in any form of the game. And he does it too often for it to be a fluke.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) September 13, 2020
40th over: Australia 166-8 (Carey 4, Zampa 0) The scampering arm of Sam Curran! I take back that talk about twiddling his thumbs in the bubble. The golden arm remains! Up on the balcony Labuschagne throws his hat over his face.
WICKET! Starc c Buttler b Sam Curran 0
Sam Curran on a hat-trick as Starc swings at a wide one and gives Buttler some catching practise.
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WICKET! Cummins b S Curran 11
Cummins has a hoick, slices into his stumps and and they splatter. splodge. splay.
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39th over: Australia 165-6 ( Carey 4, Cummins 10) Australia haven’t given this up yet. Cummins and Carey pushing at Tom Curran, stealing singles to the left, singles to the right, despite that intense stare in the bowler’s eye.
“Evening Tanya.” Evening Simon McMahon!“Can Eoin Morgan please captain the Scotland mens football team. Or rugby. In fact, any Scotland team. I’m not fussy.” Right now I’d take him as PM.
Australia need 67 from 66 balls.
38th over: Australia 162-6 ( Carey 4, Cummins 10) Cummins has had enough and charges at a short ball from Rashid and dispatches him sky high and into the Australian dressing room.
Stern words from David Harris. “Woakes might looklike he needs a haircut, but ask Samson how that worked out for him. Hey, Tanya!, Leave those locks alone!”
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36th over: Australia 156-6 ( Carey 4, Cummins 4) Tom Curran has such mastery of the white ball and Carey can’t get him away. He fancies an lbw shout, but Morgan isn’t interested. And, from nowhere, Australia need more than a run a ball.
“This is delicious,” chortles Neil Dobson, “like Sid Vicious at his most auspicious.”
35th over: Australia 155-6 ( Carey 2, Cummins 4) With the ground surrounded by total darkness, it is as if someone switched off Australia’s light. Rashid comes in, his fast-paced walk, and Australia can’t get him away big, but knock him away small. Five from the over.
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33rd over: Australia 149-6 ( Carey 1, Cummins 1) Woakes finishes his ten overs with 3-32. An outstanding performance from the ever-underrated, giving England a chance of winning this game................however much he needs a haircut.
WICKET! Maxwell b Woakes 1
Woakes smashes through the purple stumps with his white missile and it is hard to see Australia mentally rebuilding from here.
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33rd over: Australia 146-5 ( Carey 0, Maxwell 1) Just a leg bye off the over and that is the end of Archer’s spell - 3-34; ten overs of bottled poison. WinViz, now has England favourites. And as it isn’t human it doesn’t account for Morgan’s magic and the fact England are on a roll.
Darrel Boulcott points out the dangers of batters choking on gum and asks if there’s “a medical recommendation on this subject?”. writes Jeffrey Earp. Well yes there is, the Heimlich manoeuvre. It’s the medics’ equivalent of the reverse sweep so never fear, it’s in every decent cricketer’s repertoire.The bigger question is how to deal with batters choking scoreboard-wise. A much harder sporting pathology to treat.
33rd over: Australia 146-5 ( Carey 0, Maxwell 1) Australia have lost three wickets in less than two overs with two new batsmen at the crease and the Morgan gamble needs its own T-shirt.
WICKET! Finch b Woakes 73
Now that puts a very different complexion on things! The ball slings between the gap between his bat and pad and Finch is on his way.
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32nd over: Australia 145-4 ( Carey 0, Finch 73) Morgan continues with Archer, as he must, and he does exactly what his captain hopes. Back of the length, slower ball, and then one that flies low and hard for Marsh, who’s had no time to acclimatise, to chop on.
WICKET! Marsh b Archer 1
Woo-hooo! It keeps low and Marsh is squared up and edges onto his own stumps! It’s like that moment in the Magic Finger when the little girl’s finger starts to tingle.
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31st over: Australia 145-3 (Mitch Marsh 1, Finch 73) And of all things, a wicket, when it looked as if no more were available for England this evening. England have a glimmer of a chance now, with a new batsman in at the tricky twilight stage.
Wicket! Labuschagne lbw Woakes 48
Labuschagne spits out his bubble-gum in disgust - he’s missed a straight one. England have to review as Michael Gough initially gave it not out; but Woakes was confident.
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30th over: Australia 137-2 (Labuschagne 47, Finch 71) Clever play from Labuschagne, who ramps Archer - but not too hard- and directs him nicely, imagine a small child setting up animals on a toy farm with great precision. Australia need 89 from 120 balls as the sun sets, brilliantly, over the Manchester skyscratchers.
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29th over: Australia 137-2 (Labuschagne 44, Finch 70) Finch and Labuschagne don’t fancy Woakes much either, but they’re so well set they can happily just run quick singles. I take that back - Labuschagne’s eyes light up at and he swivels and pulls Woakes - what style! - for four. That’s the hundred partnership and England need something spicy here to stop this turning into a procession.
Robert Stanier is thinking ahead to the Ashes. “Pretty good case for an Archer-Broad opening bowling combination against David Warner in two years’ time.And while we’re at it, Rashid’s record against Smith means he has to be cajoled into playing somehow.” It’s a tasty prospect. Rashid was making the right noises last time I heard.
28th over: Australia 131-2 (Labuschagne 39, Finch 69) It’s twilight and Archer is fierce. Finch shapes to pull him but the ball comes on more quickly than he was expecting and cracks him near the breastbone. That hurts.
Photograph: Reuters
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27th over: Australia 127-2 (Labuschagne 38, Finch 64) The third run-out chance England have missed today as Roy takes a one legged turn and throw and the ball billows wide - would have been out by an elephant’s yawn.
Ed Smith is on the balcony. It’s ok, he’s in his dream-boy blue shirt and blazer. Imagine Ed in red or orange - something would be terribly wrong.
26th over: Australia 124-2 (Labuschagne 37, Finch 64) Archer has to be the answer to Morgan’s question. And he’s on the money right away, quick and smart. He cracks Labuschagne on the back leg first ball, then scrapes the bottom of Finch’s bat with a blow so hard that Finch shakes his hand in discomfort.
Hello Tanya, writes Darrel Boulcott. Hello!
I often think about this question –are batsmen discouraged from chewing gum when batting – the danger of choking if they are hit etc. Does anyone know is their a medical recommendation on this subject?
25th over: Australia 121-2 (Labuschagne 37, Finch 62) Could that be the moment gone? Finch has a huge swing at Rashid and smacks him, with the strength of a dragon, through Rashid’s hands and down to the boundary. A chance on paper, but a tough one.
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24th over: Australia 113-2 (Labuschagne 35, Finch 57) And I’m back in! Send those emails this way.
Niall Morrisey on cricketing odours: “One smell I will always remember is the white gunk with which we covered up the mud stains on our canvas pads. The stuff was also used on boots. There is a story of a test batsman deliberately whitening his pads before going out to bat. The opposition had a mystery spinner. As soon as he could, he got pad on ball. Now he had a white spot to help him see which was the ball was spinning.” Is that a real story? It’s very clever if it is.
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22nd over: Australia 109-2 (Labuschagne 32, Finch 56) Rashid spins his way through another six balls - five runs off the over as Australia are content to quietly accumulate rather than bish-bash.
22nd over: Australia 104-2 (Labuschagne 29, Finch 54) Australia breeze through another Sam Curran over, with just a couple of yes-no start-stop runs to worry them. Perhaps time for the heavy artillery to return? With the sun starting to set and the shadows at their most confusing.
21st over: Australia 101-2 (Labuschagne 28, Finch 52) Morgan tries Rashid from the other end after 3 for 27 in his initial spell. Finch tucks into a dolly wide of the stumps which flies past Buttler and down to the boundary, bringing up his fifty from 66 balls. Australia need a steady 131 runs in 29 overs.
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20th over: Australia 95-2 (Labuschagne 27, Finch 47) This is the difficult middle period. The time when you’d jump up to get a beer or go and meet that friend who is sitting in a stand the other end of the ground. Finch and Labuschagne milk Sam Curran and England need a breakthrough.
19th over: Australia 87-2 (Labuschagne 25, Finch 46) Sky have Australia with a 75 per cent chance of winning, but they still can’t get a handle on Tom Curran, who continues to send in his little magical slingshots.
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18th over: Australia 87-2 (Labuschagne 23, Finch 43) After nine off Rashid’s last over, Morgan looks at his options and beckons to the other Curran brother. It is Sam’s first game since his first Test of the summer - now that is a lot of bubble time. Perhaps it shows, as he drops shorts and Finch makes brutal contact, square, and past the pale wrists of Joe Root at short midwicket to the boundary.
17th over: Australia 82-2 (Labuschagne 22, Finch 39) Marnus Labuschagne is having a sweet shop moments. He drives, beautifully, and then blows a huge bubble with his bubble-gum before the bubble bursts and gets stuck in the grill of his helmet. I hope it is Hubba-bubba, apple flavour. Never to be beaten.
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16th over: Australia 75-2 (Labuschagne 16, Finch 38) Rashid proving the more expensive of the change bowlers. Finch and Labuschagne play tip and run, then Finch on-drives him, uppishly, powerfully, for four. They pause for drinks under perfect blue Manchester skies. Yes, you read that right.
An email that I was about to publish before everything started going haywire, from Julie Wilson.
Please tell Daniel that MO-mentum isn’t only the Australian way to pronounce the word; it’s also the northern way.
15th over: Australia 66-2 (Labuschagne 13, Finch 32) Tommy Curran has sewn up the big-hitting Finch, six more dots as he drives and cuts but the ball stubbornly refuses to go outside the circle. There’s something quite David and Goliath about this battle, with Goliath as leaden footed as always.
@tjaldred Thanks for the great commentary, Tanya. Have you now set the family up relaying observations from the living room to you in the kitchen? This is getting like the break-out moment in 'The Great Escape'.
— William Hargreaves (@billhargreaves) September 13, 2020
You’re too kind William. There is something of a Heath-Robinson experiment underway.
14th over: Australia 66-2 (Labuschagne 13, Finch 32) England haven’t lost three ODIs in a row since 2016. Something to mull over, just under a third of the way through the innings. No flies on Finch: he smashes Rashid for a perfunctory boundary then tells Michael Gough the umpire that England have not got four fielders inside the circle. A free hit only brings the single.
13th over: Australia 57-2 (Labuschagne 11, Finch 26) Curran is beautifully tidy. No drop falls from the teacup or saucer. Who are Australia going to go big against. Brother Sam?
12th over: Australia 54-2 (Labuschagne 9, Finch 25) Rashid replaces Archer and is promptly golfed for six by Finch who descends to his knees to plonk the ball into the stands. It isn’t great news for Australia that Archer will still have five overs left for the death.
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11th over: Australia 45-2 (Labuschage 7, Finch 18) Tom Curran, great saviour of the batting earlier this afternoon, pulls out four dots in a row, as he is plonked in as replacement for Woakes. See here all those chatting to Daniel earlier about the Liam Plunket debate.
10th over: Australia 44-2 (Labuschage 6, Finch 18) Huge apologies, my laptop has decided to update unexpectedly and very slowly. Now on the family pc in the kitchen in the other room from the telly. Oh and I can’t access my gmails but I can access Twitter @tjaldred. Let’s give this a go... both wickets to Archer who also knocked Finch CRACK on the helmet. Two sets of five overs each to Archer and Woakes, Archer marginally more expensive but a lot more incisive.
9th over: Australia 37-2 (Labuschage 0, Finch 17)
HUGE TECHnical difficulties, apologies. To resume asap
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5th over: Australia 16-1 (Stoinis 7, Finch 3) Stoinis bides his time, four balls, before flexing the biceps and having a lollop at Woakes and sending the ball in a perpendicular line straight over the boundary Crash, bang, cymbals and trombone.
4th over: Australia 10-1 (Stoinis 0, Finch 3) Justin Langer is biting his nails in the dressing room as Archer delivers an absolute beauty of an over. He worries Finch with a near 90mph bouncer before slipping Warner in his pocket again, for the fourth time this summer.
WICKET! Warner c Buttler b Archer 6
He gets his man! A 91mph beauty, zip-bounces and Warner can’t resist having a pop. Buttler takes it neatly behind the stumps and Bob’s your uncle!
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3rd over: Australia 8-0 (Warner 6, Finch 2) An lbw appeal against Finch strangles in Woakes’s throat but hearty not enough to review. Finch punches the next ball firmly down the ground but a nifty bit of fielding by Archer at mid-on restricts him to one.
2nd over: Australia 6-0 (Warner 5, Finch 1) Archer grabs the cherry to have a pop at his favourite walking wicket. Warner has a poke at his first ball outside off stump, then cuts a short n wide one for three. Finch blocks the next four deliveries.
“Tanya,” writes John Starbuck.
“It’d be the smell of the glue on the patch which brings back the childhood memories. Why did glues (of all kinds) have to be so pungent?”
I still remember my mum terrifying me before I started secondary school about shadowy glue sniffers lurking around every corner.
1st over: Australia 3-0 (Warner 2, Finch 1) An inauspicious start as Tom Curran fumbles from a standing start at short square leg and Australia steal a single. Then Eoin Morgan misses a run-out chance from mid-off with Finch, who misjudged how close Morgan was, way out of his crease. A tidy over from Woakes, and let’s see if England’s fielding can improve from here. Australia’s ground-work wasn’t the tightest either, during England’s innings.
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The teams are out. England, in baby blue, pause for a chat. David Warner and Aaron Finch await them in the middle. ...
“Hi Tanya, Your garden has a puncture?” chortles Damian Clarke. “Lawn patch kits are available.”
Ha! A bike puncture. Trying to patch it as instructed on Youtube and prove to teenage son how easy it was, but it was just as dispiriting an experience as I remember from my own childhood.
Sensational little segment on Sky on Surrey’s ACE (African-Caribbean Engagement) programme. Ebony Rainford-Brent is the driving force behind trying to engage with the African-Caribbean community outside The Oval gates that has been neglected for so long. Fantastic to hear that they’re not just there to find the next England or Surrey player, but to help young people play 1st XI club cricket, learn how to score, be a physio, become a development officer etc. ERB is something else - just the breath of fresh air/unstoppable hurricane English cricket needs.
Something to think about as we wait for Australia to walk out. Jofra Archer has dismissed David Warner, three times this summer, and three times during the Ashes series last year....
Thanks Daniel! Great stuff and not sure quite where to go after those French table manners and delicious peasant soups. Quite the turn-around by England too. Their hopes seemingly disappearing as quickly as the air in the puncture I was trying to patch in the garden. But, unlike the puncture, the wound wasn’t terminal. Possibly that’s a metaphor too far. But, essentially, England went from 149 for 8 -“done and dusted” - in the words of Nasser - to 231-9 and in with a chance.
Righto, that’s the end of me – here’s Tanya Aldred to coax you through England’s crushing victory. Email her on tanya.aldred.freelance@theguardian.com or tweet @tjaldred. Ta-ra!
Fifty-three runs in the last four overs there, as England recovered from 149-8 to set what is, in theory at least, a defendable total. They’ll need something decent first up and even that might not be enough, but it’s not quite the procession it looked like being 40 minutes ago.
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England set Australia 232 to win match and series!
50th over: England 231-9 (Rashid 35, Archer 6) Archers carves two to long off, then steps away to zetz the final ball over Marsh’s head for four!
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WICKET! Curran T b Marsh 37 (Englang 225-9)
Curran looks to pagga a straight one over midwicket and misses; that’s 76 for the partnership which might just’ve changed this game.
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50th over: England 225-8 (Curran T 37, Rashid 35) With Cummins and Starc finished, seeking to bowl England out, Finch has to go with Marsh for the final over and Curran hoiks hisfirst delivery around himself from outside off and gets four to wide midwicket; a wide follows. That’s 40 from the last 13 balls, and Curran then muscles two more to long on; Broad wonders whether, now that we know Marsh is bowling slow and into the pitch, Curran can step away to flick over fine leg. But the next delivery is quicker, spliced down the ground for two BUT EXCUSE ME WHILE I INTERRUPT MYSELF: SJ Broad has just said MOmentum like an Australian! Whatever next?
49th over: England 216-8 (Curran T 29, Rashid 35) Rashid backs away and chucks hands, smearing Cummins’ first ball over backward point for four – he’s not had such a good today, and after a dot Rashid comes down and hurls everything at a bouncer that doesn’t get up, battering six over wide long on. AND HAVE A LOOK! Cummins gives a bit outside off, maybe just back of a length, and Rashid goes again, clouting four through midwicket, before forcing three more into the off side. This is a great over for England, 18 from it once Curran bunts to cover, and suddenly we got ourselves a ball-game.
48th over: England 198-8 (Curran T 28, Rashid 18) Starc tries his fabled yorker, but Curran sees it coming, giving himself room to get down, open the face and excavate a four through third man. Again, that’s a good start to the over from England, while in commentary Broad notes that wickets have fallen clusters, which tells him the pitch is a hard one to start on, so as a bowler defending whatever England end up with, he’d feel encouraged and might bring catchers in. Anyhow, his mates do a better job of building this time, four singles, a wide and a two making for 11 off the over and taking the partnership up t0 49.
47th over: England 187-8 (Curran T 22, Rashid 14) Two singles begin Cummins’ penultimate over, then Rashid gets under one and panels over midwicket for a one-bounce four. Then, following a dot, an off-side flay looks like earning fo mo, but Stoinis cuts if off and they have to make do with two, the a wide. England look like doing not as badly as they might’ve done, but a lot less well than they should’ve done.
46th over: England 178-8 (Curran T 21, Rashid 7) Nasser tries to lighten moods by showing us footage of Archer knocking Warner over, then Broad notes that two of the wickets came from jaffas that sort out pretty much any left-hander, so. Back in the middle, Curran sweeps away the front leg and blooters Starc’s first ball back over his head for four. England got an early boundary in the last over but couldn’t capitalise; can they do better in what remains of this? They cannot, finding but two singles from balls five and six.
45th over: England 172-8 (Curran T 16, Rashid 6) A run a ball gets England to 194, but they’re there halfway through this over when Cuzza backs up two singles by clobbering Cummins back over his rugby league heed for four. A single follows, then a wide, which makes this a decent over for England, relatively speaking.
44th over: England 164-8 (Curran T 10, Rashid 5) The batsmen try to move but don’t middle anything, muscling four singles; Zampa finishes with 3-36 off his 10 allotted overs.
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43rd over: England 160-8 (Curran T 8, Rashid 3) Mitch Marsh returns and Curran seizes on a slower short one, carting over midwicket for four then clattering a cut that looks like four more until Stoinis appears at point having started at cover, diving to save two. Two singles follow.
“England have played a lot of cricket, in the bubble, in a very short time by normal standards, this year,” says John Starbuck. “Despite the fresh faces, they are probably all knackered by now. Australia haven’t done this, just practised.”
I’m sure that’s part of it, though you might also expect them to be better acclimatised.
42nd over: England 152-8 (Curran T 1, Rashid 2) Ah, Zampa does return, and we get to see if Rashid can pick him. The first ball is dragged down and goes to square leg for one, then Curran gets himself away by forcing a slower googly to cover. These are the only runs from the over.
41st over: England 150-8 (Curran T 0, Rashid 1) England will now forget about target and simply try to bat out their overs; that decision to bat is looking a bum one, because in a low-scorer you’re always better chasing than forcing runs that aren’t there. Rashid gets off the mark first ball, turning to leg, but four dots follow and Hazlewood finishes with 10-2-27-1. Useful.
“Is anyone able to diagnose why England are struggling so much over the past couple of ODIs?” asks William Lane. “Is it the high standards they have set themselves, being physically and emotionally shattered after an intense summer of biosecure bubbles, just a drop in form of key players, adjusting to slow wickets as you mentioned earlier, no Liam Plunkett, or a mixture of everything? It’s a shame as I was hoping for (expecting) an authoritative 450 and bowling the Aussies out for 200. We are world champions after all.”
As you suggest, there’s a lot going on and we’ve not even mentioning the missing Ben Stokes.
WICKET! Woakes c Carey b Hazlewood 26 (England 149-8)
Hazlewood wallops his Test-match monotony again and Woakes seeks to drive, nicking off instead. Quality bowling is quality bowling.
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40th over: England 149-7 (Woakes 26, Curran T 0) Starc offers Woakes width – just a bit, but enough – and he gets in a big stride, then down on one knee to clatter four over cover.
“England’s performance today looking like my face when I had to go back to the office for the first time in 6 months this week,” says Guy Hornsby. Thing is, 200 might be defendable but at this rate we’ll be lucky to get near that. A bit ordinary, but a great Australian performance.”
I think the problem with 200 or its environs is you’re relying on a huge opening spell and on taking 10 wickets, while the batting side know that a merely dismal performance will get them a win.
39th over: England 144-7 (Woakes 21, Curran T 0) Have a bit of Hazlewood, says Finch – figuratively speaking, I have not morphed into Andy Gray. Woakes takes one off his first ball, after which come five dots. I guess that’s the end of Zampa, who has 3-30 off eight. Not bad.
“I’m following both the cricket and the Tour,” says Alistair Connor, and sent the soupe email to the wrong one – the theme started with a cycling accident, and concerns French table manners, but it was on the Australia-England blog... I was a bit startled to see you both published it! Is this some sort of record?”
It might well be, though the congruence of conversation is probably some sort of Guardian.
The umpires go upstairs to check the ball carried...
...but Michael Gough gave the on-pitch decision, which is all you need ta kna.
WICKET! Curran S c Carey b Starc 1 (England 143-7)
Starc drags fingers down the side of one that holds up, and Curran drives nondescriptly, imparting an outside edge that the keeper snaffles.
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38th over: England 143-6 (Woakes 20, Curran S 1) Starc continues...
“Time to recall Alex Hales?” wonders Arthur Graves.
I’m not sure – I’m happy with those in possession, who’ve earned Eoin Morgan’s loyalty, and at this point I’m not sure Hales would be next, rather than someone younger.
37th over: England 142-6 (Woakes 19, Curran S 1) Curran S comes out to Sandstorm and says “You know what, bun dis, I’m off to the klurb.” But then someone cuts the music and he has a change of heart, pushing a single to point before Woakes adds one down the ground.
WICKET! Billings b Zampa 8 (England 140-6)
Another really good ball from Zampa, dipping and sneaking under Billings who made room to cut. That’s 3-28 now, and England in absolutely all sorts.
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36th over: England 140-5 (Billings 8, Woakes 18) Warne finally gets his way: Starc returns, but has Woakes now settled? Billings takes a single to point, then yerman turns two off his pads and drives one to cover before Billings takes one more to mid on.
“Can we have a new rule, “ asks Richard Hirst, “whereby each team is allowed to overturn one umpire’s call an innings. It would be called the ‘we need Jos Buttler’ rule.”
35th over: England 135-5 (Billings 6, Woakes 15) Zampa starts his seventh over with a googly but overpitches and Woakes turns it hard through midwicket for four. Zampa, though, sticks with it and the remaining five deliveries cede just two singles.
34th over: England 129-5 (Billings 5, Woakes 10) It’s become fashionable to say how good Chris Woakes is while saying no one ever says how good Chris Woakes is, but really, what a cricketer he is, a strike bowler, a stock bowler, and a batsmen able to work it around or smash it about, all of the above under pressure and in every format. But he only gets two balls this over, managing a single, same as Billings managed off the previous four.
33rd over: England 127-5 (Billings 4, Woakes 9) Billings hasn’t had much strike recently, and will know this is a huge innings for him. His talent has been obvious for a while, but given scope, lots of players would eventually happen upon a ton; what the best ones do is back up a big score with another. Meanwhile, a single gives Woakes the strike and when a full-bunger turns up he doesn’t mess about, forcing it back past the bowler for four.
32nd over: England 122-5 (Billings 3, Woakes 5) It’s not Starc but it’s Hazlewood – that’ll do. But after four dots Woakes takes action, making room to base through cover for four. “Change of angle” muses Warne, on his preference for a left-armer.
“Why haven’t England dropped Bairstow yet?” asks Arthur Graves. “He also won’t make it to the next World Cup.”
Because he’s up there with England’s greatest ever one-day batsmen and at 30 has many, many more runs left in him, would be my guess.
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31st over: England 118-5 (Billings 3, Woakes 1) Zampa continues – Warne, not usually one for thanking a spinner – says he’d have been tempted to give Starc a go. But there’s almost another wicket when Woakes retreats to a full one, can’t get the bat down in time, and there’s a big shout. But Carey, who’s done well with the reviews this innings, spots an edge, so Australia don’t review. One off the over.
30th over: England 117-5 (Billings 3, Woakes 0) Pat Cummins, just what you want when you’re deep in shtuck. A maiden duly arrives, the sixth of the innings.
“A soupe’ in its original meaning,” says Alistair Connor, “is the big slice of peasant bread that you put in your plate before putting a ladle of liquid on top. Thirty-five years in France has liberated me from the middle-class obsession with aristocratic table manners. Real French eating is regional, and peasant-based.”
Next time my wife chastises my agricultural eating style – when we were on a break, she consoled herself with thoughts of me at the table – I’m going to tell her I’m just pursuing a Gallic interpretation.
29th over: England 117-5 (Billings 3, Woakes 0) Zampa now has 2-16 and has bowled really well, again. Australia stick in a slip and a silly point, but Woakes dead-bats the over’s one remaining delivery.
WICKET! Morgan lbw b Zampa 43 (England 117-5)
Huge wicket for Australia! That’s a poor call and a great review because it was the absolute acme and epitome of gone. The Aussie players enjoy the celebration because the know that might be the match.
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29th over: England 117-4 (Morgan 42, Billings 3) Billings’ bat gets stuck as he seeks to slide it in, sent back by Morgan, leading to an umpire’s review; he managed to stamp a foot before Carey broke the stumps. But what’s this?! Zampa tosses up, it doesn’t spin, and when it hits Morgan on the pad and Not Michael Gough rejects Australia’s appeal, Finch and Carey agree a review.
“The point about delaying wine intake at the beginning,” teaches John Starbuck, “is to save a little after the main course, so as to have the cheese to help finish the red wine. Then you can have something else with dessert. Much like an England batting innings.”
But Tom Rebbitt offers another opinion: “The only reason the French don’t start on wine until after the soup is because they’re still on aperitifs! Which is one (cycling, art, landscapes...) of my favourite things about France: to walk into a restaurant and hear ‘Aperitif?’ before you’ve even sat down!”
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28th over: England 116-4 (Morgan 45, Billings 2) Morgan has wrists made of liquid osmium. Cummins sends him one that’s full and straight, and somehow a skip and a push sends the ball back past the bowler. He made room to play off side, but when that wasn’t possible, was somehow able to divert the ball in a different direction. It’s remarkable, it really is, and he’s starting to get into this. A single follows, then one to Billings, who is beaten outside off in between.
27th over: England 110-4 (Morgan 37, Billings 1) England might have to go after Zampa, though my inclination is that these two will try to keep it ticking then have a proper go at maybe 40 overs. And this is another good over, just three singles from it, but Billings off the mark with a drive to extra.
“I’ve paused mid-bike ride to see Root’s fallen on his sword,” says Harry Lang. “Has there been any talk today of dropping him from short-form cricket and Test captaincy to let him be the thoroughly excellent batsman he is for another 10 years? Or has he earned untouchable status?”
It’s hard to take the captaincy away when the team are winning, but if it was the difference between prime Root and current Root, it’d be a smart move (that’d never happen).
26th over: England 107-4 (Morgan 36, Billings 0) This is a huge partnership; if it fails, it’s hard to see England winning this. Wicket maiden.
“It’s very hard for a player to captain a side if he isn’t doing much with the bat,” says Digvijay Yadav, “regardless of what Brearley did in the 80s. But otherwise, the Test side would have a lot more spunk.”
Sure, but Morgan is a lot better than that – he has two Test centuries, and even if he wasn’t a good captain, is unlucky not to have had more chances at that level.
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REVIEW SAYS OUT!
Umpire’s call on the stumps, just trimming the bails, but England are in the muck now.
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WICKET! Buttler lbw b Cummins 3 (England 107-4)
Excellent change from Finch, who’s having a good match. It came from wide of the stumps and arrowed in, beating Buttler for pace; Buttler reviews encouraged by Morgan, and fair enough, England need him, but Michael Gough is umpiring at the bowler’s.
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25th over: England 107-3 (Morgan 35, Buttler 3) Morgan is opening up now, reverse-sweeping Zampa for four then crunching him over cover for four more. But Zampa comes back well, sending down three dots.
“What’s the record for the most comments published in a 50-over innings? asks Richard Hirst. “I’m going for it!” before a further email notes: “Even more surprisingly, the French tend not to start on the wine until after the soup course. The British are not always so restrained!”
A friend of mine used to see away a bottle before grace. FAOD he’s English, not French.
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24th over: England 99-3 (Morgan 27, Buttler 3) Three singles, then Morgan takes a pigeon step down and clouts a drive over cover and into the fence. That was very, very good.
“I’m secretly hoping that Morgan ends up 36 not out off of 174 balls, just because he can. And England would still be in with a chance with him captaining,” reckons Simon McMahon.
England’s greatest-ever captain being Irish is one of the most English things ever – I wonder where the Test side might be if they’d given him the gig a few years ago.
23rd over: England 91-3 (Morgan 21, Buttler 1) There’s a chance that because Buttler is now at the crease, that wicket will help England – it’ll need to. Four off the over, Buttler getting off the mark with a force behind square on the on side.
“It’s not great to see a fluid batsman such as Root struggle so badly, much like Bairstow on Friday,” says Felix Wood. “Surely at this point the slow scoring is not only having an impact now, but also putting greater pressure on the likes of Buttler lower down the order? If a batsman is going to score at under three an over then I’d prefer it to be Jos for his first 50 balls so he can get his eye in and go big thereafter? Root needs to start going aggressive now - get runs or get ou ... oh he’s just hit ten off the over. Carry on.”
Or not. And yes, it’s tricky when you’re not middling it – do you assume it’ll come, or do you have a swish and go big or go home?
WICKET! Root c Finch b Zampa 39 (England 90-3)
This is a lovely ball, tossed up then dipping and turning before Root can smother, kissing his outside edge and finding the hands of the captain who just relocated himself to slip. Excellent all-round, and ends a tortured innings.
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23rd over: England 90-2 (Root 39, Morgan 21) Later than he might’ve expected, Zampa is into the attack and finds a hint of turn immediately. England won’t mind that too much with Adil Rashid sat in the hutch...
22nd over: England 87-2 (Root 37, Morgan 20) England really need to maintain momentum, and Marsh’s second ball is taken for three by Morgan, who mistimes a drive over extra. Two singles follow, and I guess if England can keep at roughly a run a ball for another 15 overs, if Buttler were to come off they’d still set a challenging total.
“Thoroughly enjoying this old skool run rate England seems to be going with,” says Pete Salmon. “Very ‘going down a rabbit hole and seeing Graeme Wood being dismissed in the 15th over, with Ian Chappell saying, First wicket for India, it’s 1/38.’ More of it please.”
I half-expect to look out my window and see Vauxhall Chevettes, BMX Raleigh Burners and white dog turds.
21st over: England 82-2 (Root 36, Morgan 16) Stoinis continues; it’s unclear whether England’s approach against him reflects the ball not coming on or batsmen not feeling in good touch. Morgan has asked for slow, dry pitches so that England are ready for the next World Cup in India and this is absolutely that – I guess it’s fair to expect a defeat or two while players acclimatise, though makes the absence of Moeen an odd one. Anyhow, after three singles, another lovely cover drive gets Root four, and he doesn’t bother kvelling, instead coming down the track to swat Stoinis over midwicket for an absolute six. By the time he got there, he could’ve stuck that anywhere, which tells you how nicely his feet moved.
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20th over: England 69-2 (Root 25, Morgan 14) Another good over from Marsh, yielding a wide, a leg bye and three singles. A run a ball from here gets England to 250, but they’d need early wickets to have any chance of defending that.
“We live in SW France,” says Richard Hirst, “and the cheese/dessert issue is always a lively one. No problem if we’re having French friends for dinner, the cheese always comes first. But if, as tonight, it’s only British friends, then do we honour our native or adopted country?
It’s matched only by the question of bread with soup – not done at all by the French, despite the British view of them as a nation of inveterate baguette eaters. At large communal meals, the mayor, a huge Anglophile, always makes sure that the kitchen sends out bread with the soup for the British contingent. Entente cordiale in action!”
No bread with soup? Soup exists to be soaked up by bread. Someone needs to call the Hague.
19th over: England 64-2 (Root 24, Morgan 12) Though Adam Zampa bowled well yesterday, it’s Marcus Stoinis who replaces Cummins because pace is working well for Australia. England really should get after his part-timers, but won’t want to give him a wicket, and he nearly gets one when Morgan swats flat to deep square, his shot beating Cummins’ dive, but only just. England needed that four badly, and a chop to third man gives two more.
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18th over: England 57-2 (Root 23, Morgan 6) Another fine over from Marsh, just two from it, and at some point one of these batsmen needs to have a dart because Jos Buttler is waiting behind them. Not yet, but they can’t really permit another 10 overs like that.
“Just over three an over isn’t going to cut the mustard,” says Derek Stocker. “Pray tell, is this the slowest-ever start for England in an ODI?Can’t blame the batters, Australia’s deliveries are just too good!”
I’m absolutely certain England have made worse starts, but agree that the bowling has been superb.
17th over: England 55-2 (Root 22, Morgan 5) Root drives through backward point and they run three, but only one more comes from the remaining five deliveries. It’s a minute since I’ve seen an England innings so becalmed.
“What’s the record number of maidens in a 50-over innings?” asks Richard Hirst. Eight, a mark shared by Bishen Bedi of India, against East Africa in the 1975 World Cup, and Phil Simmons of West Indies, against Pakistan in 1992.
16th over: England 51-2 (Root 19, Morgan 4) Marsh offers Root a smidgeon of width and pushes off his toes to glance through point where Labuschagne dives over it, allowing England four. He comes back well, though, the remaining four balls of the over yielding just three – one to Root and two to Morgan, thanks to another misfield.
15th over: England 44-2 (Root 14, Morgan 2) Stuart Broad reckons 250 or so is defendable here, saying the pitch must be hard to bat on and should get slower and lower. I wonder how much of what we’re seeing is the track and how much is the bowling, as Broad says that the cross-seamers Cummins is bowling offer an unknown: if it hits the leather it might skid on, and if it hits the seam it might dig in and slow up. In Tests, he says, you don’t use it much as you want to preserve the state of the ball, but he likes it for bouncers in limited overs. Root will know that, having faced 46 balls for for 14 runs, he needs to deliver a score here, but this latest over yields just a single, to him via third man, and a wide.
14th over: England 42-2 (Root 13, Morgan 2) Marsh into the attack and Sams, on as sub fielder for Stoinis, dives to stop a whack from Morgan and takes enough of a wallop so that he has to leave the field himself. Marsh then raps Morgan on the pad with a slower ball and there’s an appeal, but it looked to be going over and when the umpires says not out there’s no review. So Morgan then tries to force the pace by trying to cut, only to bottom edger into the turf and just past his stumps. Maiden.
13th over: England 42-2 (Root 13, Morgan 2) When you’re relying on Pat Cummins as your bowler to target you’ve got a problem, and he quickly whips one past Root’s outside edge – but what on earth has happened to his bernies? He’s had some sort of accident – maybe he overshaved one and ended up chasing them up his face trying to get them level, but whatever it is, he now looks like a rugby league player. Maiden, and this is so good from Australia.
“Re Ben Wilks’ stay in a French ICU,” says Graham O’Reilly, “he doesn’t seem to have recovered even now. No self-respecting Frenchman, in a hospital or not, would serve the cheese AFTER the chocolate mousse.”
12th over: England 42-2 (Root 13, Morgan 2) Hazlewood continues for a sixth over, while Warne notes his surprise that Moeen isn’t playing, given a pitch that’s pretty good and should take spin. I guess OT is generally friendly to leggies, but England could probably use some extra batting, and the combo of the two makes hard to argue with the birthday boy. One off another excellent over.
“England do have a problem,” says Felix Wood, “and that problem is that Root isn’t the man to get them out of a spot of bother. I reckon the opposition are pretty happy to see him come in these days. That was a silly single, that was only called because of a mere four dot balls. I’m already dreading the Ashes.”
There’s plenty of time for Root to improve, but it’s true that he’s not as good as he once was, and we can’t really put it down to form because it’s gone on too long. Giving him the Test captaincy was an error, I think we can now say with certainty.
11th over: England 41-2 (Root 12, Morgan 2) Cummins replaces Starc and Root needs to do something here, because he’s consuming balls but can’t the scoreboard moving – unusual for him. He’s got 3 from 28 deliveries so calls for a new bat and immediately carts one just past square leg to the fence. He, and England, needed that. And that! Cummings slings down a half-volley, and it’s met with a glorious cover drive for four, then backed up with a characteristic quick single.
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10th over: England 32-2 (Root 3, Morgan 2) Are England already rebuilding? They’re grafting out there – this is some serious bowling – and only have two more batsmen after this pair, who’ll want to set a platform rather than get out because “It’s just the way I play”. Two off another fine over from Hazlewood, who diddles Morgan outside off with its final delivery. That’s the first powerplay done.
And one last one on Headingley from Dave Millington: “I watched the morning session on TV full of hope but with a difficult decision to make.
I had a ticket for a Notts v Yorkshire T20 match at Trent Bridge that afternoon. All morning I was torn – TV or Trent Bridge? As I live 15 minutes from Trent Bridge I knew I could leave the decision to the last minute but I also knew my track record on important decisions (not good….).
I was leaning toward to staying at home but then England lost wickets and were down to the last pair. Ok, decision made and off to Trent Bridge. It was a swelteringly hot day and by the time I arrived all the covered seats were taken and I ended up sitting in a section of the ground best described as a sauna with the thermostat jammed on extra hot. In my haste to get there I’d forgotten my sun hat of course, something which will surprise nobody who knows me.
I watched the first innings whilst listening, with ever increasing incredulity, to Stokes’s innings on my phone and paid no attention to the action in front of me for which I’d paid my hard-earned cash. England won, which coincided with the end of the first innings at Trent Bridge (which I’d virtually ignored) and I had a wry smile knowing that as usual I’d made the wrong decision.
By this stage I was also feeling really ill due to the heat combined with the previous night’s alcohol consumption and realised that if I stayed there I’d be in danger of overworking the St John’s staff so I made the noble decision to go home.
I got home feeling really sick and uipset with my decision to go to Trent Bridge in the first place. To top it off Notts had a thrilling last ball win.
So in the space of a few hours I managed to miss Stoke’s innings, Notts last ball win and made myself ill in the process….”
This thing of ours...
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9th over: England 30-2 (Root 2, Morgan 1) Starc’s first ball beats N3’s finest, a statuesque Morgan, then he gets down the other end with one twizzled behind on the leg side. Concerned about the lack of runs, Root then swishes at one offering a modicum of width – he misses – and that’s another good over for the Aussies.
During the last Pakistan Test, we were talking about where people were for Ben Stokes day, and I received this, from Ben Wilks, too late to publish, but it’s too good not to publish so here it is:
“I had gone to Morzine on the Thursday before the test match and had a big downhill mountain bike crash. I ended up in ICU for a week with both lungs collapsed and broken bones etc (French intensive care is amazing, not only are the staff fantastic but cheese following chocolate mousse after every meal? Sign me up). Anyway I was recovering well by the Ben Stokes day and had my iPad with me so with a convoluted set up got to watch the cricket. 6 times in that last hour I had alarms going off and nurses running in to check my heart rate, amazing day, I cried after it finished, I blame the morphine and Brie.”
8th over: England 29-2 (Root 2, Morgan 0) Australia are into this - this is what you get when you don’t muck about and just pick brilliant bowlers. Both Hazlewood and Starc fancy Root, and the former hauls him forward again before the ball departs, then a fine stop from Stoinis stops him getting down the other end and a hard cut goes straight to Maxwell at backward point. Another maiden for Hazlewood.
“On TMS Jimmy Anderson has remarked that England’s sub fielder will be gearing up for 50 overs,” says John Starbuck, “because Root won’t want to field at all today. Let’s see if he’s right. Also, according to the OED, there’s no such word as ‘metronomy’; you made it up. Well done!”
Similarly, Glenn McGrath was blessed with metronomia.
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WICKET! Roy run out (Stoinis) 21 (England 29-2)
England couldn’t allow another quiet over so Root shoved to cover and set off; Stoinis, zoning in, collects the ball on the run and on the bounce. He could go for either end but picks the strikers’ demolishing the stumps with extreme prejudice. England have a problem.
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7th over: England 28-1 (Roy 21, Root 2) After a wide, Starc beats Root with a jaffa, drawing him forward and pushing him back simultaneously before passing the outside edge. Four more dots follow...
6th over: England 28-1 (Roy 21, Root 2) Root stays down for a while, glugging down what looks like brufen and Vimto – I’m not sure we’ll see many quick singles till he’c coming up, and I’d not be surprised if he didn’t field. But he’s quickly on strike, when Roy dabs into the on side for one, only to retort by coming down and shoving to mid on; didn’t look much wrong in that. A further single follows.
5th over: England 24-1 (Roy 19, Root 0) There’s something extremely Tigger about Mitchell Starc’s bounding run-up, both in practice and principle – he’s going to enjoy inconveniencing those on the other end of it. He sends down a wicket-maiden, but England keep things moving thanks to four leg byes off Root’s buttock then, attacking the final ball of the over, he drives hard into his own knee. He’ll need a little rest after that, it looked a right sair yin.
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WICKET! Bairstow c Carey b Starc 0 (England 20-1)
That’s a classical left-arm quick’s dismissal – or would be if every left-arm, quick was as good as Mitchell Starc, who hurls one across the batsmen that he expect to swing in, and when it refuses, he’s left with no option but to nick off.
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4th over: England 20-0 (Roy 19, Bairstow 0) Roy comes down to and swishes hard enough to send a toe-ender through extra for four. England will want to show Hazlewood that his Test-match metronomy has no place here (whatever metronomy is) and perhaps that’s the start. And have a look! Roy twists the fifth ball off his toes for three, then adjusts feet to clobber one just outside off to the point fence. He’s seeing it now....
“I don’t think it is exaggerating to say Plunkett was, along with Rashid, England’s most important bowler,” says William Lane, “with their ability to take wickets in the middle overs. “For my money T. Curran is the best-equipped bowler to take over that role and while it is harsh on him, Plunkett was never going to make it to the next World Cup so they might as well give Curran the maximum time to learn his trade.”
I see that argument, I really do, but I’d have given Plunkett the chance to prove it wrong.
3rd over: England 8-0 (Roy 7, Bairstow 0) Roy shoves to midwicket, and Cummins dives over it like he’s Bobby Mimms; it runs away for a four England really needed. A wide and a single follow, and Australia will be satisfied with their start.
2nd over: England 2-0 (Roy 2, Bairstow 0) Bairstow takes a middle-stump guard; Roy was on two leg. And Hazlewood – who’s showing, once again, that serious bowling is serious bowling in any format – persuades Bairstow into a pull that drops not too far short of midwicket, then into a wild slash – that sounds worse than it is – outside off, twice. Maiden/
1st over: England 2-0 (Roy 2, Bairstow 0) Roy gets himself down the other end with a leading edge to fine leg for two, the only runs off the over.
“If football is intuitive and dynamic, you haven’t been watching Fulham!” says a “despairing already” Richard Hirst. They do, however, have a superb collection of hostelries in close proximity to the ground.
NOT OUT!
Yup, going over. The bounce at OT makes that a poor call from the umpire, as noted by Nasser.
England review...
Looking at a replay, I think Roy may get away with this...
WICKET! Roy lbw b Starc 0 (England 0-1)
This was a good ball, swinging and seaming into the batsman, but maybe a little high....
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Mitchell Starc has the meteorite...
Anyway the players are with us!
“It’s brilliant,” tweets Jamie Clarke of Sky’s coverage. “Interesting how it has such a focus on coaching and helping cricketers improve. You just don’t get this with any football coverage.”
Sky’s cricket is maybe the best any sports coverage has ever been and way better than the football, but we do need to be fair. Cricket is a repetitive and technical game, whereas football is intuitive and dynamic, so it’s trickier to offer guidance.
“Re Plunkett’s discarding,” says Matt McGillen, “it’s not that anyone thinks either of the Currans are better than Liam Plunkett right now, it’s that the Currans need experience so they are better by the time the World Cup rolls around.”
Sure, but that’s not for four years, and England places should be won, not donated. By all means phase Plunkett out, but not when he’s shown no signs of deteriorating form, and not when no one’s done enough to tax his place from him.
Another nugget from Broad: he wears a sweatband to give him a visual indicator of what his front arm is doing. I’d happily postpone the game by half an hour to get more of him talking cricket.
Cricket Auatralia have given us more gen on Smith: “Steve passed both assessments, but we have decided to rest him as an extra precaution in line with our high level of focus on duty of care to all players”.
“Could Eoin Morgan and Josh Hazlewood swap sides, then we could have a proper J v M game!” returns Richard Hirst.
I’d not noticed that. Friday’s game, which featured Moeen and Mark Wood, might’ve been contested by the fewest different forename first-letters ever.
“Feel we can’t start the day without a Bobness tribute,” says Richard Hirst, “so picking up the sun reference, rather than cricket, ‘The sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken’.”
And money doesn’t talk, it swears.
This new feature where kids send in their action is so good. It’s got Broad talking about yorkers, and how the slingier the action the easier the skill, and how when he’s tired, he focuses on keeping his arm high and straight.
“I’m lying on the settee with the Tour de France on the telly, the Guardian OBO on my phone, recording the Tuscan GP and the NFL starts at six,” says @TAFKAAB. “It’s going to be one hell of a day.”
You’re lucky/unlucky not to like football.
On which point, what a pleasure it is to have Stuart Broad in commentary. One of the joys of venerable old men is that they can speak honestly and fearlessly, because they’ve earned the political capital and everyone knows that whatever they say comes from a good place.
“I see Finn (who I queried on a previous OBO for his lack of pace only to be informed he was bowling reduced-pace cutters and can still hit the high 80s) is the leading wicket taker in the T20 Blast this season,” emails Tom van der Gucht. “It would be a great story if he got a white-ball England recall (in both T20 and ODIs) in a similar role to Plunkett, to make things happen during the middle overs. Older, wilier, still (hopefully) possessing disconcerting pace and bounce to enforce a few wickets.”
I love Finn, who’s sort of the reverse-Buttler: someone with the ability to be a superstar, but from whom it got away after a brilliant start. Graeme Smith is frequently noted as the man who retired England captains, but – in mine – his biggest impact of that ilk was undermining Finn’s confidence during the stump-kneeing incident. Finn is, incidentally, a brilliant talker about the game in both technical and mental aspect, and seems an absolute gent.
Teams!
England: 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (captain), 5 Jos Buttler (wk), 6 Sam Billings, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Tom Curran, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Jofra Archer.
Australia: 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (captain), 3 Marcus Stoinis, 4 Marnus Labuschagne, 5 Mitchell Marsh, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood.
I still can’t quite grasp how easily Plunkett was discarded. I can sort of see why a contract wasn’t forthcoming, though he’d indisputably earned one, but I can’t fathom why he wasn’t kept about. When the aforementioned matchwinning partnership was under construction, who wouldn’t have fancied him having a shy?
A question: is Tom Curran even close to as good as Liam Plunkett is good?
Australia are unchanged, as might be expected after an excellent performance last time out. Mitchell Starc looked in discomfort on Friday and this morning, but stays in the side, and Aaron Finch was particularly impressed with how Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell built what proved to be the matchwinning partnership. Steve Smith is still absent.
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England win the toss and will bat.
It’s the same track as the other day, which “had no demons in it”, but might wear a little later on. England were surprised there wasn’t more spin on Friday, and leave out Mark Wood, who hasn’t recovered as well as they’d like, and Moeen Ali for tactical reasons; they’re replaced by the brothers Cuzza.
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Right then, eyes down for the tosssss......
Preamble
If I wasn’t so ill with middle-aged nostalgia, I’d mock myself for the recency bias implicit in my feeling that 50-over cricket has never been so thrillingly compelling. It’s true that we don’t have Richards, Sehwag, Ponting, Murali or Warne, but it’s not really about the individuals – though we have more devastating ones than ever before – rather the format. As skills, thought and knowhow have developed, the game have done likewise, its phases, nuances and contours now far more likely to deliver a refreshing, complex and profound narrative than ever before.
Friday’s ODI was a prime example of this new world. It would’ve been hard to conceive of such a match even 10 years ago not just because Old Trafford was being redeveloped, and we’ve every reason to expect more of the same today. Because both sides have ridiculous firepower with bat and ball, neither can expect to silence all of the opposition’s champions, and as a consequence, we can legitimately anticipate another belter. So draw the curtains, pull down the blinds, and make the most of the September sun.
Play: 1pm
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