An atrocious Australian batting display against India and the loss of captain Michael Clarke to a back injury make England favourites for their respective opening games at the Champions Trophy 2013. We’ll have live scores and commentary from 7.40pm AEST.
It’s been an inauspicious start for Australia. Shane Watson’s century in their opening warm-up game against West Indies pulled them out of an early mire but everything has gone downhill since then.
In their second warm-up game, Australia allowed India to recover from 55/5 to post a 300 plus score.
Then, on a reasonably flat pitch, the batsmen folded as easily as paper and were bowled out for 65.
Captain Clarke, who missed both the warm-up games, will continue to sit out of this one too after his back issue refuses to improve and that means George Bailey will be entrusted with the responsibility of a flailing batting line-up.
To make matters worse for Australia, their first game is against England, a side they will not want to lose to before the Ashes series.
Adding to their woes is the fact that England will be bolstered by the return to fitness of Stuart Broad and Steven Finn, both of whom missed the first two games in the New Zealand series.
That’s the one positive to take for Australia – New Zealand’s punishing successive wins against England.
The top-order shone for New Zealand in both those games before the middle-order took the game away in the last 10 overs with some blazing batting.
England did show what they are capable of with their matured display of batting in the third ODI – they saw off the initial swing and seam before Jos Buttler bludgeoned his way to a near-half century off 16 balls.
Australia have already revealed their hand by going into the warm-up games with a set playing 11.
However, one may like to believe they will make a change or two to that line-up.
Going into the game without a frontline spinner may not be the best idea especially now that it’s almost certain the pitches won’t behave as poorly for the batsmen as one thought earlier under the English conditions.
Playing six medium-pacers in a game, as was the case in the warm-ups, will be a luxury.
Live coverage of the game begins from 7.30pm AEST on Saturday and you can add your opinion in the comments section below.
buddha9
Guest
men against boys -- Australia never looked like winning -- when the duke starts to swing in the test matches look out aussies -- Warney is quite right the team looks short of a plan, badly coached, top heavy with quicks, short of real batsmen with adequate technique and riddled with a sense of entitlement -- they talk a good game but gees they don't play one -- short of mongrel as Bumble said --- its going to get worse -- good shot of mickey arthur on the balcony with his head up his arse.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
That's it from me. It's been a below-par show and frankly I am disappointed with what I saw tonight. Hopefully it will be a lot closer when Australia take on New Zealand on June 12. Till then have a good time!
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Quotes from the presentation. Bailey: Lost it during the batting. Never got any momentum and full credit to England to the way they bowled. We did well with the ball. We will need to get in a spinner if it remains this dry. Faulkner is a good cricketer, one for the future. We need to turn it around, does not look great but it's about one small partnership to get us going. Cook: Good performance, good toss to win. Was getting slower and lower. Should have got 300, credit to the way they bowled, but 270 looked enough. Anderson bowled well at the start and the bowlers did not allow any freebies up front. About setting up a base for the batsmen to take up the baton later. Man of the match, Bell: Nice to get a start and convert it into bigger. Learning the role at the top of the order. The pace went away from the pitch in the middle of the innings. Went off the field because of hydration problems.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
269 is what England got and at that stage it looked like it was 20 below par. However, there was always a problem and that's to do with Australia's batting in the absence of Michael Clarke. To me, Clarke and Shane Watson are two who can take the game away from the opposition and while one is injured, the other did not get going today. The rest of the side bar George Bailey fell away. Their problem was that they took a lot of time to settle down but once they did get off to a start, they failed to convert it by kicking on. The required-rate kept piling on and they were never in hunt. An indication of their poor show is the fact their run-rate did not touch four until after the 40th over of the innings. Earlier Jonathon Trott and to a lesser extent Ian Bell were criticised for batting slowly but England's strategy seems to have worked well. At least against Australia. Remains to be seen how it goes for the rest of the tournament.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
That's that then, England have registered a 48-run win over Australia in this third Champions Trophy 2013 game. Faulkner remains unbeaten on 54, which is bit of a positive going into their next game. So was Bailey's half-century. Nothing much to add about the rest of the batting though.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Bresnan starts the last over with a waist-height full-toss that's edged to third-man for a four. No-ball called. And Faulkner skips down the track and smashes it through the extra-cover for another four to bring up his 50 from 38 balls. Good going for the all-rounder, continues with his IPL form, although there it was his bowling that did well.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
10 from that Broad over, he ends with 1/35 from his 10 overs. 9/208 in 49.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Three off the Bresnan over. Been a stodgy last wicket stand worth 19 balls so far.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Couple of runs from the Anderson over, which means he's now got figures of 3/29 in his 10. Bresnan to bowl the 48th with Australia at 9/196.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Going through the motions here are the two teams. Can we just declare it closed? 9/192 in the 46th
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Bowled him! That's the middle stump pegged back and down on the floor. That was fuller, straighter and quite quick too. It was probably swinging back too and crashes into the stumps, Starc's gone for five. 9/190 in the 45th.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Only five from the Tredwell over, his last. A decent spell, went for a few towards the end. 1/51 in his 10. 86 needed from six.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And another appeal for a caught-and-bowled going to the third umpire! Bump-ball? On the full? Bopara was the only player who thought it was out and for some reason the umpires feel obliged to check. Bounces before it hits the inside half of his pad. Follows with a cut that goes to the fence. 8/179 in 43.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Gone this time? It was a full-toss and the slog only lobs up to the off-side for the fielder to pouch a simple catch. The umpires decide to have a look at whether it's over the waist height but it's not and that's wicket number eight for England. Johnson's departed for 8. Bopara gets a wicket. 8/175 in 42.4
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
10 off the Tredwell over and Bopara's to bowl his fifth and the 10th from the fifth bowler. 97 needed from 8.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Nine off the Bopara over before Faulkner spanks Tredwell across the line and for a six over mid-wicket! That's the first time this match that Australia have got their run-rate up to more than four an over! 7/171 in 41.2
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Three singles and a wicket for Tredwell that over. 7/154 in 40. Australia's innings run-rate has never touched four an over today. That's how bad it has been for them.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Appeal for a run-out here, and the third-ump has been called to adjudicate. Buttler needed to stretch in front of the stumps and collect the ball before pushing his gloves back with the ball in to dislodge the stumps. The bails have been dislodged alright but it needs to be seen whether the bails were outside the groove when the bat came inside the crease. Takes a good two or three minutes before deciding it's not-out. Was very, very close there and in the end, it looked it could have been out but when you take so many replays to decide something, the umpire was clearly not sure about it.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And now Bailey's gone too, caught, seven down. No point blaming Bailey here, he had to go for it. Was pitched right up and he goes down the track and tries to lift him over the long-on fielder. Much like the rest of the innings, he does not get it off the middle of the bat and it's gone straight to the fielder. 7/150 in 39.1
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Only three off the Bopara over. Seriously, they are getting nothing away. I would have probably switched off my TV long back the way they are batting.