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Australia demolish England to secure consolation win
by CricketArchive Staff Reporter


Ground:Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood
Scorecard:England v Australia
Player:SE Marsh, SW Tait, MEK Hussey, PD Collingwood
Event:Australia in British Isles 2010

DateLine: 3rd July 2010

 

The Australian side will have regained some of their composure after the win over England in the fifth and the final one-dayer. A scoreline of 3-2 is far better than a demoralizing 4-1. The Australian once again recovered from poor start to put up a competitive total and then turned on the heat with the ball as Shaun Tait led the way.

 

With the wicket flat the Australian skipper Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat first. Michael Hussey was the central figure in the Australian revival as the visitors made 277 for seven in their allotted fifty overs.

 

All of Australia's top four made starts but only opener Tim Paine posted a sizeable score with 54. Ponting got off the mark in superb style with a backfoot forcing shot through the covers for four off Broad. Ponting has been vulnerable to the hook in recent times and it proved his doing again. Trying to play the shot against Broad, he was late on the stroke and out for 15 after gloving a catch through to wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter. Swann once more took a wicket in his first over in a spell of two for one in eight balls. Cameron White (20) tried to break free with a lofted drive off Swann's second ball but instead holed out to Michael Yardy before Paine dragged a reverse sweep onto his stumps.

 

Australia, who'd already lost the series, were struggling at 106 for four when Hussey came to the crease. Hussey was initially content to play second fiddle to Shaun Marsh, his fellow left-hander, in a fifth wicket stand of 107. Both Smith and Hussey were out to Stuart Broad in the final over as the fast bowler finished with figures of four for 64 off his 10 overs. Graeme Swann was the pick of England's attack with three for 32 in eight overs.

 

Initially Marsh played himself in but once he got the measure of the English bowlers and the pitch he opened up. Marsh struck two in as many deliveries off Broad in the batting powerplay to spark a flurry of runs as Australia scored 115 in the final 10 overs of their innings. Marsh drove Anderson, whose 10 overs cost 75 runs, for six to bring up a hundred stand with Hussey. But going for another big hit, off Swann, he was well caught by Eoin Morgan, running round the boundary at long-off.

 

England in reply were literally bullied into submission as Tait armed with the new ball roared. Shaun Tait broke 161kph barrier but there were more deadlier balls than that. Tait sent Andrew Strauss's off stump cartwheeling and also shattered Michael Yardy's stumps to leave England at 19 for 2. Tait's two breakthroughs came after he sent down a delivery at 161.1kph, the fastest recorded ball by an Australian since speed guns became a common fixture in today's game.

 

Collingwood fought back by hooking Tait for six, but wickets kept falling around him. Kieswetter got a leading edge to short cover off Ryan Harris and Eoin Morgan picked up Shaun Marsh in the deep. Kevin Pietersen was bowled for a duck while trying to cut Steven Smith. Collingwood kept the flames of an English win burning with his never say die attitude.

 

First in the company of Luke Wright and then with Tim Bresnan, Collingwood dragged England back into the match. The English hopes were kept afloat as long as Collingwood was there in the middle. But Tait came back in the 41st over and removed Collingwood, while Bresnan was run-out in the same over. Swann did his best in the middle but in the end the Australian side was too hot to handle.

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