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Thanks Jon, afternoon/morning everyone. I agree that Australia’s total feels slightly above par, although I thought the same about India in the semi-final of the World T20. Not that I’m expecting England to win this game by 10 wickets; there is about a 0.06 percent chance of that.
Jonathan Howcroft
If you’ve just woken up in England, here’s what you need to know at the entrance break:
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Both sides have stand-in skippers, Hazlewood for Australia, Moeen for England, and both are in charge of ODIs for the first time.
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The SCG ground is extremely dry, variable bounce, favors spin and is not full of runs.
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280 feels a bit above par, but Australia also left plenty of runs on the ground after a series of conservative partnerships failed to capitalize at the death. Much will depend on England’s aggressiveness in the powerplay and then how Australia’s spinners perform in the middle overs.
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Steve Smith continued his excellent form with 94. Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh played flawless half-centuries.
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England bowled neatly but only Adil Rashid (3/57) looked a consistent wicket-taking threat. Moeen rotated his attack well and adapted to the pitch intelligently during the innings.
Rob Smyth will cut you to the chase, so I’ll leave you in his capable hands.
Australia 280-8
England will need to chase 281 for victory under lights at the SCG.
50th over: Australia 280-8 (Agar 18, Zampa 0) Curran has been uncharacteristically expensive today but must get through the final over. He gets off to a poor start as he bowls over Agar’s pads, allowing a free kick off the bat to send the ball miles over the shorter boundary for six. Adam Zampa runs aggressively to convert every shot into two from the non-attacking wing, increasing his team-mate’s score and adding plenty of furrows to England’s brows.
49th over: Australia 264-8 (Agar 3, Zampa 0) Excellent death bowling from England. Willey finishes with 2/44.
WICKET! Starc c Woakes b Willey 0 (Australia 264-8)
Two in two for England. Starc takes his first ball very well but flicks it straight to Woakes at deep square leg.
Updated at 0658 GMT
WICKET! Marsh c Vince b Willey 50 (Australia 264-7)
Marsh exercises a single to bring up his half-century from 58 balls, but perishes soon after, not getting enough on a straight drive and gifting a boundary catch to James Vince.
48th over: Australia 259-6 (Marsh 49, Agar 1) Woakes follows up his wicket with a couple of points to Agar on the left. A single brings Marsh on strike, who knows he has to hurt in the final over, but Woakes is too good, finding movement in the air away from the right-hander and then fooling him with one that sinks. Excellent death bowling.
WICKET! Stoinis b Woakes 13 (Australia 256-6)
middle of middle Straight, slow floater (and a touch low) from Woakes. Stoinis is over his shot too soon.
Not sure what kind of batsman Stoinis is. He can crush a long ball in the slot, but is there something else to his game at this level?
47th over: Australia 256-5 (Marsh 47, Stoinis 13) What was he saying about a powerful batsman lining up? At slot from Willey and Stoinis slams it over his head for six. Willey has replaced Curran in the attack and returns superbly, dropping a couple of very slow bounces and well-aimed Yorkies to frustrate a couple of batsmen who are fixated on hitting the ball at Randwick.
46th over: Australia 247-5 (Marsh 46, Stoinis 5) Woakes replaces Rashid and does brilliantly, with just four runs. It starts with a dot, then an in-ducker that hits the pads, followed by a distance swinger that hits the outside edge. Stoinis is yet to bat and Woakes’ variations in length and curve make it difficult for him to line up for such a powerful batsman.
45th over: Australia 243-5 (Marsh 46, Stoinis 2) England continue with their T20 finalist Curran and enjoy three points and a single from his deliveries to Stoinis, who is off to a slow start. But Marsh has already started and clears his front leg and puts a length delivery between the two sweepers and just over the midwicket rope for six!
44th over: Australia 235-5 (Marsh 39, Stoinis 1) Rashid finishes with 3/57. The surface suited him and Australia never looked settled against his ability to turn the ball both ways.
WICKET! Smith c Salt b Rashid 94 (Australia 234-5)
Australia’s anchor is finally untied. Rashid slowed his pace, Smith’s eyes lit up, but he didn’t get all in on his lofted drive and Salt held on for a straight catch on the rope. Rashid gets his third. Smith misses a ton but his 94 off 114 deliveries has kept his side on track.
43rd over: Australia 231-4 (Smith 92, Marsh 38) Sam Curran has bowled just four balls so far today and England will be hoping he can hang on for a full over. Moeen Ali might have to rethink his plans in the run, but with Smith starting again he steps up and hits a six over square leg. Curran recovers but Australia are gathering momentum for a final assault.
With his revamped technique, Smith no longer looks like his bat is six feet wide, but there’s still that familiar time when he looks in position to play his stroke before the bowler has entered his delivery step
42nd over: Australia 219-4 (Smith 84, Marsh 34) Rashid in his ninth over and Smith struggles to put him away, throwing a primal screamer after a wrong lead. He finally vents his frustration with an ugly sweep that spirals into the air from a top edge and thankfully lands safely, equidistant between the 45-man, square leg and the midwicket.
41st over: Australia 214-4 (Smith 79, Marsh 34) Single, simple, simple, simple, TONK! Finally, Australia let Mitch Marsh off the leash and left Woakes at long-on to signal the march home.
40th over: Australia 204-4 (Smith 77, Marsh 26) Rashid is back for his third spell, one that should feature plenty of action, and it starts with Smith drilling the offside with a superb delivery for four. Marsh is much less comfortable at the crease, he clearly doesn’t read Rashid’s hand, but his long lever sweep takes him out of the attack.
The England leggie has two crucial wickets but has also gone for six rpo, the most expensive of the attack.
39th over: Australia 196-4 (Smith 71, Marsh 24) Australia keep watch, waiting for the signal to sprint to the line, happy to allow Woakes an over worth just one run.
38th over: Australia 195-4 (Smith 70, Marsh 24) Just as I write Smith decides out of the blue to sweep Dawson off his length for four. But like all of this, so far, it’s been executed with little flash. Marsh responds by attempting his first reverse, misses his shot and England send a review for LBW, but DRS confirms the on-field expectation that the ball bounced over the bails.
Dawson ends a very tidy day with 0/48. He has done exactly the job he was chosen to do.
37th over: Australia 188-4 (Smith 64, Marsh 24) It’s time for Chris Woakes to have another spell, the first with the oldest ball, and Australia continue to respect everything he sends their way. This is very soft cricket. If this partnership doesn’t turn a profit, they will surely regret leaving many runs.
36th over: Australia 185-4 (Smith 62, Marsh 24) Marsh looks like a man under orders to control his natural instincts, but he can’t help but muscle a couple of sweeps. The first is intercepted for two, the second is hit too fiercely and gains four. Around these horizontal bat shots are four straight bat points.
35th over: Australia 179-4 (Smith 62, Marsh 18) Willey continues to keep things tight. Australia look content to keep their dust dry ahead of a late attack. There have been occasional flurries of intent in the middle but, in the main, the hosts have been content to collect the runs on offer without forcing the issue.
34th over: Australia 176-4 (Smith 61, Marsh 16) Liam Dawson returns after drinking and starts with four points to Smith and a single to each batsman. Dawson is 0/36 from his eight overs so far, conceding just one boundary.
33rd over: Australia 174-4 (Smith 60, Marsh 15) Willey continues his English red-ball line and length on this subcontinental white-ball cover, and he’s not doing too badly with any right-handers looking to force the problem and the odd one sliding and inducing a false hit.
The second and final drinks break is ready.
32nd over: Australia 168-4 (Smith 57, Marsh 12) Marsh doesn’t look born to take on Rashid, but the all-rounder escapes the blow and allows Smith to face a free after the spinner s invade Smith tries to swing, Rashid sees it a mile away, lands the ball outside off where the stumps started, and Smith looks very out of sorts in his failure to put the willow on the leather. Rashid then drops his pace to 74km/h, resulting in plenty of drift and side spin.
This is such a difficult field to determine an even score. Much will depend on how Australia’s bowlers adapt to this dry surface.
31st over: Australia 166-4 (Smith 57, Marsh 11) Willey hasn’t been too inventive in this spell but has hit his line of stock and length repeatedly, goating full deliveries between the right-handers. Marsh struggles to line them up and the over is limited to a couple of singles.
30th over: Australia 164-4 (Smith 56, Marsh 10) The lesson of the innings so far is to be wary of playing cross shots, especially against turning deliveries, but Marsh goes for the early sweep against Rashid and gets four for his bravery The bowler almost exacts his revenge immediately with Marsh unable to pick the wrong ‘one’. Smith shows his younger teammate the way forward, waiting at the bottom of his crease for the drag down and picking his length spot for a bounce…