With the ODI series locked at two games apiece, the final game at Old Trafford was the decider. Like every other game on this tour, it wasn’t close, with Australia bowling England out for 138, then chasing down the total within 25 overs.
Here are the ratings for the fifth ODI.
Mitchell Starc’s first over
Grade: A
The match peaked in the very first over of the game. Mitchell Starc’s first ball swung down leg side, past both Jason Roy and then Matthew Wade to the boundary. Inexplicably, the runs were given to Roy, rather than attributed to wides.
From the second delivery, Roy was given out lbw. But the decision was overturned on review, when the third umpire determined that the ball had struck the bat a split-second before the pad.
The third delivery? Boring. Forget that one.
The fourth ball saw Roy given out lbw again, this time to a ball that was swinging well down leg side. This time, Roy chose not to review it and trudged unhappily off the ground. Perhaps he realised that umpire Joel Wilson was just going to keep sticking his finger up until Roy went away and couldn’t be bothered fighting against this inexplicable grudge.
Say what you like about Shane Watson, but he would have kept on reviewing each and every lbw decision. Roy could learn a lot from the great man.
Regardless, a great comedy effort from Starc, Roy and umpire Wilson. The only thing that might have improved it would have been if it was a five-ball over.
Something to strive for in future.
Umpires
Grade: C
As the game progressed it became increasingly obvious that the umpires were just making signals at random for this game. Good for them, I say. It’s been a long, long, looooong tour. Why not have some fun. It’s like the last day of school. Go crazy.
Embracing the umpires’ sense of tomfoolery was, of course, Glenn Maxwell, who chose to juggle an easy catch from Alex Hales shortly thereafter. Or perhaps Maxwell now simply refuses to complete any catch with his initial touch of the ball. Who can tell?
As the innings progressed, the umpires started getting some decisions right. But that’s just basic probability theory at work. After all, as the old saying goes, if an infinite number of monkeys offer an infinite number of cricketing opinions, eventually one of them would come up with the entire works of the Channel Nine commentary team. And probably sooner than you’d think.
Power Play 2
Grade: D
Before this series started, the ICC’s new fielding restrictions came into play. Under the new rules, there are now three Power Plays spanning the entire, all-powerful innings.
England’s early collapse to 3-22, and effectively 4-22 when Eoin Morgan retired hurt after a frightening blow to the head, meant that they entered Power Play 2 from overs 11 to 40 well and truly on the back foot.
Not good news, because the middle Power Play has already established itself as the least interesting of the three Power Plays. Add a desperate team looking to consolidate to the mix, and you’re left with the boringest of boring middle overs. The Jan Brady of Power Plays.
Reece Topley
Grade: A
Not even a steady flow of wickets could spice up Power Play Jan. The innings only became interesting again when the final pair came together.
Last man in, debutant Reece Topley was the man who got people talking. With a record of more professional games of cricket than runs made going into this match, he then proceeded to become the first man in history to have his first ODI scoring shot be a five. That’s not a stat I’ve actually verified, but I’m going with it anyway. If the umpires are allowed to wildly speculate at the end of a long tour, then surely so am I.
There was a bit of talk that Topley might make his way to a century in 20 separate increments of five. Alas, it wasn’t to be, with him first scoring a foolish, dream-shattering single, and then being trapped lbw by Ashton Agar for six, leaving England all out for just 138 off 33 overs.
Moral high grounds
Grade: C-
Despite a couple of early wickets, Aaron Finch and George Bailey then combined after lunch for a century partnership to easily win the match for Australia.
It’s obvious now in retrospect that Australia gave England the third and fourth ODIs to help soothe the Ben Stokes moral high ground fury that had gripped the mother country. Great diplomacy and sportsmanship from Steve Smith.
In fact, if any team was guilty of violating the spirit of cricket, it was surely England, whose collapsible batting and inability to take more than two wickets in this game had denied fan-favourite Maxwell a bat.
So, Australia head home moral high ground champions, as well as victors in the ODI series and holders of the Women’s Ashes. Outstandingly successful tour all round. High fives for everybody.
When Glenn Maxwell was comprehensively bowled by a sensational delivery from Mark Watt, Scotland seemed on the verge of their greatest victory ever. Needing…
Boy, will England hate seeing that!
It was one of Australia's six drops for the innings as Scotland made 5-180.
While the second one was a little tricky, the Aussie skipper should have taken the other two.
Aaron Finch jumped to the defence of the Aussie captain, but his co-commentator was having none of it.
