England v Australia 4th ODI Riverside

Royal London ODI Series England v Australia at Riverside Durham June 21st

ANOTHER day, another Royal London one day international, another toss won by Australia and another England victory over Australia at the Emirates Durham.

This time England won by six wickets with overs to spare and are oncourse for. A five nil whitewash..  Their 314 was England’s second highest successful run chase and the highest ODI score at the Emirates Durham.  England’s chase got off to the best possible start when Jason Roy smashed a four off the first ball from Michael Neser.  Roy and Jonny  Bairstow brought up the England fifty  in the seventh over.  Roy reached his fifty from 36 balls with eight fours. On 62 he chipped Ashton Agar to Marcus Stoinis at short cover who if he had been a couple of inches taller would have taken the catch. Roy brought up the 150 with a fierce drive to the mid wicket boundary off Stoinis and with that shot the stuffing disappeared from the Aussies.

England skipper Eoin Morgan said: “Five nil or four one doesn’t make any difference in the grand scheme of things, it’s all about who turns up on the day and gets the job done.”

After the record breaking fest at Trent Bridge it was natural that this fourth one day international  should feel like after the Lord Mayor’s show but there were over 600 runs scored.  At times during the Australian innings it seemed all one pace but they were no slouches by the 20th over their 100 was reached and again during the England chase with Alex Hales and Joe Root batting but again they were scoring at five an over.  But compared to a Roy, Bairstow a 174 stand in 24 overs anything would feel pedestrian.

Two balls before the partnership was broken the talk was of a 10 wicket victory when Roy reached his century with a huge off Nathan  Lyon over long on.  Then two balls later he was back in the hutch when he sliced a drive off Lyon and Shaun Marsh at short third man took the catch.  The partnership could have been broken 36 runs earlier when Roy pushed Stoinis out into the covers to Michael  Neser and just beat his return.  Nine balls later Bairstow guided Billy  Stanlake to Paine just like in batting practice.

Paine  dropped a regulation catch off Hales  on 17 after Neser got one to rise at him and found his edge.

With victory in sight Root had a slog sweep at Agar and was bowled. Two overs later Morgan top edged a cut off Agar and Paine took the catch.  It was Hales and Buttler who saw England home  with an unbroken partnership of 70 in eight overs.

After the carnage on Tuesday Australia made three changes from Trent Bridge: D’Arcy Short, Glenn Maxwell and Andrew Tye missed out and were replaced by Alex Carey, Lyon and Neser.  Aussie skipper Tim Paine must have been in a state of shock after Tuesday won the toss and elected to bat.

Their score of 310  for eight was good but at the halfway stage it seemed 40 of a defendable target after the foundation built  by Marsh, AAron Finch and Travis Head. Marsh hit his fifth ODI century and top scored with 101.  He reached his century in the grand style when he brutally launched Adil  Rashid over square leg for a six.

When he came in at the fall of Head’s wicket in the 20th over Australia had already reached 100 but when was the sixth man out in the 48th over a score of 350 was already out of the question.  He had two lives  before he had scored. First Rashid put down a return chance then Marsh cut the next ball just out of the reach off Mark Wood at gully.  With seven overs remaining he even survived a stumping off Rashid when he was 64.

The departure of Marsh was down to an amazing piece of fielding by Roy and it put David Willey on an hattrick after Carey drilled the previous ball to Craig Overton, making his ODI debut, on the mid wicket boundary. Marsh drilled Willey to Roy on the long on boundary but Roy’s momentum was beginning to take him over the boundary he threw the ball back it 10 yards to Overton to complete the catch.  England skipper Morgan said: “It was outstanding.  To catch the ball was great but to throw back in field was an outstanding effort and we have made strides in our fielding during the series.”

Three balls later Nesser glanced him to Buttler.  Willey had taken three wickets for three runs after the previous over from Rashid cost 25 runs.

England thought they had an early wicket when Finch on eight pulled Wood to Hales at short mid wicket who caught it in his right hand but as he fell to the ground he spilled the ball, he went on to hit his sixth ODI century against England.

Despite that early scare Finch and Head put on 101 easily the Aussies best opening stand of the series so far.  Head began to dominate the opening partnership with smart running.  The partnership was broken when Head simply pulled a full toss to Willey on the mid wicket boundary without having to move.  Head’s 63 was his first List A fifty at the Emirates Riverside.

Finch pulled Rashid over long on for the first six of the match, five overs later he clubbed Rashid over long on for another.  He hit his third six when he pulled Overton over deep mid wicket.  After dropping him on eight England got rid of him  92 runs later when Wood swing one back in at him and he was leg before.  

Finch said: “To get out when I did was disappointing and I take full responsibility for that. We should have got 350 and I put a lot of people under pressure. It would have been nice to get get 140 and get the team to 350. I will bat where ever the team wants me to bat.

We are a young inexperienced attack but we are still making the same mistakes.”

After the dismissal of Finch, Australia lost eight wickets for 85 runs in 10 overs. First to go was Stoinis who was bowled by one that kept low. Agar tried to make room to cut Rashid but it was too close to him and he top edged it to Buttler.

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