England struggle in must-win ODI

Kevin Pietersen
12 April 2012

England suffered two mini-collapses to undermine their pursuit of 250 in the must-win fifth one-day international against Australia in Brisbane.

After crashing to 22 for three in the face of an aggressive Brett Lee opening spell England had looked to be back on course when Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell combined in a 73-run stand.

But Pietersen meekly surrendered his wicket on 40 when he miscued a John Hastings slower ball and Eoin Morgan (two) and Bell (36) quickly followed to leave them 105 for six after 26 overs.

That threatened to undo the earlier good work Chris Woakes put in with figures of six for 35 - the best by an England bowler on foreign soil - in just his second one-day international.

Under-fire stand-in captain Michael Clarke top-scored for Australia with 54 after he had been booed on his arrival to the crease.

England's chase began badly when they lost three quick wickets in the face of Lee's early feistiness. Lee had targeted Andrew Strauss with a couple of well-aimed bouncers before he accounted for Matt Prior, who had thrashed three boundaries in his 14, for the third time in the series.

Prior paid for an unconventional stroke to have his off-stump pinned back before Strauss (three) followed him from the first ball of Doug Bollinger's next over pulling tamely to Steve Smith. Lee was on a hat-trick when Jonathan Trott, England's centurion in Adelaide on Wednesday, was unlucky to flick his first ball straight to Bollinger at short fine-leg.

New man Bell ducked under a bouncer from the hat-trick ball before combining with Pietersen to help his team recover from their poor start.

They combined in a stand of 73 that had started to loom as a match-winning combination with Pietersen particularly impressive as he timed the ball sweetly. But the 30-year-old miscued a slower short ball from Hastings to prompt three more quick wickets.

Morgan (two) holed out in the deep off Smith and when Bell (36) chopped on off Hastings, England were staring at a series-ending defeat.

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