Australia start the favourites to win the Carlton tri-series when they take on England in the final at the WACA in Perth but it may not be as easy as it was in the round-robin round. You can follow the live blog of this final from 2.20pm AEDT.
It was an easy time for the hosts alright. Three wins out of three was followed by a washed out match that not only allowed them a less than circuitous path to the final but also allowed them to experiment with a few players in its lead-up.
Some of it was obviously brought about by the odd niggles and injury woes that the players invariably pick up after being involved for this long this summer, but those two early wins pushed the pressure-lid away.
Going into the final, Australia will welcome the return of Mitchell Johnson and his speed levels will be the second-most important thing to watch out, after obviously the result itself.
Johnson had decimated England last summer with his shock-and-awe approach but a combination of dead pitches and exhaustion rendered him reasonably flat against India in the Test series before this. He last played in the Boxing Day Test and a dodgy hamstring was the cause of his break since then.
He should return refreshed for this match and potentially for the next nine ODIs that Australia play.
David Warner and Josh Hazlewood returned to the side in the last match but did not get too much time before it started pelting down and they will hope to get back into full rhythm too.
With Aaron Finch having gotten himself a 96 and one other start, Steven Smith shown his customary form and Michael Clarke slowly and steadily getting back to his full fitness, the onus could just be on George Bailey and Glenn Maxwell here.
On the flip-side, that allow also allow the England quicks to pile on the pressure on the duo and that will be one of the battles to watch out.
Speaking of the English fast bowlers, it has been interesting to see them enjoy their time in Australia so far.
The previously unselectable Steven Finn and England’s best Test match bowler James Anderson have been the pick while Chris Woakes has given them reasonable support.
While Stuart Broad’s return to cricket after his surgery hasn’t been too much to his liking, he did scalp a couple of wickets against India last game which should do his confidence good.
England’s batting is lengthy enough but some of them in the top-order need to get some runs before the World Cup. Moeen Ali, for instance, has proven his worth with his innocuous-looking but highly effective offies but his batting is some way to go before he can be called a proven customer.
Ravi Bopara’s form is another concern, having scored just 93 runs from his last six digs at the crease.
On a positive note, James Taylor and Jos Buttler showed why they are rated so highly with their match-winning stand last game and Eoin Morgan and Ian Bell have already had a century each to their name.
The one interesting factor that could set up this match will be the pitch. On Friday, the WACA had the bounce which is usually associated with it, but there were some signs it could be playing lower on occasions too.
That being the case, it will be interesting to see what the captain winning the toss does – does he look to set up a solid target and hope the pitch will behave even more weirdly in the second half or will he look to chase a total in order to allow his batsmen the luxury of knowing how much they need to get and playing accordingly.
You can follow the live score of this final between Australia and England from 2.20 pm AEDT on Sunday and post your comments in the section below.
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
There is longer list of poor form then that. Highest score in something like 12 innings was 37.
Gregor
Roar Rookie
Thanks for the commentary Suneer, Much appreciated. Great game by Australia, great performances by Marsh, Maxwell + Johnson. Surely Bailey goes now, Seriously is this guy in only for his captaincy skills. 17 runs from 3 innings at 5.66, says he's not in for his batting.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
That's that from me. End of half of second part of the summer and the big one remains. Sri Lanka and New Zealand will clash in the first game of the World Cup at Christchurch while Australia take on England on the same day in Melbourne on February 14. The live coverage of the World Cup will continue on The Roar, so be sure to join us. Been a pleasure to be a part of this live blog. Hope to see you around soon, good evening!
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Eoin Morgan: Could have kept Australia to a bit less. Did not help ourselves with the shots we played. We keep grafting and learning as we go along. Credit to the way some of the guys have played in the series since we got here. We play Pakistan and West Indies in the warm-ups and hope to get into the tournament with some more learning. George Bailey: Were in trouble. Promising to see Marsh and Maxwell rein in their natural game and play the way they did. Nice quartet of bowling we have. No update on James Faulkner, but he is always a bit dramatic so he could be okay. Good problem to have of aplenty.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Presentation: Glenn Maxwell is the man of the match. Apparently he is not around to collect the trophy. Mitchell Starc is the man of the series, for his 12 wickets. Starc: Want to bowl as fast as I can and swing it at that pace. Don't want to lose the speed for that swing. Maxwell is now found and he will jog up for his trophy. Apologises for having disappeared. Maxwell: Well aware of not having scored a century, not thinking of it too much but will be nice to get there some time.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Will have the presentation in a bit but as I was saying earlier, the World Cup could well be a three-horse race between Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It will be interesting to see how Australia play in New Zealand - which is where those two teams will go head to head in their group game - and how South Africa go against Australia given they had lost 4-1 in their ODI series here. Australia, New Zealand and England are in the same group, South Africa is in the other one, so there is reasonable possibility that the Proteas could be up against one of those three teams in their quarter-final. Incidentally, I will be travelling to Australia and New Zealand to cover some of the World Cup games, so if you are around give me a shout out!
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Glenn Maxwell will be the man-of-the-match for his fine all-round showing. He has been struggling to justify his selection in the team but a near-century and a four-wicket haul should do his confidence a world of good. What that innings of his will also help him realise is that it's not such a bad idea to play oneself in.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Been a one-sided final and I expected a lot better. England were reasonably decent in the group stages of the competition but on the big day against a very strong side, they faded away. At one stage they had Australia at 4/60 but failed to latch on to the advantage after that. Even later in the innings, they seemed to have made a comeback by getting Australia down to 7/224 but for the second time, there was someone - Faulkner - to bail them out. When they chased, they were never in with a chance after Ian Bell and James Taylor fell early. There were 20s for Moeen Ali and Joe Root and while Bopara scratched through to 33, there was absolutely no impetus to their innings whatsoever.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And gone now! All out, Finn's bowled! Yorker length from Hazlewood and Finn was looking to smash it away. He missed and Hazlewood hit. Timber. England have been bowled out for 166. Australia win the Carlton tri-series final by 112 runs.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Gone! Bopara's painstakingly slow innings is done... ...and it's Maxwell again. His fourth wicket! Bopara chipped down the track and tried to hit him inside out and over the top of the cover fielder but fails to do that. Goes straight to the fielder. Nine down. Made 33 from 59.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
This is going nowhere. Bopara takes a single off the first ball of the over and then Finn dabs away the remaining five.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
He had an excellent game in Perth the last time England were in Australia. The only match England won.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Josh Hazlewood has now replaced Marsh for the third over of the Powerplay.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Six from the Glenn Maxwell over. In the meantime, Novak Djokovic is leading by a set to none and serving 1-2 after both players exchanged breaks of serve early in the second set. 8/158 in 37
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Just a single and a wide from the Mitchell Marsh, the first of the Powerplay. Here's the last update on Faulkner:
Jo M
Guest
Wonder if England think that Stokes might have been a decent player to have in this team.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And with 35 overs done, the Batting Powerplay has to be taken. At this stage, England are ahead of Australia on runs.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Another three-run over, we have had quite a few of them today. 129 needed from 90.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Glenn Maxwell continues, he is in his seventh over and has already picked up three wickets. Opportunity to get a five-for?
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Three from the Marsh over. 132 needed from 16 overs.