• Australian opener scores 121 as hosts cruise to six-wicket win
• England's sorry tour shows no sign of improvement
If this really was the opening step in the minting of a new era for English cricket – new players, new chief exec, new sense of chastened post-meltdown perspective – then it must be said it looked quite a lot like one or two other new eras that have come and gone in recent times in one-day international cricket. England lost their captain Alastair Cook in the first over of the match at the MCG, crunched around in reverse gear in the opening powerplay and ended up losing by six wickets as Australia chased down a moderate total of 269 with 26 balls to spare.
The powerplay-specialists Aaron Finch and David Warner batted with muscular severity against a callow attack to share an opening stand of 163 in 28 overs that all but killed the game. Finch was dropped on eight and England fought gamely towards the end, but they were always behind here.
If there was a freshness to this England team, with six changes from last week's Sydney Test, there was also some raggedness at times, with the odd dropped catch and some unfortunate overthrows, not to mention a slightly sour moment as Warner was reprieved on 22 after the TV umpire Kumar Dharmasena decided with little evidence that a catch taken by Jos Buttler off Ben Stokes had kissed the grass on its way into the wicketkeeper's gloves. As Buttler was booed by a festive evening crowd, his face captured in accusatory close up on the big screen, there was time to reflect on the ongoing wretchedness of this cross-format tour. England have been in Australia for 11 weeks now. They have yet to beat Australia in a cricket match of any description.
For the first of this five-match series England picked a team stacked deep with batting. As it was in Sydney the policy seemed to be: when in doubt pack the team with cricketing handymen, as England fielded four all-rounders of varying descriptions. Only Tim Bresnan of the front line bowlers had played a one day international in Australia before. Not that the bowlers could be blamed for the timid tone set by England's steady-as-she-goes top order of Cook, Ian Bell and Joe Root. Clint McKay opened the bowing for Australia. His fourth ball was pitched up on a teasing length. Cook prodded and edged to Brad Haddin. I am The Resurrection blared out of the MCG sound system as England's captain trudged off. Not today it seems.
Australian cricket has shown a flair for short form cricket throughout this southern summer and here the cavernous MCG was at least half-full with the usual array of fancy-dress funsters, sombrero clad soaks and on one side of the ground a kind of inflatable banter-deck in each team's colours. Not that England's top order were in the mood to get caught up in the gaiety as singles were scampered and Root got off the mark from his 10th ball.
England are undoubtedly playing to their current strengths in batting steadily against the double new ball. But away from English conditions it can look fatally underpowered, not least when set against the lurking might of Australia's own top three, the WWF of Warner, Finch and Watson, kings of the the biff, the chop and the uppercut. The innings never recovered from a sedentary start that saw Root lbw to McKay for a fretful three off 22 balls and Ian Bell bowled by by Xavier Doherty for 41 off 56. Eoin Morgan looked beautifully uncluttered as he rebuilt alongside Gary Ballance, who top scored with a fine 79 of intricate off-side angles and profitable swipes to leg. The 50 partnership between England's affiliate left-handers came up off 53 balls and at 144-3 there was a sense they might press towards 300. Morgan, though, was out next ball and England were forced to enter the the brain-frazzling accident blackspot that is the batting powerplay with a new man at the crease. The next three overs brought 1- runs and the wicket of Ravi Bopara, before Buttler carved gamely at the death to take England to a moderate-looking total.
Warner produced the first body shot of the Australian innings, crunching Boyd Rankin to the point boundary before Finch, who seems to take up the footprint of two normal sized men, was dropped horribly by Ballance at mid-off. It was a blow for the persevering Chris Jordan who bowled at a skiddy pace throughout and looked stirred rather than cowed by the occasion. The Sussex man might have dismissed both Australian openers and came back later to bowl Watson second ball with a beauty that nipped back.
Finch and Warner were once a notoriously ragged duo at the Australian centre of excellence – both were suspended for "inappropriate treatment of facilities", which apparently included having a food fight – and there was a boisterousness to their partnership here as they lofted and occasionally walloped over the infield, bringing up Australia's hundred in the 18th over before Warner was caught at long on by Stokes off Root for 64.
England's attack looked shallow with Root and Bopara filling the role of a front line bowler. But there was still a sense of expert and calculated destruction about Finch's hundred, which came up off 108 balls and was rapturously received by the MCG crowd and the batsman himself. He was eventually out caught at third man by Ballance – 113 runs too late – for a muscular, match-winning 121. England will need to pick another bowler for the next game in Brisbane against powerful-looking opponents for whom the summer just keeps rolling along. Reported by guardian.co.uk 11 hours ago.
• England's sorry tour shows no sign of improvement
If this really was the opening step in the minting of a new era for English cricket – new players, new chief exec, new sense of chastened post-meltdown perspective – then it must be said it looked quite a lot like one or two other new eras that have come and gone in recent times in one-day international cricket. England lost their captain Alastair Cook in the first over of the match at the MCG, crunched around in reverse gear in the opening powerplay and ended up losing by six wickets as Australia chased down a moderate total of 269 with 26 balls to spare.
The powerplay-specialists Aaron Finch and David Warner batted with muscular severity against a callow attack to share an opening stand of 163 in 28 overs that all but killed the game. Finch was dropped on eight and England fought gamely towards the end, but they were always behind here.
If there was a freshness to this England team, with six changes from last week's Sydney Test, there was also some raggedness at times, with the odd dropped catch and some unfortunate overthrows, not to mention a slightly sour moment as Warner was reprieved on 22 after the TV umpire Kumar Dharmasena decided with little evidence that a catch taken by Jos Buttler off Ben Stokes had kissed the grass on its way into the wicketkeeper's gloves. As Buttler was booed by a festive evening crowd, his face captured in accusatory close up on the big screen, there was time to reflect on the ongoing wretchedness of this cross-format tour. England have been in Australia for 11 weeks now. They have yet to beat Australia in a cricket match of any description.
For the first of this five-match series England picked a team stacked deep with batting. As it was in Sydney the policy seemed to be: when in doubt pack the team with cricketing handymen, as England fielded four all-rounders of varying descriptions. Only Tim Bresnan of the front line bowlers had played a one day international in Australia before. Not that the bowlers could be blamed for the timid tone set by England's steady-as-she-goes top order of Cook, Ian Bell and Joe Root. Clint McKay opened the bowing for Australia. His fourth ball was pitched up on a teasing length. Cook prodded and edged to Brad Haddin. I am The Resurrection blared out of the MCG sound system as England's captain trudged off. Not today it seems.
Australian cricket has shown a flair for short form cricket throughout this southern summer and here the cavernous MCG was at least half-full with the usual array of fancy-dress funsters, sombrero clad soaks and on one side of the ground a kind of inflatable banter-deck in each team's colours. Not that England's top order were in the mood to get caught up in the gaiety as singles were scampered and Root got off the mark from his 10th ball.
England are undoubtedly playing to their current strengths in batting steadily against the double new ball. But away from English conditions it can look fatally underpowered, not least when set against the lurking might of Australia's own top three, the WWF of Warner, Finch and Watson, kings of the the biff, the chop and the uppercut. The innings never recovered from a sedentary start that saw Root lbw to McKay for a fretful three off 22 balls and Ian Bell bowled by by Xavier Doherty for 41 off 56. Eoin Morgan looked beautifully uncluttered as he rebuilt alongside Gary Ballance, who top scored with a fine 79 of intricate off-side angles and profitable swipes to leg. The 50 partnership between England's affiliate left-handers came up off 53 balls and at 144-3 there was a sense they might press towards 300. Morgan, though, was out next ball and England were forced to enter the the brain-frazzling accident blackspot that is the batting powerplay with a new man at the crease. The next three overs brought 1- runs and the wicket of Ravi Bopara, before Buttler carved gamely at the death to take England to a moderate-looking total.
Warner produced the first body shot of the Australian innings, crunching Boyd Rankin to the point boundary before Finch, who seems to take up the footprint of two normal sized men, was dropped horribly by Ballance at mid-off. It was a blow for the persevering Chris Jordan who bowled at a skiddy pace throughout and looked stirred rather than cowed by the occasion. The Sussex man might have dismissed both Australian openers and came back later to bowl Watson second ball with a beauty that nipped back.
Finch and Warner were once a notoriously ragged duo at the Australian centre of excellence – both were suspended for "inappropriate treatment of facilities", which apparently included having a food fight – and there was a boisterousness to their partnership here as they lofted and occasionally walloped over the infield, bringing up Australia's hundred in the 18th over before Warner was caught at long on by Stokes off Root for 64.
England's attack looked shallow with Root and Bopara filling the role of a front line bowler. But there was still a sense of expert and calculated destruction about Finch's hundred, which came up off 108 balls and was rapturously received by the MCG crowd and the batsman himself. He was eventually out caught at third man by Ballance – 113 runs too late – for a muscular, match-winning 121. England will need to pick another bowler for the next game in Brisbane against powerful-looking opponents for whom the summer just keeps rolling along. Reported by guardian.co.uk 11 hours ago.