Ali Martin's match report
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One last email, or two
Here’s Adam Peake. “Buttler drops Blackwood, West Indies win the first Test of the summer,” he notes. “Buttler drops Maxwell, Australia win the final game of a wonderful summer of cricket. Thanks for all your commentary and writing, great stuff. Be well.” Thanks, you too.
And here’s Lola Jones. “I was trying to finish writing my personal statement for my uni application,” she says, “but was instead glued to my phone the last few hours hoping England would make it! So much for getting it finished before the last minute.” The last minute is the very best time to do it. Never mind uni – you have a bright future as a live-blogger.
The heroes of 2020
So the series went to the last over, and the summer went to the last warm September evening. Immense credit goes to the ECB and their overseas counterparts, to Manchester and Southampton, to Lancashire and Hampshire CCC, to two overworked groundsmen, and even (grudgingly) to the English weather.
To Jason Holder and Ben Stokes, the captains who got the ball rolling, and all the others who tossed a coin or changed the bowling – Joe Root and Eoin Morgan, Andy Balbirnie, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam, and Aaron Finch, who became the only one of those visiting captains to win a series. All of them were dignified, statesmanlike, and straightforward – can they please run for office in due course?
Credit too to Sky and the BBC, which brought cricket back to a wide audience. To all the commentators, led by Michael Holding and Ebony Rainford-Brent with their superb testimony for Black Lives Matter. To all the fans who couldn’t be there, but were absolutely there in spirit, cheering on Woakes and Buttler, Anderson’s 600th and Broad’s 500th, Zak Crawley’s 267. I’m in grave danger of thanking everyone, as people do at the Oscars. And the winner is ... cricket.
Thanks for reading, for writing, for following and for caring. It’s been a treat.
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A reader's summary of the summer
“So much,” says Jota Jony, “for my observation of this being an anticlimax. You were right to call this - amazing partnership which almost contrived to throw away, again! A strange gamble from Morgan but simply incredible, incredible!. A summer for the ages. Phew.” Nicely done. Are you after my job?
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The series belongs to Maxwell
Most of the match feels like it took place several days ago, but there are others who need mentioning in dispatches. Adam Zampa was very good (unlike his hair), luring Morgan and Buttler into soft dismissals, caught in the ring. Mitch Starc started the match by taking two wickets in two balls and finished it by walloping 11 off three. Chris Woakes batted beautifully and bowled well. Mark Wood took a great catch under the highest pressure. Eoin Morgan came out with two strokes of genius, bowling Root early and Rashid late (his third and final gamble, keeping Rashid on at the death, didn’t go so well). But the day belonged to Alex Carey and Glenn Maxwell. On Sunday one of them had been constipated and the other not even that, but today they were majestic, and they put together one of the all-time great one-day partnerships.
Maxwell, who made 77 in the first game, was pivotal to both Australia’s victories, and he deservedly wins Player of the Series. “I just feel really calm at the crease,” he says, which is a massive victory of another kind after his mental troubles.
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Damn cricket!
“Damn cricket,” says Kat Petersen. “I’m trying to have an extremely nice dinner in Jersey for my 40th birthday and we’re now glued to an app each in the hope that Australia won’t ruin the evening.” They haven’t ruined it! They’ve played an absolute blinder. (But also, happy birthday – hope you’re allowed more than five guests.)
Steve Waugh used to say that if you’re going to lose, at least make sure it takes a good performance to do it – and England did that, as Bairstow, Billings and Woakes rescued them from their worst-ever first two balls in an ODI. We’ve had 600 runs in the day, and the richest entertainment. We’ve even Joe Root collecting more wickets (two) than balls faced (one).
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Australia win! By three wickets, with two balls to spare
Starc, who got a golden duck on Sunday, is the hero here with six, one, and a sweep for four. England lose a home series, for once, as Australia seal the victory that Carey and Maxwell deserved with that fabulous partnership of 212.
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49.3 overs: Australia 301-7 (Cummins 4, Starc 7) Single to Cummins. England are desperate for a dot.
49.2 overs: Australia 300-7 (Cummins 3, Starc 7) Starc loft-wafts Rashid for... a single. Three needed off four. The gamble isn’t working.
49.1 overs: Australia 299-7 (Cummins 3, Starc 6) After a superb over from Archer, Morgan goes with ... Rashid! And Starc hits his first ball for six! Unbelievable. Australia’s to lose now.
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Wicket!! Carey c Wood b Archer 106 (Australia 293-7)
49th over: Australia 293-7 (Cummins 3, Starc 0) Cummins squeezes another single, doing his duty, giving Carey the strike. Morgan is taking his time. Archer bowls a wide-ish one and gets away with it as Carey strikes thin air. And again – but this is a wide, just. Ten needed from seven. And Carey is caught!! At third man, by Wood – a fabulous diving take, off the very shot that nearly did for Carey all those hours ago. You couldn’t make this up. Australia need ten off the last over.
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Mid-49th over: Australia 291-6 (Carey 106, Cummins 2) Cummins takes another single as Archer returns. Carey drives, handsomely, but Tom Curran at mid-off saves three. Archer strikes Cummins on the arm – ouch. Australia need 12 off nine.
48th over: Australia 289-6 (Carey 105, Cummins 1) Carey sweeps Rashid for two, then pokes for a single. Australia need 15 from 13 as Pat Cummins faces his first ball, after sitting through a stand of 212. Cummins manages a single, down the ground. Terrific stuff from Rashid, and Morgan, but Australia are still in the driving seat. They need 14 from 12 balls.
Wicket!! Maxwell c Curran b Rashid 108 (Australia 285-6)
Maxwell top-edges Rashid – twice! And the second one is an easy chance for Tom Curran (who juggles it) at backward point. The gamble has paid off. End of a great innings.
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47th over: Australia 282-5 (Carey 101, Maxwell 106) Somewhere in there, Woakes beats Carey outside off, but again the edge eludes England Australia need only 21 now, off three overs, so the rate is down to a very manageable seven. England can only get back into this by taking wickets. And Rashid is loosening up! Not Root?
And Carey's hundred!
Another ball, another milestone. Carey shovels to leg for a single and he has 100 off 106. Since he got to 40, he’s been excellent, cool and calm.
The 200 partnership!!
Brought up by a six from Carey, off Woakes. This is phemonenal.
46th over: Australia 271-5 (Carey 93, Maxwell 103) Throw in a few singles and that’s 11 off Curran’s over. The partnership is 197 – scarcely believable. That no-ball is looking horribly expensive, although the delivery from Archer might not have drawn the error if it had been bowled from a few inches further back. Australia need 32 from 24 balls, and they are firm favourites now.
Maxwell's silver hundred
Needing five to reach his century, Maxwell lofts Curran for six. He goes to 101 off 84 balls with seven sixes and four fours. He’s been immense.
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45th over: Australia 260-5 (Carey 90, Maxwell 95) It’s a double change as Woakes returns. The plan is off-cutters, but these two have got their eyes so well in now, they can adjust. The closest England get to some joy is an appeal for a run-out as Sam Billings fires in an Exocet from deep square, but Carey’s dive is equal to it. Australia need 43 off 30 balls, and both men are in the nineties. Please can they be nervous.
“In reply to Geoff Wignall,” says Brian Withington, “can I suggest a third lesson of the summer without endorsing the second - #3 Buttler to hang up the tin gloves in all forms.” Ouch.
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44th over: Australia 252-5 (Carey 86, Maxwell 91) It’s Curran, after a lengthy conference, at which he is joined by Woakes and Archer as well as Morgan. His over goes dot, one, appeal for caught behind (off the hip), one – and then a four, as Maxwell waits for a slower ball and carves it over mid-off. One more single, and even a good over has gone for seven. The force is with Australia: Obi Eoin is going to have to pull out something special.
“This evening,” says someone on Twitter, “marks six months since theatres across the UK shut, due to Covid.” It’s a big worry, what’s happening to the arts. But the theatre is alive and well – it’s just staging cricket matches.
43rd over: Australia 245-5 (Carey 85, Maxwell 86) Morgan is sticking with pace at both ends, and it’s giving the batsmen something to work with. Maxwell tickles Wood for four, and then there are five singles. Australia need 58 from 42 balls. Time, surely, for Woakes or Curran – Bendicks Bittermints or liquorice allsorts.
42nd over: Australia 236-5 (Carey 83, Maxwell 80) Archer follows Carey as he steps away to leg and is frustrated to find a wide called. Archer fights back with a yorker and a length ball, both dots. Carey, sensing the short one, steps away again and upper-cuts for four. A chip, not off the middle, but it lands safely for a single. A slower ball, and Maxwell slashes for two. Another yorker, arrow-straight, and Maxwell whips it for a single. Nine from the over. Australia need 8.38 off the remaining eight - 67 off 48 balls. This is riveting.
41st over: Australia 227-5 (Carey 78, Maxwell 77) Carey cuts Wood for a single and that’s the 150 partnership, off 144 balls. Formidable stuff. But then Wood beats Carey outside off, angling it across him, and Maxwell too misses as he steps away to take a big swing. Five off the over – pretty good, Wood. Australia need 76 off 54 balls.
40th over: Australia 222-5 (Carey 77, Maxwell 74) Morgan takes Rashid off and brings on Archer. He was the bowler who had Carey caught by Rashid at third man, only to find it was a no-ball. Carey plays the same shot again, with more control, and beats Rashid’s despairing sprint. Australia need 81 from the last ten overs. England badly need that wicket: they may have to turn to Root.
39th over: Australia 216-5 (Carey 72, Maxwell 73) Morgan is checking with the umpire to see how many overs each bowler has left. The good thing about giving Root as many as eight is that it provides flexibility now: if anyone gets carted, Morgan can take him off. Wood’s radar has a wobble as he dishes up two wides, and Australia need 87 off 66 balls. You’ll never guess what England had at this stage: yes, 216-5.
“Evening Tim,” says Simon McMahon. “England on boundary count back after a Super Over?”
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38th over: Australia 209-5 (Carey 68, Maxwell 72) When Rashid tosses up his leg-break, Maxwell is beaten outside off, but he instantly forgets about that and lofts another six over midwicket. What an innings this is. Australia need 93 off 12 overs at a rate of just under eight. The PA, rising to the occasion, plays Talking Heads’ Psycho Killer.
37th over: Australia 201-5 (Carey 67, Maxwell 65) Morgan summons Wood, but even his pace can’t bring the breakthrough. It’s as if all Morgan’s bowling-change magic was used up in those wickets for Root.
“Good evening Tim” Good evening to you, Geoff Wignall. “If England win this then thank goodness for Bairstow’s knock. Without it there might be no choice but to make Woakes man of the match and that would never do.” Ha.
“Lessons of the summer. #1 Buttler to bat at 6 in tests. #2 Buttler to open against the white ball. Has he made the Wisden 5 yet?” Yes! I wrote the piece myself.
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36th over: Australia 196-5 (Carey 64, Maxwell 64) Rashid continues, and Maxwell continues to looking like a man who sorely misses the old hotel buffet. He lifts the first ball for possibly the biggest six of the summer – over a sign that says “Fly better”. Can’t fly better than that. A few singles, and that’s ten off the over: Rash has gone for 40 off his five. Australia need 107 off 84 balls. England need wickets.
Here’s Brian Withington, bearing poetry. “A bit of warm weather at this time of year,” he says, “always has me recalling Thomas Hardy’s description of the Mayor of Casterbridge’s wife, Susan Henchard, enjoying a Martinmas in life – a late Indian summer of melancholic contentment. In passing, this is looking like a procession for Australia now. Surely they can’t fail to get across the line this time?” You’re not resorting to the curse of the commentator, are you?
35th over: Australia 186-5 (Carey 62, Maxwell 56) Morgan gambles, as he does, by keeping Woakes on. The batsmen again treat him with respect, taking only two, so Australia need 117 off 90 balls. Perfectly feasible, if these two stay together for a bit.
34th over: Australia 184-5 (Carey 61, Maxwell 55) Maxwell clonks Rashid, mis-timing it, but the single brings up the hundred partnership. And then he brings up his fifty with a six over the short boundary. It’s been a sparkling knock. That’s 12 off the over, and Australia need 119 off 16 overs. They’re almost the favourites now.
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33rd over: Australia 172-5 (Carey 57, Maxwell 47) Before getting into that bizarre tangle, Maxwell reached 3000 runs in ODIs. He’s a thrilling player on his day, and it has been his day twice in the past week. He and Carey take two singles each off Woakes, hoping to see him off for now. Australia need 131 off 17 overs.
32nd over: Australia 168-5 (Carey 55, Maxwell 45) Adil, it turns out, was just changing ends. Maxwell goes for a big mow, misses or maybe nicks it, but Buttler can’t take it cleanly – and UltraEdge shows that it was dropped. Maxwell tries a reverse sweep, misses, falls over, and there’s a review for LBW, not given – it was plumb, but the ball hit the wristband (which counts as part of the glove), not the arm (which would have been out). Maxwell survives, even if his dignity doesn’t. And that’s drinks, with Australia threatening a classic heist.
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31st over: Australia 163-5 (Carey 51, Maxwell 44) Adil Rashid only gets two overs, where Joe Root got eight. Interesting, Back comes Chris Woakes, and Carey plays a stylish pull to reach fifty off 58 balls. He’s been much better in the past ten minutes. Woakes, finding his mojo again, beats Maxwell outside off. This is now a good contest, and it may yet be the finale the summer of 2020 deserves.
30th over: Australia 158-5 (Carey 46, Maxwell 44) Morgan, needing to make something happen, turns to Mark Wood. Carey enjoys the extra pace and uses it to steer for four through the slips, which are inexplicably vacant.
“How do you think [Lawrence] Booth will choose the five Wisden cricketers of the year?” wonders Rob Razzell. “How did you do it back in the day? I guessed four out of the five last year, but this year I’m stumped... Jason Holder... um... Tom Banton perhaps – what do you think?” Personally, I picked the people who had owned that year – Michael Vaughan and Adam Hollioake. Then, among the more marginal options, went for players who had built a big career – Nasser Hussain, Matthew Hayden and Shaun Pollock. Lawrence has a problem I didn’t have, in that most of England’s star players have already been chosen. Even so, I wouldn’t bet on Banton.
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29th over: Australia 151-5 (Carey 41, Maxwell 43) Rashid bowls a long hop and Maxwell can’t believe he’s pulled it to square leg for no run. His strike rate is 116, to Carey’s 80: Maxwell’s silver hammer is coming down on England’s head.
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28th over: Australia 146-5 (Carey 37, Maxwell 42) For a one-day specialist, Carey is not good at rotating the strike. After a row of dots, he finally manages to guide Curran to third man, whereupon Maxwell launches a pent-up on-drive for six. The fact that he comes in after Carey is looking like a miscarriage of justice. But they’re still there, and Australia are only two behind England at the same stage (148-4).
27th over: Australia 139-5 (Carey 35, Maxwell 36) At last, Root comes off, giving way to England’s premier spinner, Adil Rashid. He makes a confident start before Carey sweeps him for a wind-assisted six that just evades Root at deep square. The partnership is 65 off 61 balls. England are still favourites, but...
26th over: Australia 130-5 (Carey 29, Maxwell 34) Maxwell, facing Curran, plays the shot of the innings, a lovely delicate glide through a narrow gap at backward point.
John Vegancatering is back for more. “If your guess turns out to be true,” he writes, “imagine 5 tests in India! Could we all please make a small prayer for Leach and Rashid and Bess in the tour party?? At last England have some really good spinners, we must use them. All the best, John (my surname is not my job) Christiansen.” Ha. And let’s not forget Moeen Ali, who has taken plenty of Indian wickets in his time.
25th over: Australia 122-5 (Carey 28, Maxwell 28) It’s Root again! I don’t believe it. Maxwell, after being tied down for two balls, tucks in with a straight six. Carey adds a late cut and that’s eight off the over. That’s the halfway stage, with Australia clawing their way out of a nightmare. And Morgan confounding everyone by giving Root nearly a third of the overs so far. “That’s enough I think,” says David Lloyd, gently.
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24th over: Australia 114-5 (Carey 27, Maxwell 21) Tom Curran finally concedes a run off his ninth ball as Carey, hemmed in, pulls out the reverse sweep. He’s not great at giving the strike back to Maxwell, but he redeems himself with a cuff for four past cover. The partnership is a promising 41.
23rd over: Australia 108-5 (Carey 22, Maxwell 20) Morgan mysteriously rejects my advice and opts for one more over from Root, who bowls his first really amateurish ball – a half-tracker which is pulled for four by a grateful Carey. Root now has two for 38 off seven overs.
“Living in Sweden,” says Julian Menz, “I have followed the cricketing summer as closely as possible, and not always 100% legally (a big shout to our Sri Lankan neighbour and his forest of satelite bowls, antennae, and frankly rather dodgy links).” Ha.
“I can only echo others who have said much the same, but cheers to the West Indies, Pakistan, the Aussies, for making a summer of great cricket possible in these trying times. Even my 5-year-old daughter has taken to using her mini ice-hockey club as a cricket bat, and the local wildlife might well be surprised by the proliferation of bald tennis balls in the adjacent forest.” Not, presumably, the forest of dishes?
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22nd over: Australia 100-5 (Carey 16, Maxwell 18) At the other end, Archer has a breather, after bowling better than his figures (6-0-41-0) are willing to admit. On comes Tom Curran, bearing dots – five of them, as Alex Carey takes no risks. In fact, it’s a maiden. Maybe Carey has worked out that it’s all down to this partnership.
21st over: Australia 100-5 (Carey 16, Maxwell 18) It’s still Root, who is threatening to do Adil Rashid out of a job, but not threatening the bat as much as he was. Time for a change.
So, Michael Klinski, you asked about England’s winter. Nothing is fixed yet, and prediction is even more of a mug’s game than usual, but the assumption is that England will tour India, for five Tests circa February. Maybe Sri Lanka as well, for the two Tests that were postponed in March; and maybe South Africa for some one-layers before Christmas. But nobody knows anything.
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20th over: Australia 95-5 (Carey 12, Maxwell 17) Carey celebrates his reprieve by swiping the free hit for three. And then Maxwell top-edges, almost deliberately, for four, over Jos Buttler’s head. Nine off the over, and maybe the Aussies see a glimmer at the end of the tunnel. That no-ball, by the way, was the first Jofra had ever bowled in an ODI.
Non-wicket! Carey caught off a no-ball
Archer persuades Carey to steer to third man – but it’s a big no-ball. Is that a turning point?
19th over: Australia 86-5 (Carey 9, Maxwell 12) Another good over from Root, who is threatening to bowl his full ten. I put it to you that he should be treated as an all-rounder in Tests, which will mean that England can replace Dom Bess with the more testing Jack Leach. And his glasses, which have now been immortalised by a nine-year-old.
18th over: Australia 83-5 (Carey 8, Maxwell 10) Australia desperately need a counter-attack: cometh the hour, cometh Glenn Maxwell. As Morgan tries to go for the kill by bringing back Archer, Maxwell’s eyes light up and he lofts a six over the short boundary. Great start.
And here’s Michael Klinski. “Sitting here in my home-office in South Dakota,” he begins, “and trying to console myself that this game doesn’t spell the end of English cricket until next summer. What’s the latest on England’s hopes for a tour this winter?” Perhaps I can answer that when the game calms down a bit.
17th over: Australia 73-5 (Carey 8, Maxwell 0) Morgan persists with Root, and Labuschagne seizes on a half-volley to cover-drive for four. That was a hockey player’s shot. Then there’s a near run-out, then an actual run-out, so the decision to keep Root on pays off, indirectly.
Wicket!! Labuschagne run out Billings 20 (Australia 73-5)
What?! Labuschagne, having just survived one ill-advised run, succumbs to another one as Sam Billings fires in a fine throw from midwicket. The Aussies are turning a drama into a calamity.
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16th over: Australia 67-4 (Labuschagne 15, Carey 7) Six off the over from Wood, who is bowling very fast but comes closest to a wicket when he slows down a bit. He nearly lures Labuschagne into a drag-on as he drives at a wide off-cutter without remembering to move his feet.
15th over: Australia 64-4 (Labuschagne 13, Carey 6) Root’s magic may be fading like September sunshine: he concedes his first four as Carey plays a beefy sweep. And that’s drinks, with everything Eoin Morgan touches turning to gold.
“As glorious a summer and series as this has been,” says Jota Jony, “it is proving to be a hugely disappointing anticlimax. Oh well, feast often precedes famine, as it were.” Still time for a proper finale. England didn’t exactly start well, Labuschagne can play the anchor, and the man who made Australia’s highest score in the series so far, Glenn Maxwell, is still to come.
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14th over: Australia 56-4 (Labuschagne 10, Carey 1) Alex Carey comes out to find Mark Wood bowling 95mph at one end, and Joe Root taking wickets for fun at the other, but he survives. That’s a maiden. Meanwhile Root can’t stop smiling, which is fair enough. He’s taken more wickets today than he faced deliveries.
13th over: Australia 56-4 (Labuschagne 10, Carey 1) Mitch Marsh, so staunch in the first match of this series, had got off the mark with a neat lap for two, but that was all he had to offer. And now Joe Root has figures of 2-0-8-2. C’mon Aussies, give us a game.
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Wicket!! Marsh c Buttler b Root 2 (Australia 55-4)
It’s a rout! By Root! Bat, pad, pop up, dolly. I know Eoin Morgan’s a great captain, but this is ridiculous.
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12th over: Australia 52-3 (Labuschagne 9, Marsh 0) After his gamble on Root paid off, you’d expect Morgan to go for the kill and post a few slips. But he keeps it cautious for Wood, with no close catchers, even though he’s steaming in. Just a single off the over.
11th over: Australia 51-3 (Labuschagne 8, Marsh 0) When Root came on, Shane Warne said: “Bash him out of the attack!” As it was, he bashed Warner out of the game.
Wicket!! Warner b Root 24 (Australia 51-3)
ROOOOOT! He’s just a part-time off-spinner, not seen in this series till now – but he finds some big turn, as Warner steps away top leg, and gets those illuminated bails jumping.
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10th over: Australia 47-2 (Warner 23, Labuschagne 6) Morgan decides to keep six overs of Jofra up his sleeve and turns to his other fast man, Mark Wood. Like Archer, he makes an expensive start – Labuschagne punches for two, then Warner flicks for four, but Wood bounces back, beating Warner with a jaffa. And the Powerplay ends with England on top, but two dangermen at the crease.
“Loving the OBO as always.” Thank you, John Vegancatering (I take it that’s your real name). “You have the best job that I know of.” We do. “Surely Chris Woakes and Adil Rashid are the first names on the team sheet?? Also, I think Bairstow has just saved his international career for which I am, as a Yorkie, very very thankful.”
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9th over: Australia 40-2 (Warner 19, Labuschagne 3) More respect for Woakes – a few ones and a couple of dots. The Aussies have a cunning plan: they’re going to get ’em in singles.
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8th over: Australia 36-2 (Warner 16, Labuschagne 1) Someone needs to make a hundred here, and both these two have it in them. Warner is an all-or-nothing player who owes his team runs; Labuschagne is a more of an all-or-40 merchant, phenomenally consistent for a relative beginner. Just the one run off this over from Archer, who went for 14 off his first and only nine off the last three.
7th over: Australia 35-2 (Warner 16, Labuschagne 1) Woakes, who is now being treated with the respect he deserves, goes for only two singles.
And here’s Abhijato Sensarma, coming off his full run. “An English cricketing summer is greater than the sum of its parts, and the last one was the greatest of all. 2020, on the other hand, has proven that a cricketing summer is also stranger than the sum of its parts. This year gave us what we never knew we missed about the sport - the Denly debates, rants about poor light, and speculating about Anderson’s future even as he reached another milestone. It also gave us unexpected joy in the form of resilient opponents and mercurial collapses. It gave us the heroic Stokes, the resurgent Buttler, the youthful Crawley, the classy Blackwood, the exuberant Zampa, and the ageless Hafeez. But most importantly, this sport brought back the feeling of familiar comfort in our lives with its mere presence. Cheers, and long live cricket!” Are you Neville Cardus in disguise?
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6th over: Australia 33-2 (Warner 15, Labuschagne 0) Archer is fit to continue – he’s not going to pass up the chance to terrorise Warner, who nearly perishes to a Harrow drive, staying back to a fast fierce full one.
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5th over: Australia 31-2 (Warner 13, Labuschagne 0) Stoinis had just crashed a drive through Jofra Archer’s grasp at mid-off. He did get a hand to it, and may well regret it as he’s now trotting off the field, with David Lloyd saying he saw some blood. Hang on, he’s back. And Woakes has got rid of Stoinis, who seems to have thought he was playing Twenty20.
Wicket!! Stoinis c Morgan b Woakes 4 (Australia 31-2)
Another one! A slower ball, a simple chip to midwicket, and Stoinis has gone the same way Morgan and Buttler did earlier – all too tamely, given this handsome pitch. Woakes is on fire.
Photograph: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
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4th over: Australia 27-1 (Warner 13, Stoinis 0) Warner faces his nemesis, Archer. He drives him for four, fends unhappily at a short one, then punches for two. He’s not in form yet, but he’s pulsating with intent.
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3rd over: Australia 21-1 (Warner 7, Stoinis 0) Well done Woakes, who has one for seven off his two overs. He seems to be making a blatant bid for Player of the Match, which he could easily have been on Sunday, only to see it go to his new-ball partner.
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Wicket! Finch lbw b Woakes 12 (Australia 21-1)
Got him! Woakes nips one back, the finger goes up, there’s no review, the dangerous Finch has gone and for once in this series, David Warner has outlasted him.
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2nd over: Australia 18-0 (Warner 4, Finch 12) It’s Jofra Archer, of course – Morgan knows his opening pair and trusts them to the hilt. Jofra’s quick, 90ish, but not yet as accurate as usual – he goes wide, wide, dot, dot, four, four, as Finch tucks into a couple of half-volleys. He’s already bowled six balls and there are still two left. One is a slower ball, craftily done. The last is an edge – but another four, as Finch flashes over the two slips. Aussies on top, although there’s a long way to go.
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Thanks Tanya, hello everyone and sorry this paragraph is the wrong side of the one before – I nipped out for a rather ill-timed walk.
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1st over: Australia 4-0 (Warner 4, Finch 0) Woakes, after that dreamy cameo, takes the new ball – and his first delivery goes for four as Warner, clipping to leg, gives him a taste of his own medicine. Woakes recovers with five dots, but Australia’s start is already a whole lot better than England’s.
Whenever you feel England might be slipping behind the rate, they always find someone to pull them through. Here it was Chris Woakes, with the help of Adil Rashid, who drew out of his stylish man bag some truly innovative strokes . A brilliant hundred by Jonny Bairstow kept the tempo up through the innings and Sam Billings has done his chances of future selection no harm at all. All Australia’s bowlers had their moments but Adam Zampa was the pick again - clever and smart, finishing with 3-51.
Time for a cup of tea here. Thanks for all your emails, Tim de Lisle will lead you through the final strokes of the summer. I wager it will be a tight one.
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50th over: England 302-7 (Woakes 53, Rashid 11) Oh Chris Woakes, most elegant! Somehow he turns a lap into a fine outside edge via a sidestep and a wiggle. Another four comes through backward point, his fifty arrives off just 38 balls. A great total by England - magic recovery from 0-2 after two balls of the innings.
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49th over: England 288-7 (Woakes 39, Rashid 11) Wowzers! Rashid takes a punt, shuffles wides of his stumps and plays an astonishing golf shot over square leg. SIX! The only boundary of the over. Starc stops just as he’s about to deliver to warn Rashid not to steal a single.
48th over: England 276-7 (Woakes 34, Rashid 4) Rashid somehow survives a beautiful Hazlewood yorker. A sensational over, just five from it.
Two emails arrive simultaneously. “I’ve learned from TMS today that Australians call ‘putting the mockers on someone” is “mozzing”, taps John Starbuck, “So thanks Neil Withers for mozzing Tom Curran!” “Sorry everyone” says a bashful Neil Withers.
47th over: England 272-7 (Woakes 33, Rashid 1) An eventful over, after the six over cow corner, and the reverse-swinging yorker, Woakes elegantly wafts Starc over extra cover for four. One for the style-council.
WICKET! Tom Curran b Starc 19
The ball after smashing him for six, Curran is undone by a yorker to die for, as he prepares to have a swing.
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46th over: England 260-6 (Woakes 28, Tom Curran 13) Woakes falls elegantly down on one knee to drive but misses a full toss. Recovers his poise to dance into a cut off Hazlewood over backward point for four. Then Starc falls on his ankle fielding on the boundary - slipping and tumbling - shades of Glenn McGrath in 2005 at Edgbaston. It feels so undignified for a fast bowler.
“Afternoon Tanya, afternoon everyone.” Hello Neil Withers!
“Can I just point out that as Tom Curran is scoring more runs, his batting average (46.83) is sneaking up to his highest score (47)? Join me in some polite (and socially distant) applause when they draw level!”
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45th over: England 248-6 (Woakes 22, Tom Curran 9) Woakes chips Starc over his head but only gets the single. Just a couple more of those to add to the score and Starc is bowling smart. Five overs left - time for some acceleration.
The phantom Steve Smith appears, this time on the Australian balcony. I’m pretty sure he’s dozing, but with sunglasses on it is hard to tell.
“I enjoyed the articles about Jack Leech’s glasses and Vicky Holland’s bronze medal,” writes Chris Lamb. “Congratulations to both winners! Any chance we’ll see some of the other entries?” I don’t know Chris, but I’ll ask.
44th over: England 246-6 (Woakes 20, Tom Curran 8) Woakes, as if swinging open the arms of a compass, pips Marsh back over his head. He innovates through the rest of the over with a couple from a hook with his head hidden by his arms. Six to go.
43rd over: England 236-6 (Woakes 13, Tom Curran 7) Woakes slams a four into that short boundary, nine from Cummins over.
42nd over: England 225-6 (Woakes 6, Tom Curran 3) End of a super spell from Zampa. An outside edge off Curran’s bat to his penultimate ball, one that zips in from outside leg, would have been grabbed by a slip, had there been one. He finishes with 3-51.
“Given the pitch and conditions, what do you rate as a decent score for England to defend?” asks Richard Mansell. The commentators have said that the last 8 matches played at Old Trafford have been won by the side batting first, throw in dew, early-autumn darkness, the short boundary and England’s refusal to die - I’m guessing they would want 270 as a minimum - though there was talk of 320 when Bairstow was still in.
41st over: England 221-6 (Woakes 4, Tom Curran 1) Brilliant innings there by Bairstow, fluent and intelligent, after his mind-over-batter effort earlier in the series. Immediately puts the breaks on England - just one run from the over. Great little stat on Zampa.
Adam Zampa is first spinner for Australia to take 10 wickets in a three-match ODI series. Also, no spinner has taken more wickets for AUS against ENG in a series of any length. #EngvAus
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) September 16, 2020
WICKET! Bairstow b Cummins 112 (126 balls, 2 x 6, 10 x 4)
From nowhere, Bairstow foxed by Cummins who squeezes through the gap between arm and pad, ball exploding into the stump.
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40th over: England 220-5 (Woakes 4, Bairstow 112) Just four singles from Zampa’s over and we move into the final chorus.
39th over: England 216-5 (Woakes 2, Bairstow 110) Great work from Mitch Marsh, a couple of slower balls, on the money. Just one from the over.
An email arrives: “While I was enjoying the imagery of the undulating material on Starc’s trousers and your son rapping on the door like an angry debt collector, a question occurred to me about Bairstow, sparked by Abhijato’s comment. Has YJB’s technique visibly changed since he kept being bowled out last season? I’ve barely seen any live England cricket to observe him myself, though not sure I’d know what to look for.”
Hmmm, Oliver Haill, I’m not claiming to be a technical expert here - some of you will have a far better eye than me. Though from memory his particularly long run of being bowled came in red-ball rather than white-ball cricket. No-one could ever fault Bairstow’s work ethic, or talent, so my hunch is that whatever the problem, he’ll find a way.
38th over: England 215-5 (Woakes 1, Bairstow 110) Zampa gets his man, though Bairstow pulls back some of the advantage with a dreamy extra-cover drive for four.
WICKET! Billings c Marsh b Zampa 57
A reverse-sweep too far.
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A hundred for Jonny Bairstow!
37th over: England 208-4 (Billings 56, Bairstow 105) That’s the Bairstow hundred! With a six, whipped, smartly, over the short boundary, a flick of the wrists to a near-enough 90 mph ball. The next stroke is even better, four, straight, as if viciously swiping butter over his toast. That’s his tenth ODI century, and his slowest (116 balls.)
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36th over: England 196-4 (Billings 55, Bairstow 94) Zampa comes in for some stick as Billings decides that with only 14 overs left, he has to go. He zips to his fifty with a pull and flays another two boundaries, one a rank slog to cow corner, another lofted drive over mid on. Billings continuing to grasp every opportunity this series.
35th over: England 180-4 (Billings 44, Bairstow 93) Shot of the day! Billings spreads his legs and pans Starc over fine leg for six. Starc retaliates with a slower ball that deceives Billings who sends the ball billowing to cover where it lands safely.
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34th over: England 175-4 (Billings 35, Bairstow 93) Marsh resumes after the break, but England can’t crack him to the boundary.
“Jonny Bairstow has made slow starts in both his big knocks in this series,” types Abhijato Sensarma, “yet he’s made up for the dot balls along the course of his innings. Glad to see he isn’t a one-trick pony. Big anchoring blinders (substantial scores with SR just below 100) will be crucial on the slow pitches of the subcontinent!”
Yes, it’s going to come up so quickly, Covid-permitting. Each of these matches is really an audition for the slightly-fringe players. Even non-fringe players. England won’t want to drop Roy but, with Banton in the wings, he could do with some runs.
33rd over: England 168-4 (Billings 33, Bairstow 89) There’s a look of a taller, altogether chunkier Richard Hadlee to Starc’s approach as the cross wind continues to blow vigorously, undulating the material on Starc’s trousers and shirt. And that’s six! Billings slams the ball, from an almost proposal position, over the short boundary, over the car park and into the Old Trafford nets. One of the Australian squad has to be sent out in his plastic gloves to fetch it. And that’s drinks!
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32nd over: England 159-4 (Billings 25, Bairstow 88) England resort to nervy singles, and Billings has a huge swing-n-miss at Michell Marsh. Unperturbed, he pulls him next ball but it is cut off by Stoinis who stops the ball with his stomach as he lands.
31st over: England 155-4 (Billings 23, Bairstow 87) Just a single from Hazlewood’s over as Australia, somewhat surprisingly, create some pressure from nowhere. I’m sure England have got this though, they always seem to know what they’re doing.
30th over: England 154-4 (Billings 23, Bairstow 86) The clouds pull over Old Trafford and Mitch Marsh returns for his next spell. A neat, tight over, offering England little as my son raps like an angry debt collector on the door his return from school. Let’s hope for another week, another month...
29th over: England 151-4 (Billings 22, Bairstow 86) A nifty over from Hazlewood with hits of revere swing into the cross breeze. Billings comes within inches of chopping on and then tries a wild swing. Time for Bairstow to whisper some sweet words of calm?
Interesting point about Maxwell @tjaldred. I've often felt bowlers should rush batsmen more, especially in the middle overs.
— Gary Naylor (@garynaylor999) September 16, 2020
Batsmen can slow the game in response of course, but, by the time they've noticed, some damage has been done.
28th over: England 148-4 (Billings 21, Bairstow 85) England take a breath and seem to have decided to take a bite of Matthews. Billings reverse-sweep him, gloriously, then Bairstow sweeps him through the keeper’s gloves.
More on the nuanced refund debate, this time from Edward Collier. “I’m a member of MCC who was not offered any refund on my subscription, despite not having been able to attend Lord’s this year. I think the main reason they didn’t even offer it is because, prior to lockdown, the club embarked on a very expensive project rebuilding the Compton and Edrich stands, which relied to a great extent on ticket sales and which, of course, had to be refunded (and, of course, no income from hospitality either). I would have been happy to have donated my subscription, but it would have been nice to have been asked. Fellow members argue that there are still benefits from membership without attending Lord’s for matches, but as I live 98 miles from St John’s Wood I can’t really take advantage.”
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27th over: England 138-4 (Billings 16, Bairstow 81) A huge lbw appeal from Cummins against Bairstow finds favour neither with his captain or the umpires. Careful procurement again by the two Bs.
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26th over: England 136-4 (Billings 16, Bairstow 81) Maxwell has huge smile on his face as he continues to frustrate England with his ticklers. England bleed him for singles but can’t pierce the field.
From Nova Scotia, Michael Bishop writes “ I just want to thank the aussies for their guts and passion aussies are famous for... coming over in these crazy times shows what we need... six great matches that make me want to get over to coffs harbour to see my daughter... cheers to both teams!” Aye, and to West Indies and Pakistan too. Thanks for making the summer.
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25th over: England 130-4 (Billings 13, Bairstow 77) Finch brings Cummins back. Billings steals a quick single which might have been out had David Warner not fumbled in the covers. Bairstow has a huge swing and miss, suggesting a building up of frustration. We’ve reached the half way stage. England have a good base for acceleration.
24th over: England 126-4 (Billings 10, Bairstow 74) Maxwell storming through these overs, so quickly that England can’t really keep up with him. Three singles patted away.
23rd over: England 123-4 (Billings 10, Bairstow 74) Starc’s long legs gobble up miles in every stride. Bairstow drives him with outstretched arms, in quite an ugly fashion, for four. They sprint two, both extremely quick between the sticks. Starc not yet bringing the breakthrough Finch is hoping for.
“While I accept Richard O’Hagan’s point,” taps Rendel Harris. “Surrey are a very rich club, with a turnover of approximately £35M last year with £3.5M profit, I believe. We’ve been in the black every year for the last ten years, and we pay £1 a year to the Duchy of Cornwall for ground rent. It was somewhat ironic that the letter informing us of the decision on membership had in the envelope a flyer advertising the new luxury hotel Surrey are building opposite the ground! The club will not go under if they refund/roll over this year’s membership. Had they written to us explaining that they were going to go bankrupt by not refunding membership I would have probably have been happy to help, but they didn’t because they won’t. This is not some cash-strapped charity but a major and very rich business. Numerous other clubs, by the way, including Glamorgan, Northants, Leicestershire, Warwickshire and Somerset, all of whom don’t have the reserves Surrey or of the MCC, are offering refunds and/or membership rollovers. Odd that the two richest clubs in the country aren’t - guess that’s how the rich get and stay rich. I mentioned that to Karl Marx once and he said he thought there might be a book in it...”
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22nd over: England 116-4 (Billings 9, Bairstow 68) Bairstow and Billings, the chalk and cheese of English cricket, knock Maxwell for a succession of singles.
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21st over: England 112-4 (Billings 7, Bairstow 67) England milk Zampa better this over - nine from it.
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20th over: England 103-4 (Billings 6, Bairstow 58) I’ve been brought a cup of tea. Absolute nectar. If I had to give one up, I’d easily choose tea over alcohol, but can’t split tea or coffee. Like choosing an on form Bairstow or an on form Roy A nice plump four to Billings off Starc, learning quickly to make the most of this tempting short boundary.
19th over: England 97-4 (Billings 1, Bairstow 57) A most peculiar lbw review by Australia finishes the over, with the replay showing the ball lolloping off the edge of the bat. Buttler out cheaply again - T20 his forte this season.
“The sight of David Warner smiling just below the score makes me feel happy; it’s almost impossible to begrudge unconfined joy nowadays, wherever it resides.” I’m with you Alexander Pick.
WICKET! Buttler c Finch b Zampa 8
Zampa pockets another! Buttler tries to drive but a prowling Finch collects well in the covers.
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18th over: England 96-3 (Buttler 8, Bairstow 57) A first over for Mitchell Marsh and it’s a mixed bag. A cutter, then a bouncer that Bairstow ducks beneath, then four leg byes flat off the grill of Bairstow’s helmet
17th over: England 90-3 (Buttler 8, Bairstow 55) It’s a pleasure to watch Zampa spinning the ball from hand to hand before his short twinkle-toed approach. England milk him for five singles.
A very thoughtful email arrives from Richard O’Hagan, in reply to Rendell Harris :
“I’m a director of a wildlife Trust (www.hawk-conservancy.org) and also a parent of a child who is somewhat accidentally at private school. I have some sympathy with what has been said by other people, but I think that the important thing to remember is that these organisations still have costs to cover even if the country is locked down. You pay your membership, fees or whatever for the opportunity to see cricket, receive an education or watch owls by moonlight. But you also pay for the provision of the infrastructure that provides those opportunities.
“From my own perspective, we had no visitors for over three months, but we still had birds to feed, suppliers to pay, grounds to maintain and so on. When we reopened, we could not do so at full capacity, so incurred all of our usual costs with much reduced footfall.
“It is a massively difficult balancing act and I’m not surprised that some people are unhappy with the outcome, but you would lose all of these resources if the fees were simply refunded in full.”
16th over: England 75-3 (Buttler 6, Bairstow 52) With a wobbly swivel off Cummins, Bairstow snatches an inside edge down to the boundary and moves to his fifty off 48 balls. They pause for drinks.
David Gaskell, with a hat tip to AA Milne
Oh bother!” said Roy climbing the stairs.
“ Oh bother too!” said Joe scampering after him.
“Oh well “ said Roy, “ could be honey for tea”.
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15th over: England 79-3 (Buttler 5, Bairstow 47) Zampa continues. Butler doesn’t get his teeth stuck into a full toss and seems slightly mis-weighted today, as if he’s put his watch on the wrong wrist.
@tjaldred Some debate in our house about wides. If someone bowls down leg in a way that is normally signalled a wide, and gets massive turn or bounce so it manages to hit the wickets, is it out? Please help
— Simon Detheridge (@GibletHead2000) September 16, 2020
No – you cannot be bowled off a wide. In fact the width of a ball is determined by where it passes the stumps – not where it pitches. If that makes sense?
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14th over: England 75-3 (Buttler 1, Bairstow 42) Cummins continues his careful work and Buttler is watchful.
David Harris is also mildly fed up: “Regarding Rendell Harris’, point (no relation), Kent have graciously decided to hold onto 100% of membership fees this year, with a stated intention (no guarantees) of offering a 25% discount on renewals next year. Junior members will get their renewal for free, although if we’re not allowed into the grounds by next summer that’s not really saying much. As I mentioned in a very similar comment on Naylor’s Blast summary from yesterday, I’d probably have volunteered my membership fee for this year, but it would have been nice of the club to ask.I think the clubs can get away with it because we’re buying membership of our respective clubs, which brings the benefit of being allowed to attend all (home) matches. In contrast, a football club season ticket is exactly that, a ticket to every game.”
13th over: England 71-3 (Buttler 1, Bairstow 42) I can’t work out if the Australians are growing mullets as part of a team bonding exercise. Anyway, Zampa has bought in, and bowls a cracking over. Buttler pays him almost exaggerated respect, then tries to off-drive him but is beaten and returns to reverence. Just one from this over. Good fightback by Australia in this little post-power-play period.
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12th over: England 69-3 (Buttler 1, Bairstow 42) Cummins has a remarkably dirty right trouser leg - not quite sure how he’s managed it as it isn’t very muddy out there. Just two off the over, Cummins on point.
“Good Afternoon Tanya.” Good afternoon Robert Hill! “In response to Rendel Harris’s enquiry, I would imagine that any number of private schools would fit the bill. No pun intended. Or, indeed, made.”
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11th over: England 68-3 (Buttler 1, Bairstow 41) The answer to Finch’s question was Adam Zampa, who has proved irresistible to England’s batsmen this series, and does it again, second ball. An unusual miscalculation by Morgan.
WICKET! Morgan c Starc b Zampa 23
The spinner strikes in his first over! A deeply frustrated Morgan picks out the tallest man in the Australian side. He tried to send Zampa over mid-off but Starc is able to reach up and pluck it safely into his giant paws.
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10th over: England 67-2 (Morgan 23, Bairstow 41) Bairstow, all angled elbows, prods at Hazlewood and the ball accelerates over the fast-tracked outfield to the boundary. It’s a batsman’s life. That’s the power play over, quite the recovery from 0-2.
“By way of reply to Rendel’s melancholic rage I think another Covid villain would be most of the insurance industry (at least prior to this week’s High Court ruling)“ taps Brian Withington. “Doubt if that helps though ...”
9th over: England 59-2 (Morgan 22, Bairstow 39) Morgan turns a slightly wide Cummins off his backside and down for four but Cummins then regroups and cramps him and no runs come from the remaining balls. Steve Smith walks round the ground, disposable mask under his chin, dark glasses covering his eyes.
@tjaldred interestingly I muttered the same word as Roy upon his dismissal, I have repeated it several times since...
— phil withall (@phil_withall) September 16, 2020
With asterisks?
8th over: England 54-2 (Morgan 18, Bairstow 34) Fifty up in the eighth, as Bairstow and Morgan move into cruise control.
7th over: England 47-2 (Morgan 16, Bairstow 29) Pat Cummins is whistled up by Aaron Finch, the Patrick Swayze of the Australian side, but Bairstow is in belligerent mood, pecs bursting out of his shirt in bristling intent. He whips Cummins, high and with the wind for six, then through cover for four.
“Hi Tanya,” thumps Rendel Harris into his typewriter. “If we’re talking melancholy, a close second (more boiling rage than melancholy TBH) to not having seen any live cricket at all is the fact that Surrey CCC, in their wisdom, has arbitrarily decided that having had no cricket at all to watch members will still lose 75% of their membership fees for 2020; to add insult to injury the letter informing us of this invited us to forgo the 25% refund to help the club out. The fact that we’re better off than MCC members, who are getting no refund at all, isn’t much consolation. Can anyone think of any other business that has taken payment in advance, been unable to provide the goods/services paid for due to Covid, then decided it has the right to refuse to refund the monies paid?”
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6th over: England 37-2 (Morgan 16, Bairstow 19) England have refound their head, they’re so good at this stuff now. Morgan dances down the pitch at Hazlewood - it looked pre-meditated - and cuts him for four. Then hooks him - quick hands-to the deep-square rope. Three overs for 20.
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5th over: England 25-2 (Morgan 7, Bairstow 16) A stylish whip off the toe of Bairstow’s boots sends Starc back over his head for four, which is followed next ball by a squished-up fly-swat which flies off the top edge for another boundary. Awkward but effective. Tick, tock.
“Absolutely brilliant article from Rebecca that you linked to earlier,” writes Neil Dobson. “It got me thinking that perhaps the OBO contributions from readers should be subjected to some sort of age-based algorithm to ensure that the next generation of inveterate witterers get their head. As someone who recently looked down the biscuit barrel of 39 and has for several weeks now had his hand deep in that particular jar, I doubt very much to benefit from this new system, but if that’s the quality of output we can expect from the nonophytes of this world then I’ll happily disperse in to the eternal word pond.”
The biscuit barrel gets a lot deeper than 39...
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4th over: England 13-2 (Morgan 4, Bairstow 8) This is proving quite the test for England. Bairstow unveils his late-cut to shoot the ball down to the short boundary, but other than that he is troubled by Hazlewood, edging short of slip and gesturing with irritation at the umpire for a wide that wasn’t given.
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3rd over: England 9-2 (Morgan 4, Bairstow 4) Starc:, from the back a window cleaner, white cloth tucked into the back of his trousers, from the front a 1970s popstar, all swarthy facial hair and a thick black headband. Morgan plays him tentatively, unusure, feet not quite in the right place, nearly tempted into a swish, uncomfortable against the short stuff.
“Tanya,” writes John Starbuck. “I’ve got a feeling that neither side will use the full 50 overs in this game. It’ll be great if they do go the distance but there seems to be a change in the air now (end of term effect?).”
I think you could be right. Very hard to stay in the zone for the last few metres of a long race.
2nd over: England 8-2 (Morgan 4, Bairstow 4) Bairstow, who could only watch as Starc caused carnage at the other end, safely negotiates Hazlewood’s first four balls, then drives him, with panache, for four. Perhaps this is the way its going to be - boundaries, or wickets.
1st over: England 4-2 (Morgan 4, Bairstow 0) The hat-trick ball passes harmlessly down the legisde and Eoin Morgan, whose capacity to clear his mind is spooky, knocks the next delivery for four through cover. Interesting start by England. Roy was particularly furious, slamming his bat into the stairs and letting rip some of his juiciest catch-phrases.
WICKET! Root lbw Starc 0
Second ball! The ball swings into Root’s back pad and that’s that! He has a chat with Bairstow who takes a ridiculously long time to tell him that he’s got no chance on review. Hat-trick ball!
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WICKET Roy c Maxwell b Starc 0
First ball! Roy’s eyes light up at a ball outside off stump, he has a dart and the ball flies straight into the hands of Maxwell at backward point.
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The Aussies walk out in bright banana yellow to a very dramatic version of Jerusalem, and Mitchell Starc has the new ball..
Something to throw into the mix: because of the position of the pitch, there is an extremely short boundary on the left hand side of the ground, with the wind blowing towards that rope.
Do write in with your summer thoughts/melancholy on this final day of men’s cricket this season.
Teams
England: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Sam Billings, Jos Buttler (wkt), Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood.
Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch (capt), Marcus Stoinis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wkt), Glenn Maxwell, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
Thanks to Nick Moreton for pointing out this smashing article by the Guardian’s young sports writer of the year, age 7-9, Rebecca Close. A sensational idea, wonderfully done. Congratulations!
@tjaldred Hi Tanya, special shout out to 9(!)-year-old Rebecca Close for this brilliant piece of writing. The nerves came right back just reading it https://t.co/CW7Hhan81G
— Nick Moreton (@nick_moreton) September 16, 2020
Australia are unchanged - so no Steve Smith for England to worry about. He’s still “a little big groggy.” Finch would have batted as well. It is breezy out there, his shirt rustling across his chest. Australia “mis-executed” on Sunday, he’s hoping for better today.
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England have won the toss and will bat
Sam Curran, most unluckily, misses out for Mark Wood. “Sam’s an extremely young, versatile cricketer but we’ve gone for extra pace.”
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The bio bubble has its challenges and you can’t but think there will be an air of last day at school to today’s proceedings.
“It’s almost one day at a time...” said Justin Langer when asked yesterday. “it’s just when you start looking ahead to when we get home and then quarantine and how the summer looks and if you keep looking too far ahead, then it gets challenging.”
Jofra Archer, who has spent more days in the bio bubble than any other player, was more outspoken. “It has been mentally challenging. We’ve been here for 16 weeks. It is going to be more rare going home or being normal again. Here (OT) has become the new normal. We’ll have to adjust agains when we get some time off.”
They haven’t got long to rest - Australia and England’s IPL players fly to Dubai on Thursday to join their franchises.
Preamble
Good early afternoon from Old Trafford, where the sun is high, the cabbage whites are having a last autumn flutter and England play their final match of this long, strange, covid summer.
And what a few months they’ve had - albeit tucked inside the bio-secure bubble - series wins against West Indies in the Tests (2-1), Ireland in the one-dayers (2-1), Pakistan in a Test series (1-0), Australia in the T-20s (2-1), a drawn T-20 series against Pakistan (1-1), and yet, after all that, this final game perfectly poised - with both Australia and England having won one game each.
Like all of England’s opponents this summer, Australia have had to arrive, bubble, and hit the ground running. After an easy win the the first ODI, it seemed they had made up for lost time, but the batting collapse on Sunday night will have pursued Justin Langer into the night. Australia hope to bring Steve Smith back into the team after his concussion scare, but Langer said Smith was “rusty” in the nets and a late call will be made.
England face a difficult choice of whether to bring back Mark Wood and Moeen Ali to replace to the Curran brothers, who couldn’t have done much more to retain their places. The pitch at Old Trafford is a new one, so Moeen could well miss out.
Other things to watch out for: Archer’s continued mastery over Warner, Sam Curran’s golden arm, Adam Zampa’s irresistibility, the Manchester DJ’s last tunes of summer.
Play starts at 1pm - see you there!
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