Australia rip through England top order as tourists blow their bid for a whitewash

Head boy: opener Travis Head powers his way to 96 to lead Australia to victory over England in Adelaide
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Vithushan Ehantharajah26 January 2018

All the talk had been about a 5-0 Whitewash but Australia fought back in spectacular fashion to win the fourth ODI by three wickets in Adelaide on Friday.

Choosing to bowl first, the hosts put on a show on Australia Day as they destroyed England’s top order, reducing them to eight for five in the seventh over. Were it not for a knock of 78 from Chris Woakes, the tourists might have been nursing their worst-ever ODI total. It was certainly one of their most inauspicious starts.

The damage was done by Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, who used the muggy conditions and seaming pitch to force mistakes from an English top order that had been on fire for the first three ODIs. Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Jos Buttler fell for ducks as the right-arm quicks tested both sides of the bat.

While the early rain did not delay proceedings, it did mean that whoever called correctly would give their bowlers a go first and Australia captain Steve Smith did both.

While the surface did stay lively throughout, getting first go put the hosts in charge. Hazlewood got the most joy early on, taking three for six in his opening six overs only to be usurped by Cummins, who returned in the 20th over for a spell that would see him take career-best figures of four for 24 from his 10 overs.

With the top order accounted for — eight being the third-lowest amount of runs to be made when the top five wickets have fallen in ODIs — Eoin Morgan and Moeen Ali came together in a bid to restore some pride.

While Morgan lacked fluency, Ali was able to strike a few blows, including the innings’ first two boundaries, to take them to the drinks break on 35 for five.

While the pair were able to put 53 together, it was only when Woakes came to the crease that England started to give Australia something to think about. He struck four fours and five sixes, forcing Australia to disperse their slip cordon which, at the height of the early bedlam, had three catchers and a gully to accompany the wicketkeeper. Without Woakes’ partnership of 60 with No10 Tom Curran (35), this match might have been over before the floodlights had a chance to take effect.

In the end, after Andrew Tye polished off the tail for his three for 33 — his first ODI wickets — they had edged their way to 196. That allowed Travis Head the chance to return to form with a measured 96 that all but saw his side over the line. While he fell four away from a second ODI century, he took his chance: dropped for the third ODI, it was an injury to Aaron Finch that allowed him the opportunity to return to the side at the top of the order and ensure that even with a late collapse, Australia had little to worry about.

The margin probably flattered England but also showed how vulnerable this Australia side are. Head aside, only three of the other top seven batsmen made it to double figures and only one of those made it out of the teens.

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