Key events
5th over: England 25-1 (Banton 11, Root 4) Dramatic scenes as Banton is clobbered on the lid by a Bartlett bouncer and his stem guards go flying into the air like two surprised eyebrows. He’s checked over and is good to continue. Root is off the mark with a flick to fine leg and follows up with a firmer clip off his pads through midwicket for three. Six off the over in all.
5th over: England 19-1 (Banton 9, Root 0) Joe Root arrives at first drop for England. Two slips back in place now, a solid punch to mid off from England’s greatest with the bat in hand (no emails please) sees out the over.
WICKET! Ben Duckett c Connolly b Bartlett 9 (England 19-1)
Duckett survives a huge LBW shout early in the over from Bartlett, surviving a bail trimmer on Umpire’s call but then rather gives his wicket away with a slash straight to Cooper Connolly at backward point. Decent low catch and Australia have their first scalp.
4th over: England 17-0 (Banton 8, Duckett 9) Apologies my tv cut off at a crucial moment… four runs came off Johnson’s second over but England have also lost their first wicket… (ellipsis of doom for Ben Duckett)
3rd over: England 13-0 (Banton 5, Duckett 8) An early victory for England as Marsh does a way with one slip. Runs could be the order of the day on first glance at this pitch and outfield. *Cue another historic batting collapse*. Duckett clubs a four through the off side and is then squared up slightly to a ball that angles across him.
Off the pitch meanwhile. It’s been a quiet morning with nothing further said about the S word… NOT! More on that soon.
2nd over: England 7-0 (Banton 5, Duckett 2) Spencer Johnson shares the new nut with two slips in position for the edge. Ayeee! He beats Duckett with one that nips away and the wee man can’t help but have a flirt at it outside off. The pint sized puncher then settles into his work with a cut for another single. Shot! Banton times the undercrackers off a clip off his pads that whistles away for England’s first boundary.
1st over: England 2-0 (Banton 1, Duckett 1) Can England make a better first of things with the bat in this second match? Both openers get off the mark with singles off the first over, Bartlett is full and finding a little shape. Decent crowd in and they’ll be hoping for a tighter contest than Perth. I think.
Righto, here we go. The players are out in the middle, England’s opening pair of Duckett and Banton scritch scratch their guards and Xavier Bartlett is going to start with the new Kooka for Australia. PLAY!
Ali also reveals he had a decent flight companion on the trip to Adelaide:
In other news, a shame to see Mahli Beardman miss out for the Aussies after his starring role two days ago. But understandable, too, given the tight turnaround and his recent return from a back stress fracture. Sat next to him on the flight to Adelaide, as it happens. A sparky, chatty lad with clear Test ambitions (he is keen to play some county cricket at some point also). Still to make his first-class debut but then Pat Cummins had only played a handful before he got his Baggy Green.”
Ali Martin is in situ at Adelaide Oval and sends the following missive across the continents about the MIA Adil Rashid:
Morning Jimbo, away from sandpaper redux it’s another day looking on from the sidelines for Adil Rashid. Harry Brook said conditions the reason behind him missing out in Pakistan and then Perth … but to miss out in Adelaide suggests a bit more to it. England could argue that with Sonny Baker coming in for Craig Overton, Dawson’s lower order batting required (even after a duck in the first ODI). But it’s becoming a bit of a curio.”
Australia win the toss and will bowl first
The coin is flipped at the Adelaide Oval and it comes down on the side of the home team. Mitch Marsh sticks England in with the Perth schmozzle still fresh in their memory.
It’s no secret we like to chase. We know the wicket stays really good here in Adelaide. Hopefully we can get the most out of it early and then chase it down under lights.”
He then confirms that the star from Perth is rested today:
Mahli Beardman, young kid, tough to back up on 48 hours turnaround, he rests today and Riley Meredith comes in.”
Hear that? Is that a collective sigh of relief from England’s batting card?
Sonny Baker comes in for England, in place of Jamie Overton. Brook admits he would have had a bowl first too.
TEAMS:
Australia: 1 Travis Head, 2 Mitchell Marsh (c), 3 Cooper Connolly, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Matt Renshaw, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Jack Edwards, 8 Xavier Bartlett, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Spencer Johnson, 11 Riley Meredith
England: 1 Ben Duckett, 2 Tom Banton, 3 Joe Root, 4 Harry Brook (c), 5 Jordan Cox (wk), 6 Sam Curran, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Liam Dawson, 9 Gus Atkinson, 10 Sonny Baker, 11 Jofra Archer
Preamble
James Wallace
Nothing to see here. Nothing at all. It’s been a quiet week in the cricket world all told. Sand…what? Oh, well, yes. There was something…
Apart from that though, quite sleepy really. Oh and Australia walloped England in Perth, again.
Ali Martin was our man at the Optus and witnessed Mahli Beardman’s international arrival and another stinker from England exactly twelve months on from the last one:
A week of watching Australian cricket descend into civil war ended with smiles being wiped from English faces after a stunning debut from the fast bowler Mahli Beardman consigned the tourists to an all-too-familiar hammering in Perth.
Victory in a low-key one-day international was never going to atone for the galling start to that failed Ashes campaign here 12 months ago. Nevertheless, England appeared better prepared this time, while the hosts were missing their big three quicks and fighting sandpaper-related bushfires off the field.
And yet by 4.38pm local time – nine hours after Pat Cummins had finished his marathon takedown of Usman Khawaja’s autobiography in Sydney – Harry Brook’s side were 1-0 down once again. Rolled for 131 all out in just 33.4 overs, having been 68 for eight at one stage, a seven-wicket loss was the upshot.
There was more than a touch of Cummins about their tormentor on the day, too, with Beardman claiming figures of six for 24 from 7.4 overs in his first ODI – a national record, no less. Just 21 years old, but already touching 90mph on the speed gun, the Western Australian looks a considerable prospect.”
The whiteball sideshow to to the main circus off the field rolls into Adelaide for the second ODI between Australia and England. Nope, no idea what we’ll talk about.
Play starts at 2pm ACDT/2.30pm AEDT/3.30am GMT
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