Australia end England's winning streak by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Ground:	Kennington Oval, Kennington
Scorecard:	England v Australia
Player:	MJ Clarke, RT Ponting, EJG Morgan, MH Yardy, RJ Harris
Event:	Australia in British Isles 2010

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DateLine: 30th June 2010

 

The Australian side played for the first time played total cricket as they crushed a resurgent English side by 78 runs. With this win the Australian side have pricked the English ambition of inflicting a rare whitewash.

 

Strauss sent Australia in after winning the toss confident that his batsmen could chase down any target set by the Australians. Michael Clarke was stranded on 99 not out as he along with Ponting helped Australia post 290/5. The pair shared a third wicket stand of 155.

 

In the previous three matches Australia relied on openers Tim Paine and Shane Watson to give them a strong start. While Watson looked in superb touch in taking two successive fours off James Anderson and then cover-driving Stuart Broad to the boundary, Paine found runs harder to come by. And, on eight, the wicketkeeper, trying to turn Bresnan leg side, got a leading edge and Eoin Morgan at extra cover took the easy catch to leave Australia 33 for one in the 10th over.

 

Ponting though was quickly into his stride, leg-glancing and cover-driving successive Bresnan deliveries for authoritative boundaries. Off-spinner Graeme Swann's knack of taking a wicket early in his spell continued when, to his third ball, Watson slog-swept him straight to Morgan at deep midwicket for 41, made off 54 balls with a six and five fours.

 

Australia's total of 73 for two nearly became 84 for three when Clarke, on five, saw a powerfully struck drive off Swann burst through the hands of Anderson at short extra-cover. Ponting's 93-ball innings featuring 10 boundaries. His progress towards a 30th century at this level seemed assured until, to the first ball of the batting powerplay as he was caught at extra-cover by England captain Andrew Strauss. In his 350th match at this level, the 35-year-old Ponting became only the third player, after India's Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya, to score more than 13,000 ODI runs.

 

Clarke, dropped off a difficult chance on five, began the final over on 98 and on strike. He took a single off Tim Bresnan in the 50th over and watched Steven Smith go all out attack against the bowler. Steven Smith took a two before a four was followed by a dot ball and another boundary to the leg-spinning all-rounder, who finished on 18 not out after a bye was run off the last ball.

 

Shaun Tait once again showed that he is a valuable asset to the Australian side as he bowled with pace and venom to rattle the England top-order. The right arm pacer made the English batsmen hop around and the rewards were reaped by Ryan Harris at the other end as he removed Kieswetter and Pietersen. Strauss meanwhile batted with perfect mixture of aggression and caution till he edged behind of the pacy Tait.

 

Once again the English hopes of deliverance rested on the shoulders of Collingwood and Morgan. But Collingwood was trapped leg before by a ever-improving Steven Smith as English score read 90 for 4. Yardy joined forces with Morgan and the two left-handers went about repairing the innings. The pair added 50 runs in 9 overs as Morgan shifted gears seamlessly. Morgan as usual was the prize wicket at this stage and when he smoked Hopes over the square leg fence and the midwicket fence twice things were looking rosy for England. But Harris who bowled well in today's match removed Morgan from the middle and with it the English hopes. Once Steven Smith removed Wright by castling him round the legs things looked bleak for England.

 

Yardy worked his way to a diligent half-century and that was practically the last time the English spectators rose to their feet to applaud their countryman's effort in this encounter. Ryan Harris meanwhile claimed his third five wicket haul as Australia finally got on the scoreline.