England won a long, rain-soaked, run-soaked one-day international by 38 runs. Despite posting their highest ever one-day score against Australia it was a close run thing. Shaun Marsh, who suddenly became “Glamorgan’s Marsh” as the day progressed, produced a magnificent innings of 131 but England clung on to enough vital late-evening catches to take a 2-0 lead in the series. This was Australia’s seventh defeat in eight matches yet this was a spirited chase on an excellent surface.
Marsh cruised to his fourth ODI century and his partnership of 96 with his fellow West Australian Ashton Agar gave his team a chance of registering their highest ever successful run chase. It was looking bleak for England as Liam Plunkett ran in to bowl the 46th over, especially after Moeen Ali had spilt a very tricky chance running backwards. Australia needed 51 runs with four wickets left. Then Tim Paine pulled a slow bouncer straight to Adil Rashid at fine-leg. Two balls later Plunkett bowled Marsh and the match was safe.
England may have been disappointed with their record-breaking score: 342 for eight is not a bad total but mayhem in the final few overs of a one-day game has become so commonplace that, as their batsmen left the field, the modern sages were mumbling: “The Aussies pulled that back well at the end.” A mere 42 came from the last five overs.
For the first time in ODI cricket the total included five consecutive 50-run partnerships. All the batsmen settled in but the mainstays were Jason Roy, who hit his fifth ODI century, and Jos Buttler, who was unbeaten on 91 when the innings closed. This was a captain’s innings since Eoin Morgan woke with a back spasm and was unable to play.
Roy batted silkily, as ever, but with some discretion; it was the first time he had passed 50 in his last 10 ODI innings and maybe he was aware that it was time for another major innings, especially since England currently have three opening batsmen in their side while Ben Stokes is absent.
Such was the fluency – and orthodoxy – of his stroke play that it was hard not to wonder whether Roy could enhance England’s Test team in the same way that Buttler has threatened to do since his recall this May. After all, his method is not so different from that of Virender Sehwag, who did not fare so badly in Test cricket for India.
Of course, one of several key differences is that Sehwag had plenty of exposure to red-ball cricket to justify his place in the Test team. Roy seldom appears in County Championship cricket for Surrey and, when he does play, he does not open the batting. Many more innings like this and a polite request to those at the Oval to elevate him in the order might be worthwhile.
For a while Roy had to be content at being outshone by Jonny Bairstow, who must be in the form of his life even if he is not quite capitalising. Against the two unrelated Richardsons, Jhye and Kane, Bairstow unfurled a succession of perfectly timed boundaries as he raced to 42 from 23 balls. Then, seduced by the absence of a boundary fielder at third man, he tried to conjure something in that direction and was caught behind.
Alex Hales was more subdued than usual – perhaps he also felt the imperative for a big score – until he was bowled by a fine in-ducking delivery from Jhye Richardson.
Amid a couple of frustrating interruptions for rain as well as a nasty moment when Tim Paine, behind the stumps, was hit in the face by an irregularly bouncing ball, Joe Root settled easily enough until he was brilliantly caught by Australia’s debutant, D’Arcy Short, on the square-leg boundary, probably the best and possibly only catch taken by a D’Arcy in international cricket.
Buttler purred in the middle of his innings, startling Jhye Richardson with two preposterous ramps over the keeper’s head, both of which went for six. He also unveiled another of his specialities, a smear drive against the left-handed wrist spin of Short, which sent the ball fizzing to the extra cover boundary from a horizontal bat. From here the Australians must have feared the worst but, as partners came and went, Buttler could not quite sustain such brilliance. Even so his 91 took 70 only balls.
Australia’s innings began more fitfully than England’s as the sun finally made an appearance and their response would be heavily dependent on Marsh. Travis Head engineered a fine upper cut for six off Mark Wood but then succumbed to a superb one-handed catch at midwicket by Hales. Soon Short was caught neatly at slip by Root off Moeen, who continued to be England’s most effective bowler in this format.
Marcus Stoinis and Aaron Finch fell in swift succession, the former bowled by Plunkett, the latter lbw sweeping at Rashid before he had scored.
Glenn Maxwell rallied briefly, hitting Rashid out of the attack with the minimum of fuss, but then he holed out to long-on against the admirable Moeen. Marsh kept battling away with Agar’s assistance until Plunkett’s timely intervention. Hence an unfortunate Australian trifecta was complete.
