Is Australia at an all-time low?

England takes charge in ODI series with Aussie’s.

Australia's D'Arcy Short celebrates his wicket of Middlesex's Hilton Cartwright with his teammates.

Australia had begun their Tour of England with two successful victories against two very strong county sides, Sussex and Middlesex. Before their defeats, both county sides dominated in their recent ‘England One-Day Cup 2018’ matches. Middlesex coming off a convincing win against Gloucestershire and Sussex falling just short to Essex by only 4 wickets. Australia sent a warning to England’s One-Day International (ODI) side, winning both clashes by 50+ runs. The Aussie’s entered into the ODI series favourites after assigning Tim Paine as captain, taking over from the suspended Steve Smith, and Justin Langer as their new Head Coach, after the resignation of Darren Lehmann. Oh, and don’t forget, England’s woeful lose to Scotland days before the series begun. So with all the stars perfectly aligned - new captain, new coach, two satisfying victories and England’s disappointing practice match - everything pointed to a comfortable Tour of England for Australia, but things didn’t go as planned for the boys from Down Under.

England took control of the first two ODI matches winning the first by 3 wickets and the second by 38 runs. It was the third ODI @ Trent Bridge, which sent alarm bells ringing through the Australian change rooms. The Aussie’s won the toss and elected to bowl, leaving England to create the total run chase. Australia’s bowling looked promising, well at the beginning anyway, dismissing England’s opening batsmen, Jason Roy, for 82. It all went downhill from there, as England’s second opening batsmen, Jonny Bairstow and Nottinghamshire's, Alex Hales (both pictured below), both put on an outstanding partnership. The boy from York, Bairstow, made his century but shortly after, fall to Ashton Agar, becoming Australia’s second wicket. It only took Australia 151 runs and 14.8 overs to do so. Alex Hales continued to shine even though his batting partner was dismissed. Hales, who loves playing on his home turf, rose to the occasion displaying a ‘Player of the Match’ performance reaching 147 runs, helping England break the ODI run record and the highest run total of all-time. England finished their innings 6-481 and smashed 15 fours and 21 sixes through-out their 50 overs. A special mention to England’s ODI captain, Eoin Morgan, who became the leading ODI run scorer, currently with 5,443 runs to his name, England’s highest ever achieved. Well done, Eoin!

After a well-deserved cuppa and something to nibble on, England headed back out into the pitch to defend their record breaking innings. Australia having to pull off one of the most remarkable run chases ever imagined. The batting from the Aussie’s in the previous two encounters wasn’t impressive, but with a few changes in the batting order, with Aaron Finch dropped to the middle and D’Arcy Short coming in to open with Travis Head, made heads turn. The switch in batting order seemed to be pointless after England took their first wicket in D’Arcy Short for 1-27. England’s bowling was as impressive as their batting, as wickets continued to fall. The Aussie’s weren’t even halfway through their batting overs, when they lost another wicket in Marcus Stoinis, 5-173. As they continued to fall, the boy’s from Under Down were bowled out by England with 13 overs to spare and a total of 239 runs. Travis Head, an Aussie opener, finished with the highest run total for Australia, 51. The Poms taking the points, making it 3-0 in the series.

Now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty’s of the game. Firstly, the decision to change the batting order. Pushing A.Finch down the order instead of opening, was a mistake. It didn’t work. Having D.Short come in to open with T.Head had no effect on the scoreboard. Yes, he’s a great player. He absolutely dominated in the BBL series for the Hobart Hurricanes and deserves his place in the ODI squad but the England bowlers were just too good for him. Short only contributed 15 runs which is nothing compared to an opening batsmen like England’s J.Bairstow, who smashed a whopping 139 runs off 92 balls for his side. No matter what Australia do, their opening batsmen’s haven’t had a significant impact on the scoreboard. It appears as though they are missing something. Are they missing the suspended David Warner, who absolutely dominates whenever he opens for his country? Or is it the leadership and coaching of the squad that needs to be reconsidered? Was Tim Paine the right option to replacement Steve Smith? Or should we give Paine a chance, he’ll come around? And is the new head coach, Justin Langer, just having a run of beginner’s bad luck? After all that has happened, is Australia at an all-time low? Or are they still adjusting to life under Langer? There are so many questions, but does Australia have the answers and the reply that’s needed to save their ODI campaign.

On the other hand, England’s performance in the past three matches has been absolutely divine. Their bowling and batting skills have continued to shine. The England ODI squad continue their dominance over Australia after their 4-1 victory during the summer on Australian soil. After their impressive ODI run and achieving the highest ODI run total of all-time, is England a serious threat for the World Cup next year? I think they are a serious contender. All competing teams should be threaten and my advice would be that each team must have a plan to demolish England, otherwise it might just be the Pom’s holding up that trophy come the end of the tournament.

England's Jason Roy celebrates his century with the crowd @ Durham.

On Thursday 21st June, Durham played host to England and Australia’s fourth ODI match. Australia won the toss and elected to bat. The Aussie’s started off brilliantly, well better than their last three encounters. A.Finch started back on top, opening for his side. He impressed and proved his worth as he scored a century off 106 balls. With Shaun Marsh’s 101 runs, Australia made a run total of 310 but yet again, England were just too strong with the bat and ball. Jason Roy’s ‘Player of the Match’ performance and partnership with J.Bairstow, allowed England to take control of the match. The addition of spin bowler, Nathan ‘Garry’ Lyon, didn’t have much of an effect. The significant contribution ‘Garry’ made was taking the wicket of J.Roy (pictured left) but other than that, during the 7 overs he did bowl he conceded 38 runs. England extending their series winning streak to 4-0. The final game @ Old Trafford, Manchester, is do or die for the Aussie’s or will the Pom’s make it a whitewash?

After last night’s match, we now know the answer to the question I asked above. The Pom’s did make it a whitewash, 5-0. The fifth and final ODI clash @ Old Trafford was a thriller. Australia’s batting was mediocre but their bowling was astonishing. England produced one of the most thrilling run chases, I think I’ve ever witnessed. Putting fans and spectators on the edge of their seats. England was 5-50 at 13.5 overs and after taking the wicket of captain, Eoin Morgan for a duck, a victory looked possible for Australia until the arrival of mighty Jos Buttler. The Englishmen saved the Poms from defeat on the last hurdle. Smashing 110* runs (*not out), he’s magnificent performance sealed the deal for the Poms. An absolute whitewash. After a questionable series from the Aussie’s, who should be dropped? Tim Paine, Australian captain, has today come out and said “Don’t write us off for World Cup yet”. Well, with a performance like that, it’s not going to win you the tournament that’s for sure.

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Thank you!

Lucy xx