Australia have fallen to their first home one-day series defeat in seven years after a 16-run defeat to England in Sydney on Sunday night.
» Click here to read the full match report
Final score
Australia 6/286
England 6/302
A series defeat is on the line for Australia when they take on England in the third ODI of their series at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage of this third ODI from 2:20pm (AEDT) on Sunday.
If the defeat in the first ODI surprised a few fans, there wasn’t any such reaction after the second game.
England ran away easy winners in the end, and although there were a few hiccups, the rather strong England batting line-up rode the storm and registered their second successive win.
Their batting aside, England were benefitted from the strange Australian selection tactics in the second game and that’s something that will need to change going into this third match.
After having failed to defend a 300-plus total in the first ODI, Australia went into the second with a further strengthening of batting, which in turn, very evidently weakened their bowling attack.
Adam Zampa was dropped and in came Cameron White. And if that move wasn’t bad enough, White was sent so far down the order that he looked as comfortable as a fish out of water.
The good news for Australia is that their pace troika of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc is back and should be fit to play together in this game. That could make it tougher for the England batting which goes all the way down to the number 10 position.
What Australia do need is a spinner. Their decision to drop Zampa from the previous game needs to be reversed, as was evidenced by two facts – the manner in which the England spinners bowled and the way Travis Head went for a few runs.
England wouldn’t want to make any changes to their well-oiled unit, which showed its ODI prowess yet again. And they will go into the game knowing a win in this encounter will not only win them the series but also push Australia to their first home series defeat in more than seven years.
They will start favourites to do that.
Join The Roar for live scores and a blog of this third ODI from 2:20pm AEDT on January 21.
Mr.Media
Roar Rookie
Australia is NOT the best T20 team in the world. NEW ZEALAND is rated number one! Australia is also NOT the number one in ODI's or in Test Matches. Just saying in case you missed it amongst the blabla of the commentators ... and no we don't have the best wickets in the world either ... some have rubble on them (Gabba), others with no grass at all (Adelaide), another one with a huge crack down the middle (Waca), and so on.
soapit
Guest
aussies bowled pretty well all game until the last few overs to "restrict" them to 300. wouldnt be expecting to win many games off no one ever bowling a bad over.
Don Freo
Guest
It is. They were ahead of the English scoring rate all innings...until the 49th over. The problem is that the Aussies didn't have Cummins and Starc to bowl rubbish at them like the Poms did.
soapit
Guest
280 odd isnt a particularly good performance these days don
cos1
Guest
Have to agree. If they make the decisions that make sense, they will be selecting the people their critics have been asking them to select since before the first game. But I think the selectors want what is best and are capable of making the right decision. I don't think their egos are that big. With 1 win out of the last 12 ODIs, they can hardly pretend they have not made a few mistakes.
cos1
Guest
On the current ODI form, they will probably drop Finch and replace him with S Marsh (rumor has it, Smith is not a big fan of the former). Recently some people came out and said they want the Australians to come out and bat fearlessly. The want some players to up their strike rate substantially. How did the selectors match these signals with their selection policy? They matched them by dropping Maxwell (recent strike rate 180 but averaging only about 20) AND coming out with statements, from the captain and others, that Maxwell was dropped because he got out playing risky, aggressive cricket and because he practiced playing big shots in the nets. Want the answer to why the batsmen are not playing 'fearlessly' and scoring at a higher strike-rate? Well, maybe they payed attention. There's a place to start.
cos1
Guest
20 words of unadulterated truth. I would upvote you if I could.
cos1
Guest
I think the quicks would do a lot better if they weren't constantly in and out of the team. I think it is taking them time to get used to the lines and lengths you need to bowl in the OD format. The problem is, they are getting very little in the way of one day game match practice and ODI exposure. I don't like the rotation policy as it is now. It is obvious the bowlers are taking a while to get back into the flow of ODI cricket - to the extent that they seem to be losing the feel for the game. We saw that in this game - they were ok in the early parts, but couldn't bowl in the death. More than that, I think our bowlers have had adequate rest, and if they are rested and not injured, the best players should play. Putting them in cotton wool has not helped them keep fit and will not help. When you bowl you use a unique combination of muscles. Bowling is the best way to stay fit for bowling, as long as you don't overdo it. Another thing that gets to me - some people have said Australia have recently not been taking ODI's seriously. I think that shows when you don't bother bowling any of your front line bowlers, or just bowl one of them, as they did earlier in this series, and as they have done sometimes throughout entire series. There is a difference between wanting to rest your best players and needing to. We got absolutely annihilated by the Saffa's when we sent a second rate bowling attack, as we did a few years ago against the Kiwis. The idea that playing your best bowlers is nice but not important in ODI cricket shows disrespect to the game, to the opposition, and to the fans. The fans are now becoming long suffering fans. Anyway, the Ozzies are now something like 1 win out of the last 12 games. This is the worst run in Australian ODI history. It is a crisis of epic proportions. And yet there seems to be no sense of crisis or urgency. I strongly suspect that after this series it will be 1 out of 14. I have watched a lot of these games and I think I have had my fill of watching us get thrashed in the ODI format. I hope the players are as sick of losing as I am sick of watching them lose. But at least if I have to watch us get thrashed again, I would like to watch our best team get thrashed. I would like to know we are trying everything to win and that we are giving ourselves the best chance.
anon
Roar Pro
Dead rubber so surely Maxwell gets a run now. When was the last time Australia lost three in a row at home. Unheard of. A month ago people were happy to say the haters were wrong and selectors got it perfect. If you want selectors to get all the credit when they guess right, then you have to give them all the blame when they get it wrong.
Alan
Guest
I'd plump for Bancroft over Paine, much more damaging at 3.
Don Freo
Guest
It actually was quite a good batting effort. The problem was the 3 NSW bowlers who had no control and no nouse. (I will add the NSW skipper there too.) Notice he gave Marsh 3 times as many overs today...for a wicket and a dropped catch.
Dave
Guest
19 runs off 4 balls. There is a player who is Australian who may have had a chance
Baz
Guest
Smith Oscar not a odi captain or player
Tanmoy Kar
Guest
For the last two ODIs and the T20Is Smith, warner, Starc, Cummins should be rested considering the South Africa tour next month. Finch may be given the Captaincy.
mrrexdog
Roar Guru
England have 2 keepers in the side, it could work for Australia. Both are decent players.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Lyon for Zampa please. Carey or Paine - not both. Maybe Ussie at 3. I'd be giving some of the BBL boys who are in form a go. Finch Short Khawaja Ashton Turner or Ben McDermott M Marsh Stoinis Carey Agar Tye Richardson Lyon
Bfc
Guest
Hope so...but alas, I don't think so. To make changes would suggest that the Selectors have got it wrong thus far and I can't see Boof et al admitting they have the formula wrong. Would the Selectors 'swallow their pride' and pick (say) Maxwell or Khawaja, or Lyon...? As others have noted, the batting in the middle overs was so pedestrian...the required run rate kept going up yet batters kept playing the same way. Left way too much to do for the tail end... Morgan is going great as the ENG Capt...field settings, bowling plans/rotation. Definitely showing up Smith...
Alan
Guest
Why both Carey and Paine?
mrrexdog
Roar Guru
Paine shouldn’t be batting any lower than 5, Give Smith and Warner the rest of the series off. Give the quicks a break as well. Team for Friday Finch Carey Short Paine Marsh Maxwell Stoinis Abbott Tye Richardson Zampa
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Fair enough. I think it was going to have to be Stoinis bringing it home or Mitch Marsh if he had stayed in. I think we are lacking some big hitters. They could give Darcy Short a go up the order instead of Warner but I bet they won't. And give Smith a rest. Chris Lynn would have been a decent replacement if he was fit.