Australia 7 for 304 (Smith 102*) beat England 8 for 303 (Bell 141, Root 69) by 3 wickets
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| Smith became the first player to score both an ODI and Test ton on captaincy debut |
Before this game, Steven Smith had captained Australia in three
matches. They had lost none of them, and he had scored a century in each. Now
he has captained Australia in four matches. They have still lost none of them,
and he has still scored a century in each. The first three were Tests against
India, this was an ODI against England. The opponents were new, the format was
different, but this was the same captain Smith.
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| Bell scored 141 off 125 |
The
day had started with Smith sending England in; he thought the pitch had some
juice in it, and would help his fast bowlers. He was wrong, and Ian Bell's best one-day
international score of 141 might have made Smith the captain rue his bold
decision. But Smith the batsman did everything right in the chase of 304, and
paced his innings to perfection. He was still there when the winning runs were
struck with just one ball to spare.
The
end was tighter than Australia had hoped. Smith and Brad Haddin had made
victory seem inevitable and only five runs were needed from the last two overs,
but Haddin had just fallen and Moises Henriques was on strike. He picked up
three from James Anderson's over, but also retained the strike for the final
over. With every delivery that Smith was at the wrong end, tension rose in the
Australian rooms.
Two
runs from six Chris Woakes deliveries was the equation, but Henriques couldn't
penetrate the infield, and was run out third ball attempting a suicidal single.
At least it meant Smith was on strike; he flicked a single through midwicket,
and the new batsman Mitchell Starc managed to force the ball through cover for
the winning run from the fifth ball of the over. It was enough to put Australia
into the tri-series final.
Smith
walked off unbeaten on 102 from 95 balls - his third ODI century from his past
ten matches - and collected another Man-of-the-Match novelty cheque. He
deserved it, but it was also notable that Smith had more support than did Bell
during England's innings. Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, James
Faulkner and Haddin all made at least 30; only Moeen Ali and Joe Root backed up
Bell with 30-plus scores for England.
The
rate of scoring at the death was also significant. After 40 overs the
Australians had 5 for 230, meaning their last 9.5 overs brought 2 for 74.
England had the perfect platform thanks to Bell and Root and were 2 for 244
after 40 overs, but lost 6 for 59 in their final ten as both established batsmen
fell and the Australian bowlers found their range. It really was an opportunity
missed for England.
Australia's
chase began solidly through Shaun Marsh and Aaron Finch, but on 32 Finch was
bowled when he tried to work Moeen Ali through leg. Things looked shaky when
Steven Finn struck twice in an over, first with Marsh caught at backward point
for 45, undone by Finn's bounce, and then Cameron White leg-before by a searing
inswinging yorker for a second-ball duck in his first ODI innings for nearly four
years.
A
third wicket should have followed in the same over, when Glenn Maxwell chipped
and was put down by James Anderson at short midwicket. Even so, Australia were
3 for 92 and in some trouble. But Smith played a typically level-headed
innings, steering the ball through gaps and milking as many runs as he could to
build a platform. Maxwell did the same for 37, before he lost his head and was
caught on the boundary off Moeen.
Promoted
to No. 6, James Faulkner scored 35 but this time was unable to be the finisher,
caught at point off Woakes. But Haddin showed his experience and struck the
boundaries Australia required to bring the equation well into their favour. He
crunched Finn down the ground for a six and a four in his final over, the 45th
of the innings.
Until
then it seemed the Australian Finn review might make depressing reading for
Darren Lehmann and his men on Saturday, but the story of the economy changed
quickly. Finn finished with 2 for 65 off his ten overs, and when he sent down
his last ball the Australians needed 32 off 30. Haddin was caught off Woakes
for 42 off 29, but Australia were by then close enough.
It
meant that Bell's outstanding innings had been in vain. He set England up to
reach 8 for 303, batting himself until the 42nd over of the innings. With no
swing evident, Bell went after the bowling early and struck three fours in
Starc's second over, although it was Moeen who really got the runs flowing with
three consecutive sixes off Pat Cummins.
Moeen
top-edged a slower bouncer from Faulkner and was caught for 46, and followed by
James Taylor, who drove Henriques to mid-off for 5. But after a 113-run opening
stand, Bell found another ally and his partnership with Root was worth 121 for
the third wicket. Bell's half-century came from 42 balls and his hundred off 92
balls, his fourth one-day international century and his first for nearly two
years.
It
was an impressively controlled innings, confirming that Eoin Morgan had made
the right move by asking Bell to return to the top of the order for this series
after he was dropped in Sri Lanka. Bell finished with 15 fours and one six and
was especially strong through the off side, before finally he slapped Gurinder
Sandhu's slower bouncer to mid-off and was caught.
Sandhu
made it a double strike by having Morgan caught behind first ball, and after a
couple of adventurous strokes including a sort of reverse ramp over short third
man for four off Sandhu, Root fell for 69 when he lobbed a catch to mid-on off
Cummins.
From
the antepenultimate ball of the innings, Ravi Bopara was bowled by Starc for a
scratchy 7 from 16 and a pair of run-outs followed to remove Jos Buttler for 25
and Woakes for a duck, as England sought whatever final runs they could get.
They needed more.
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