Australia vs England, live: Travis Head misses ton as Aussies win
Opener Travis Head’s dismissal just short of a ton encapsulated a drought-breaking victory the hosts made hard work of.
Recalled opener Travis Head fell just shy of a century as Australia downed England by three wickets on Friday night to avert a one-day series whitewash, AAP reports.
Chasing England’s meagre 196, Head made 96 as Australia won with 13 overs to spare at Adelaide Oval in the fourth one-dayer of the series. The result leaves the series 3-1 in England’s favour ahead of the last game on Sunday in Perth and denies the tourists their first clean sweep of a ODI series in Australia.
Head underpinned Australia’s 7-197, the chase coming after pacemen Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins produced a record bowling start, reducing England to 5-8.
Cummins claimed career-best ODI figures of 4-24 and Hazlewood (3-39) took his wickets in his initial four overs - England crashed to 5-8 after 6.2 overs. Australia’s previous best ODI bowling start, with the caveat of dismissing half the opposition, was 5-17 against minnows Kenya in 2002 and Zimbabwe in 2004. At 5-8, England had recorded the third-worst ODI batting start - bettering only Sri Lanka’s 5-6 against Bangladesh in 2009 and Canada’s 5-7 against the Netherlands in 2013.
“Certainly it was the perfect start for us,” Cummins said. “It just felt like one of those days where instead of a couple of play-and- misses, they seemed to nick them.
“Australia Day here, we talk about being a big game and ... we didn’t want it to turn into a whitewash.”
Four of England’s top-six batsmen made ducks and the tourists didn’t hit a boundary until the 15th over.
“Australia bowled really well ... and really were relentless in traditional lline and length,” England captain Eoin Morgan said.
“From there it’s obviously a difficult position to win the game.”
English allrounder Chris Woakes ensured some respectability, smacking five sixes and top-scoring with 78 from 82 balls, though the visitors were all out in 44.5 overs.
Head, recalled to the side to open the batting because of Aaron Finch’s hamstring injury, steered the run chase with aplomb.
Despite the early losses of David Warner (13), Cameron White (3) and skipper Steve Smith (4), Head peeled off a half-century from 55 balls. In the process, Head passed 1000 ODI runs in his 30th innings - a faster rate than luminaries including Ricky Ponting, Warner and Dean Jones. The lefthander, who scored his sole ODI ton on Australia Day last year, was on the cusp of another century when his 107-ball knock ended with his nation 17 runs short of victory.
Head received scant support - Mitchell Marsh’s 32 from 30 deliveries was the next-best score and Tim Paine made a valuable 25 not out.
How the match unfolded:
9.20pm: Aussies, finally!
The hosts have at last opened their series account. Paine has made amends for a run-out involving Pat Cummins by slashing a four through point and another to backward square leg to finish on an unbeaten 25. Andrew Tye hits the winning runs with a punch through mid-off. So the Australians go to Perth with a chance to save some face with a 3-2 result.
9.10pm: Agony for Travis Head
Head has fallen four runs short of making back-to-back Australia Day hundreds. With just 20 runs needed, he has been caught smashing a straight pull to mid-on. His dismissal has left the door ajar -- and it opened further when Cummins was run out for three with 12 runs required. Tye is the new man in.
8.55pm: Crawling to victory
Australia move to 5-180 after 34 overs, needing only another 17 to win. They are making sure of victory, picking up singles where available. Travis Head has 96 from 105 balls, while Tim Paine is on 14 from 25.
8.35pm: Morgan makes his move
England skipper Eoin Morgan brings the fielders in for Tim Paine, which is a smart tactic as they will need to dismiss Australia to win this. After 30 overs, Australia are 5-157, needing 40 to win. Paine has 8, Travis Head is on 80 (90 balls).
That'll take some catching! Head moves to 73*...
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 26, 2018
LIVE: https://t.co/7neFSgrGWw #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/xEHk7rtDr0
8.20pm: Stoinis throws it away
Marsh (32) and Marcus Stoinis (14) have fallen to Adil Rashid. Both squandered their starts to keep England in the game. At 5-137, the Australians need 60 to win and they have plenty of overs in which to do it. The wickets is the problem. If Head falls then it’s truly game on. The opener is on 68 and he’s been joined by Paine. And the Australian tail is long.
8.05pm: Rashid takes a screamer!
Adil Rashid strikes again, taking a return catch that is absolutely smoked by Mitch Marsh. Marsh stands mid-pitch in disbelief that the leg-spinner has held onto that. He’s gone for 32 off 30 balls, with 3 boundaries and a 6. Travis Head is chugging along at the other end, with 57 from 67 balls. Australia are 4-112 in the 22nd over.
7.45pm: Marsh goes large
Mitch Marsh isn’t mucking around here, racing to 23 from 20 balls courtesy of 2 fours and a massive 6 slogged out to mid-wicket. Australia are 3-95 after 18 overs, needing another 102 runs from 32 overs. Travis Head has 49 off 54 balls.
7.30pm: Smith out!
The skipper is gone for 4 after a sharp catch by Joe Root at slip off the bowling of leg-spinner Adil Rashid. It’s a reflex grab from Root and he does well to hold on. Australia are 3-70 in the 14th over, with Travis Head motoring along at 47 off 49 balls.
"That's as good a catch as you'll see at slip" - KP
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 26, 2018
Hard to argue. https://t.co/7neFSgrGWw #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/eXFdGNlCT0
7.10pm: White ain’t right
Cameron White is sent in at No.3 after the dismissal of Warner, but he manages only 3 while Travis Head (31 off 28) is scoring at will at the other end. Tom Curran traps White plum in front. Australia are 2-48 off 8 overs.
6.55pm: Warner gone!
Warner’s run of outs in the series has continued. The Australian vice-captain has edged behind for 13 to add to his scores of 2, 35 and 8 in the series so far. Immediately after his wicket England might have had their last chance but blew it. When Head lofted a four over cover, second slip was removed. Head, of course, edged the next ball to second slip. The ball ran away to the third man rope and Head salted the wound by pulling Wood’s next ball for another boundary. In the seventh over the hosts are 1-44 and Head is on 27.
First with the bat, and then the ball. Woakes having some sort of match so far! #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/gkJEOXD5jJ
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 26, 2018
6.35pm: Chase begins
Australian openers David Warner and Travis Head set out in pursuit of 197 for victory. Warner is beaten by Chris Woakes first-up, then smashes a wide ball to the cover boundary. He collects another couple off an inside edge. After one over it’s 0-6.
Not a bad shot to get yourself off the mark!
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 26, 2018
LIVE: https://t.co/7neFSgrGWw #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/GVJ5eA0Uvu
6.10pm: Innings wrap
Australian captain Steve Smith’s decision to bowl paid dividends as England were held to just 196 in the fourth one-day international, AFP reports.
With the five-match series already in their keeping after winning the first three games, the tourists did well to reach a competitive total following a disastrous start which saw them lose four of their top six batsmen for ducks.
On Australia Day, it was all the home side as the tourists slumped to eight for five in the early overs. Their lowest-ever total of 86 looked in danger until all-rounder Chris Woakes rescued the innings.
It could easily have been six wickets before reaching double figures as well, with captain Eoin Morgan having two near-misses as soon as he came to the crease.
In the end, solid resistance from Woakes (78) along with Morgan and Moeen Ali (33 each) -- and Tom Curran (35) -- enabled England to scramble to a decent total.
Woakes continued his excellent form with the bat in the series, hitting five sixes in the 82 balls he faced before being caught on the boundary off Andrew Tye (3-33).
The rot set in early for England after being sent in by Smith for the second successive match, this time in humid conditions which favoured seam bowlers, as Australia sought to turn around their dreadful recent record of just one win in their past 11 completed matches.
Jason Roy, who got England rolling in the series with a record-breaking 180 in the opening match, fell to the second ball of the innings, caught at point by Smith off the bowling of Hazlewood (3-39) for a duck.
Alex Hales (3) was the second to fall, bowled off his pads by Pat Cummins, who snared a career-best 4-24.
Opener Jonny Bairstow was caught behind from the bowling of Hazlewood for a duck, and Test captain Joe Root also fell without scoring, caught on the fine leg boundary after top-edging a hook shot from the bowling of Cummins.
Jos Buttler, coming off a match-winning century in Sydney, became the fourth batsman dismissed without scoring, caught behind from the bowling of Hazlewood when England had just eight runs on the board.
However, Woakes picked up where he left off in an unbeaten half-century in Sydney, and had good support from the previously out-of-form Ali and number 10 Curran.
5.45pm: All out
England have committed the cardinal sin of not batting their allotted overs. But in their defence, lasting as long as 44.5 overs isn’t a bad effort after being 5-8. The Australians will need 197 for victory when their innings starts after the dinner break. Curran was the last man out, caught at midwicket to give Tye three for the innings. All the wickets fell to the seamers, which makes you wonder how many England might have made had Starc played.
5.30pm: Cavalier hand comes to an end
Glenn Maxwell has inserted himself into the game by taking the catch that dismissed Woakes. Maxwell made great ground at long-on to catch Woakes’ mistimed straight slog. Woakes’ fine 78, off 82 balls with 4 boundaries and 5 sixes, has at least given England a target to defend. No 11 Mark Wood comes to the wicket with the score 9-180 with seven overs remaining.
5.20pm: Wonderful Woakes
Chris Woakes has held this innings together superbly, barely looking troubled as he cruises past 50. After 41 overs England are 8-171, with Woakes 71 off 75 and Curran 19 off 21.
Yep, he got all of that one! Sensational striking from Woakes late here.
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 26, 2018
LIVE: https://t.co/7neFSgrGWw #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/lnTyxiOlWp
5pm: Best ODI figures
Pat Cummins completes his 10 overs with figures of 4-24. England will be happy to see the back of him but the damage has been done. It’s a good return for the 24-year-old after copping some tap in the third ODI, when he went for 67 off 10, including 34 in his final two overs. England are 8-135 after 36 overs, with Woakes on 44 and Tom Curran on 10.
4.50pm: Cummins strikes again
The English resistance is crumbling. Cummins (4-23) has Rashid caught behind for 7 to reduce the tourists to 8-120. Andrew Tye’s first ODI wicket has come in his third match. It was an important one for the hosts as Moeen and Woakes had added 50 in just 52 balls.
4.40pm: Using his head
England lose their 7th wicket as Moeen Ali is caught on the boundary while trying to pull Andrew Tye for 6. He barely misses, as Travis Head pulls off a smart catch at deep mid-wicket. Head takes the catch just inside the rope, then throws the ball back in play as he steps out and back in the field of play. He coolly completes the dismissal, giving Tye his first wicket in one-day international cricket. Ali is gone for 33 off 50 balls, England are 7-112 after 30.3 overs.
Cool, calm and collected from the local boy on the rope. Crowd certainly liked that one! LIVE: https://t.co/7neFSgrGWw #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/D7cBWYXoeX
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 26, 2018
4.30pm: Ton up
England reach 100, which early in the innings looked unlikely. It comes in the 29th over, with 6 wickets down. Woakes has 32, Ali is on 29.
4.20pm: Woakes hits out
All-rounder Chris Woakes has had enough. He goes over the top against Adam Zampa, smashing a four and a beautifully timed six as England collect 14 from it. Woakes has 23 off 25 balls, Moeen Ali has 28 off 45. The visitors are 6-90 after 27 overs.
Big wicket for Cummins as he breaks the burgeoning partnership and removes the England skipper for his third! @Toyota_Aus #ohwhatafeeling pic.twitter.com/OZclby3xUo
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 26, 2018
4pm: Sixth wicket goes down!
Just when England were clawing their way back into this, skipper Eoin Morgan (33 off 61 balls) throws his wicket away, caught behind while trying to hook Pat Cummins. He manages only to glove one to Tim Paine. It ends a partnership of 53 between Morgan and Moeen Ali (23 off 37). His departure reduces the tourists to 6-61 in the 22nd over. Woakes has joined Moeen and Smith is attacking with his field again.
3.40pm: England digging in
The sun’s out and so are the two star quicks as Smith turns to Mitchell Marsh and Andrew Tye. The ball’s starting to behave itself as Morgan and Moeen build something approaching a rearguard. With the score 5-38 after 16 overs, Smith has surprisingly posted boundary riders to contain the last of the recognised batsmen.
Good over for England as Moeen Ali hits the first boundary of the innings after 87 deliveries. Plenty more of that needed! #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/Ze2seBpv9i
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 26, 2018
3.25pm: More ducks than a shooting gallery
England’s scorecard makes for sorry reading. Four batsmen — Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root and Jos Buttler — failed to score. Some fantastic bowling from Hazlewood and Cummins, but Joe Root and Roy played poor shots. Buttler copped an almost unplayable ball from Hazlewood, not much he could do about that.
England get their first boundary after 14.3 overs, courtesy of Moeen Ali, who has 10. Eoin Morgan is on 14. England are 5-29.
3.10pm: For the record
In case you were wondering (and we were), England’s lowest ever score in a one-day international is 86, made against Australia at Manchester in 2001. Here in Adelaide, the visitors have inched their way to 5-18 off 10 overs. Eoin Morgan is on 11, Moeen Ali has 2. Josh Hazlewood has figures of 3-8 off 5 overs; Pat Cumins 2-10 off 5.
Five wickets inside the first seven overs, and Hazlewood 3-5! #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/N1o1DFmyds
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 26, 2018
2.55pm: And another ....
Someone better check the record books for England’s lowest ever one-day international total. They’ve just lost their fifth wicket, Jos Buttler, and are now 5-8 in the 7th over. Buttler cops a beauty from Hazlewood, and he edges behind to Tim Paine.
Ready for it? England in an Australia daze. 5-8. Boom-tish #AUSvsENG #AustraliaDay
— Adam Mobbs (@AdamMobbs) January 26, 2018
2.49pm: What’s going on out there?!
England are in diabolical trouble now. Joe Root has holed out to fine leg after trying to hook a Pat Cummins ball that got too big and was too quick. The tourists are 4-6, Cummins and Hazlewood have two each, and we are heading for an early finish. And all this without the rested Starc.
2.45pm: Bairstow gone!
Here’s Jonny! And there he goes, back to the pavilion, caught behind by wicketkeeper Tim Paine for a duck off the bowling of Josh Hazlewood. England are now 3-4 in the fifth over.
2.36pm: Another one!
Pat Cummins gets in on the act. A beautiful ball jags back into Alex Hales, clips his pad and crashes into the stumps. He’s gone for 3 and England have been reduced to 2-4 after 3.2 overs. Where has this been, Australia?
2.22pm: Wicket!
A dream start for Australia as Josh Hazlewood opens proceedings and picks up a wicket with his second delivery. Jason Roy slashes at a wide ball and Steve Smith takes a good catch at a wide gully position. Roy’s gone for a duck and England are 1-0 very quickly. Alex Hales gets off the mark and it’s 1-1 after the first over. Pat Cummins will start up from the other end.
1.50pm: Australia win the toss
AUS XI: Warner, Head,
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 26, 2018
White, Smith (c), Marsh, Stoinis, Paine (wk), Cummins, Tye, Zampa, Hazlewood #AUSvENG
The rain’s gone and Steve Smith’s won the toss and elected to field first. After a fairly gloomy start to the day, that’s more like it!
As expected, Head moves to open with David Warner while Andrew Tye is in for Mitchell Starc (rested).
England were forced into one change, with Tom Curran in for the injured Liam Plunkett.
Australia have won toss and chosen to bowl first.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 26, 2018
One change to our team as @_TC59 comes in for the injured @Liam628.
FOLLOW: https://t.co/qSEAri0Vfo #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/3szFm2Z2x4
1.08pm: Will there be a delayed start?
A few quite un-Australia Day showers dusting Adelaide Oval. Expected to clear as afternoon progresses, coin toss due in an hour #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/RdlzcWrisw
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 26, 2018
Things aren’t looking good for a 1.50pm start in Adelaide, with rain not yet easing.
12.45pm: Rain falls in Adelaide
Light rain. #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/jotvJtZdjt
— Andrew Faulkner (@AndrewFaulkner9) January 26, 2018
Rain is threatening to halt the start of play, with the covers on at Adelaide Oval.
12.25pm: No such thing as a dead ODI rubber
Australian cricketers say there’s no such thing as a dead rubber.
Particularly on Australia Day, and particularly against England. Australia enter Friday’s fourth one-dayer at Adelaide Oval, trailing 3-0 in the five-game series.
But batsman Travis Head says the fixture holds great significance for himself and his Australian teammates.
“It’s extremely important,” Head said.
“It’s not just this series. It goes on with a lot of white-ball cricket for the rest of the summer.
“It’s very important to try and find a way to beat them. They are playing extremely well at the minute.
“We probably haven’t played the way we would have liked so, hopefully, we can go out there and play the brand of cricket that we want to play - an attacking brand.
“Now the series is over and the pressure, I guess, has come out of it a little bit, hopefully guys can go out and find that rhythm, find the way to win games of cricket.”
AAP
11.45pm: England’s ODI team eye slice of history
All-rounder Moeen Ali and his England teammates want a slice of one-day international history.
Never before have the Poms beaten Australia 5-0 in a one-day series. In 2012, on English soil, they defeated Australia 4-0 in five-match series. And in 1980, England downed Australia won 2-0 in a two-game series in England - their only clean sweep to date.
So Ali says the current batch of England’s white-ball cricketers have set their sights on a historic 5-0 sweep against Australia.
The tourists lead 3-0 entering Friday’s fixture in Adelaide, with the series finale at Perth’s new stadium on Sunday.
“Everyone is keen to make history here,” Ali told reporters on Thursday. “Obviously being 3-0 up is a great position.
“(But) this is where we have probably struggled a little bit, where we have won the series and let our guard down a little bit. It’s something that we want to change.
“To win it ... 5-0 would be an amazing feeling.” Ali said such a series triumph would be all the sweeter because of England’s 4-0 Ashes Test series loss, in which he personally struggled.
“The Test matches were a struggle throughout and almost the harder I tried, the worse I got,” he said.
“The one-day stuff ... we have more of a stable team, the guys have been together for a very long time now and know exactly what we’re doing. “When you have played the Ashes and lost them, and fresh faces come in (for the one-day series), it lifts the dressing room.
“The environment is completely different from one-day to Test cricket in the changeroom, definitely.”
AAP
Andrew Faulkner 11.00pm: Big Show back in ODI tent
A month to the day after the Australians bounded on to the MCG salivating at the prospect of an Ashes whitewash, today they find themselves staring down their own 5-0 humiliation.
Missing the injured Aaron Finch (hamstring) and facing a supremely confident England, the vanquished hosts have it all against them on Australia Day.
Another loss here in Adelaide and the hosts will head to Perth with a whitewash still in play.
In an intriguing subplot, and that’s all it is as he’s only been called in as “cover”, Glenn Maxwell is back in the tent after being plucked from the wilderness.
Maxwell was summoned to Adelaide last night in case any of the Australian batsmen suffers an 11th-hour injury.
After averaging 22 in his past 20 one-day internationals, Maxwell was contentiously dumped from the initial ODI squad.
This sent his legion of admirers from Victoria and elsewhere into a frenzy and Steve Smith didn’t help matters when he suggested Maxwell needed to “train smarter”.
At the time, chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said Maxwell was “still absolutely in our thoughts” but the panel just wanted to have a look at Chris Lynn in one-day colours.
Additional reporting: AP/AFP
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