Key events
31st over: England 107-9 (Atkinson 13, Archer 5) Jacks looked like the key to England posting a defendable total as he eased to 25 without taking too many risks from the 47 balls faced. Probably time for Atkinson and Archer to open up from here, and the latter begins with a creative cut to the rope at deep backward point.
WICKET! Jacks c Inglis b Johnson 25 (England 102-9)
Jacks flicks the wrists at a delivery pitched outside off-stump and the faintest of edges carries through to Inglis. The all-rounder is gone first ball after drinks.
30th over: England 102-8 (Jacks 25, Atkinson 13) England bring up a hundred though the eight in the neighbouring column is surely more of a concern. Both batters pick up a pair of singles. That’s drinks.
29th over: England 98-8 (Jacks 23, Atkinson 11) Jacks steps back to swat Edwards back down the ground for the first boundary in more than four overs. England are otherwise crawling along but triple figures is now within reach as they aim to avoid being dismissed for under 100 for just the seventh time.
28th over: England 94-8 (Jacks 19, Atkinson 11) Atkinson is in an unfamiliar position of trying to contain his more assertive batting style as Zampa has him camped in the crease. The England quick finally picks up a single to midwicket and Jacks adds another with a prod down the ground.
27th over: England 91-8 (Jacks 18, Atkinson 10) Edwards continues with a change of ends. Jacks has been able to keep the scoreboard ticking over but is content to see out a second consecutive maiden. This is already the highest partnership of the innings at 26 runs.
26th over: England 91-8 (Jacks 18, Atkinson 10) Australia turn to spin for the first time in the series as Adam Zampa is thrown the ball with Jacks and Atkinson starting to settle. The leg-spinner’s opener drifts, finds a little turn and rises quickly out of the surface as Atkinson has no idea what he has just witnessed but somehow survives. Zampa starts with a maiden.
25th over: England 91-8 (Jacks 18, Atkinson 10) Bartlett bowls out his 10 overs at the halfway mark of the England innings. Jacks smacks a fuller ball back down the ground and Johnson’s dive at mid-on fails to stop it reaching the rope. Bartlett finishes with 1 for 46.
24th over: England 85-8 (Jacks 13, Atkinson 9) Jacks looks comfortable facing up to Edwards’ deliveries hovering around 125km/h. The all-rounder pulls for two to deep midwicket and keeps the strike with a single whipped off the pads and into the deep.
23rd over: England 81-8 (Jacks 10, Atkinson 8) England’s best over for a while as Jacks and Atkinson work Johnson around to add five runs to the meagre total. They have plenty of overs left to get the score up to a more defendable 150-odd, and even from the lower order Jacks can turn to six half-centuries in his previous 33 ODIs.
22nd over: England 76-8 (Jacks 7, Atkinson 7) Jack Edwards takes over from Beardman for his first spell of the game and with England on the ropes. Atkinson might appreciate the slower pace on the ball but has difficulty getting clean bat on ball with a wide and a single from a thick edge the only additions to the score.
21st over: England 74-8 (Jacks 7, Atkinson 6) Xavier Bartlett is back as Mitch Marsh looks to wrap up the innings quickly. Gus Atkinson watches the first ball carefully before unleashing on a wider delivery that he hammers through cover for just the eighth boundary of the innings. Atkinson is unsure how to deal with a straight ball pitched at an awkward length as his half pull, half defensive prod takes a top edge the balloons up but drops safely between three scampering Australians.
OBO regular Rowan Sweeney is among those to relish Mahli Beardman’s ODI debut performance and perhaps even its impeccable timing, as he says, “The kids are alright.”
“How good is it for the soul of Australian Cricket that Beardman’s done this today of all days? Hope is kindled.”
20th over: England 67-8 (Jacks 6, Atkinson 0) Beardman is out to take the most wickets for an Australian on ODI debut but is unable to find his sixth scalp just yet as Jacks picks up two with a clip through midwicket.
WICKET! Overton c & b Johnson 4 (England 65-8)
Spencer Johnson gets his reward for some quality bowling as he tall pacer leaps high to pull down a screamer with one hand. Overton was in two minds with a pull shot that turned into a tennis swipe.
19th over: England 65-8 (Jacks 4, Atkinson 0)
18th over: England 63-7 (Jacks 3, Overton 3) Beardman is having a debut to remember as he ends his fifth over with 5 for 16. Dawson is the latest to go before Jamie Overton shows his top order how its down as he smashes a first ball faced for three through midwicket.
WICKET! Dawson c Edwards b Beardman 0 (England 60-7)
Mahil Beardman becomes the second Australian to take a five-for on his ODI debut as he picks up the wicket of Liam Dawson. A drive away from the body slices off a thick edge for Edwards to grasp at backward point.
17th over: England 59-6 (Jacks 2, Dawson 0) Jacks pulls Johnson for a single but England have little choice now but to try to occupy the crease for as long as possible. Dawson blocks out the rest of the over.
16th over: England 58-6 (Jacks 1, Dawson 0) Beardman picks up where he left off in the previous over as he lures Jordan Cox into a half-hearted drive and claims his third wicket. A hat-trick ball drifts down leg as Jacks swings away to encourage Inglis into a hopeful appeal but the umpire calls a wide. Curran drives straight back to Beardman who throws the stumps down just as the England all-rounder steps back into his crease. But he gets his man in more traditional fashion with a short ball and a wild hook that is caught on the rope.
WICKET! Curran c Zampa b Beardman 0 (England 58-6)
Worth remembering this debut in the distant future just in case someone asks where you were when Mahli Beardman ripped through England in his first spell in an ODI? Curran hooks at a bouncer and gets good connection but the ball flies straight to Adam Zampa inside the boundary. The young quick now has 4 for 12.
WICKET! Cox c Inglis b Beardman 2 (England 56-5)
Beardman’s dream debut continues as he keeps working way outside off-stump. And the England batters are happy to play their part with Jordan Cox next to step into the role. The 21-year-old angles the ball into Cox who can only get a faint edge as it carries through to Inglis. Beardman has 3 for 10 and is on a hat-trick.
15th over: England 56-4 (Cox 2, Curran 0) DROPPED! Johnson returns at the opposite end in place of Bartlett with Australia looking to turn the screw on England’s middle order. The fast bowler almost pulls in a stunning one-handed catch as Curran cracks a drive straight back at Johnson who can’t quite make it stick.
WICKET! Root c Inglis b Beardman 17 (England 55-4)
Beardman has his second on debut and what a pair it is as he adds Joe Root to the earlier dismissal of Harry Brook. Root has looked out of touch across most of the 36 balls he has faced and a half-hearted drive can only find an edge as Inglis is called into action behind the stumps again. Beardman’s movement appears to be enough to claim the wicket of the England veteran. That’s drinks.
14th over: England 55-4 (Cox 1, Curran 0)
13th over: England 49-3 (Root 11, Cox 1) Bartlett runs in for a seventh over even as his venom is beginning to subside. Three singles from it and Mitch Marsh might be pondering a second change.
12th over: England 46-3 (Root 9, Cox 0) Beardman puts Australia in a promising position with the dismissal of Harry Brook as he has the ball moving away off the seam to claim the big wicket. Root clips a low full toss for two and adds a single to deep third as he looks to rebuild the innings.
WICKET! Brook c Inglis b Beardman 1 (England 42-3)
Mahli Beardman gets his first ODI wicket and what a one to remember as he sends Harry Brook on his way. The ball is angled into the right-hander whose defensive prod with an angled bat gets a thick edge for Inglis to pull down a second diving catch of the innings.
11th over: England 41-2 (Root 5, Brook 1) Bartlett continues with the ball still moving about and has even Brook watching the first delivery carefully. The England skipper can’t be tied down for long and angles his bat to find the gap between mid-off and cover to get off the mark. Root is yet to find his range with only five runs from 22 balls faced, a single coming from a mis-timed drive the bounces into the pads.
10th over: England 38-2 (Root 4, Brook 0) Mahli Beardman is thrown straight into the deep end as Harry Brook joins Joe Root at the crease just in time for the ODI debutant’s first over. The Australian quick gets the ball flying through at more than 140km/h and finishes with a tidy maiden bowled to Root.
9th over: England 38-2 (Root 4, Brook 0) DROPPED! Cooper Connolly spills a sitter. Root pokes at a wider ball that he can only guide toward Connolly at backward point who barely has to leap to get hands to it but fails to bring it down. The slow pace of the cut shot might have muddled Connolly’s reading of the flight. But Johnson has the last laugh as he sends Banton on his way.
WICKET! Banton c Inglis b Bartlett 25 (England 38-2)
Banton throws his hands at a wider delivery as he drives away from the body but can only get a thick edge that is cleanly collected by Josh Inglis diving in front of first slip.
8th over: England 37-1 (Banton 25, Root 3) Australia consider an lbw review as Johnson gets the ball moving into Root but height might have been the concern. Root is having trouble picking up the length and pace on the ball as Johnson ties him up before a loose shorter ball gifts a single to deep fine leg.
7th over: England 36-1 (Banton 25, Root 2) Root drives hard at a fuller delivery but slices it in the air to land barely in front of Edwards point, then glances for a single to fine leg. Banton punishes a shorter ball as he sends it to the rope then hammers a full toss on the pads for four more.
6th over: England 27-1 (Banton 17, Root 1) Duckett is on his way as Joe Root comes to the crease in his 200th ODI. Johnson rips in a shorter ball that the experienced England No 3 evades with ease before picking up a single toward a gap near mid-on. Banton punches down the ground for two more through mid-off.
WICKET! Duckett c Edwards b Johnson 9 (England 24-1)
Johnson gets the breakthrough and the important wicket of the dangerous Duckett as the opener pays the price for trying to drive a delivery that pitches back of a length. From a slicing thick edge the ball pops up for Edwards to take a simple catch at backward point.
5th over: England 24-0 (Banton 15, Duckett 9) Duckett picks up the line of a fuller delivery early to punch the ball back for three through mid-on. Banton smokes a boundary with one of the better shots of the day through cover.
4th over: England 17-0 (Banton 11, Duckett 6) Johnson ties up Duckett and has a couple of shouts for lbw with neither truly threatening to end the opener’s knock. Duckett cuts late to deep third to end the over with a single.
3rd over: England 16-0 (Banton 11, Duckett 5) The Australian quicks are testing England’s openers with their swing at Perth Stadium. But a couple of deliveries in each over that are too straight or a touch down leg keep easing the pressure. Duckett glances for a single before Bartlett gets the ball moving away from right-hander Banton. Bartlett’s hearty appeal for lbw from the final delivery finds little support.
2nd over: England 15-0 (Banton 11, Duckett 4) Spencer Johnson takes the new ball and immediately has it swinging. The fast bowler’s first is a cracker as Banton gets all tied up by the movement and is beaten on the outside edge. The England opener whips two off his pads as Beardman saves a boundary with a dive on the rope, then swings hard away from his body to lift a thick edge over slips for four more. A drive for four from the next ball is the most convincing shot so far as Banton gets the scoreboard ticking over even while still settling in.
1st over: England 5-0 (Banton 1, Duckett 4) Bartlett gets the ball talking with movement in both directions. Banton is fortunate to play and miss the opening delivery, then gets a thick edge that pops up through gully before falling safely for an easy single. Duckett is beaten on the outside edge from his first ball then punishes Bartlett as the Australia quick drifts on to the pads for a boundary to fine leg.
All the talk of past deeds and perhaps even future global tournaments can be pushed aside as Xavier Bartlett stands at the top of his mark with Tom Banton on strike and Ben Duckett at the other end. Let’s play …
Thanks for Will to nudging attention closer to the action in Perth as the players line up for the Welcome to Country and the national anthems.
“It is a good day for our Outlook to be broken! Watching discreetly from my desk in Sydney,” Will says. “As an Australian, I am wondering where Jacob Bethell is for this tour? He seems to be a very talented young batsman, with the temperament for both the white and red ball.
“On paper, this English team is certainly stronger than what the Australians have fielded. After a week of media chaos and scandalous commentary, I am sure that the majority of the Australian team will be happy to be back on the field.”
Unfortunately Bethell has been ruled out of the white-ball tour of Australia and is battling to be fit for England’s Test series in South Africa next month.
As much as Cummins might have hoped to put to bed the sandpaper scandal that threatens to tear apart Australian cricket all over again, former teammate David Warner was quick to keep the story rolling as he responded on Fox Cricket.
Pat Cummins was very well prepared this morning. I still stick by Uzzy and what he’s written in that book. It’s the truth and I really, really support him.
I actually feel for him at the moment. I actually feel that the captain today actually threw Uzzy under the bus, and I’m very, very disappointed about that.
All three of us have played a big price in this. I hadn’t spoken about it in eight years. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to live with these consequences daily and we’ve been served a life punishment. So when other people talk about they’ve been affected by it, there’s nothing worse for me, Steven, Cameron, who have to walk out there every single day, and we cop abuse.
Yes, we accepted it, but at the end of the day, my wife and I as well pay the greatest price. We lost a baby during that time, and that’s why it really hurts me the most until the truth is accepted.
It’s been very difficult, because the way that it was handled in the first place, it was hard for us to go back and actually give more evidence. I felt like it was a botched investigation. It was a quick one to get it over and done with.
We don’t have that opportunity to go there and to speak again. Todd Greenberg squashed that the other day.
Pat Cummins opened his press conference saying he would stand there until every question had been asked and answered. He did just that for more than an hour as he covered a range of topics from sandpaper and ball tampering to Australian cricket culture and his friendship with Usman Khawaja.
Catch up on all the key points from the Australia Test captain’s 70 minute press conference in Sydney this morning.
England XI
England: Ben Duckett, Tom Banton, Joe Root, Harry Brook (capt), Jordan Cox (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer.
The tourists pick an XI that will be familiar to even local fans with opener Banton one new face, while Root will need no introduction as he lines up for a 200th ODI. England have come prepared for the West Australian surface with four quicks named at Perth Stadium.
Australia XI
Australia: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (capt), Cooper Connolly, Matt Renshaw, Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Jack Edwards, Xavier Bartlett, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson, Mahli Beardman.
Beardman is called into the XI for his ODI debut after being handed his cap by fellow West Australian Mike Hussey. The young fast bowler says that he went to school with Hussey’s son.
Australia are missing the Big Three fast bowlers (or is that now a Big Four?) with Beardman joined by more experienced white-ball quicks Bartlett and Johnson, as well as all-rounder Edwards.
Harry Brook concedes England would have liked to bowl first as well.
“You have got do both sides of the game at some point, so we’ll take it on,” Brook said. You guys
“We’ve had a really good week’s training block and it’s something we don’t really get much in the white ball space.”
Australia win the toss and elect to bowl
Mitch Marsh sends the coin skyward and Harry Brook calls the wrong way.
“Historically I don’t think this wicket will change at all. And it’s well renowned that we like to chase,” Marsh said. “Hopefully we can get off to a good start with the ball and apply some pressure early.”
Mahli Beardman comes into the side. “Nice to get him out there with the new ball in hand,” Marsh says, “It’s going to be exciting for him. Probably no better place the world as a young West Australian to debut.
“It’s the start of the summer for us. For all of our teams it’s an exciting time, three-match series. That first game’s always really important. We’ve learned a lot of lessons the last few games in terms of we want to play and we’ve got a reasonably young and inexperienced side but lots of energy.”
Pat Cummins came out firing today in a press conference that lasted more than an hour without even a drinks break being called.
The Australia Test captain is not playing in this white-ball series against England but has already left his mark on the first ODI as he denied Usman Khawaja’s claims that the entire Australia team was implicated in the 2018 sandpaper scandal, describing the allegations as “complete and utter nonsense” and “100% wrong”.
Caitlin Cassidy was at Cricket NSW headquarters in Sydney as Cummins responded to Khawaja’s allegations and countless questions …
Cummins said Khawaja was a friend to him, adding he had been “grappling” over recent days as to whether their relationship was irrevocably harmed.
He said Khawaja was “100% wrong” with his claim that the whole team knew sandpaper was going out on the field, maintaining he “did not know that was happening” and “did not see anything on the ball” at the time.
‘He says that I and others were architects of a scheme to ball tamper with sandpaper. That’s complete and utter nonsense,’ Cummins said.
‘I was genuinely shocked this week when I found out Usman admitted he told Cam [Bancroft] to be careful when using sandpaper. That’s not [the] Usman that I know. It’s not the Usman that has been part of the team that’s helped rebuild the Australian cricket culture over the last eight years.
‘Usman is a friend, but friends aren’t casual with each other’s lives and reputations. In his book he’s been casual with my life and the lives of many others and, I think, Australian cricket.’
Preamble
Martin Pegan
Hello and welcome to live coverage of the first one-day international between Australia and England in Perth. Australia might have hoped to be focused on bouncing back from their Test series defeat in South Africa with a change of pace in three ODIs and five T20Is to come against the old enemy. But the spotlight has shone much further back to their previous Test tour of South Africa and the sandpaper scandal that rocked the country – and the cricket world – eight and a half years ago, following the release of Usman Khawaja’s book Sabr this week.
Australia Test captain Pat Cummins has spoken at length today around his recollections of what happened in Cape Town in 2018, about what Khawaja has alleged in his memoir and in media either side of its release on Tuesday, and much, much more. We’ll point you to more on that shortly.
But for now, this first ODI between the arch rivals sends them on the road toward the Cricket World Cup in less than 12 months, with these three 50-over matches all the more important for being Australia’s last for eight months. The defending champions have an eye on the future with a relatively young squad named for this series, while they come with middling form after a 2-1 series defeat in South Africa in September. England have their own mounting concerns after winning one of four matches during an ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka and hosts Pakistan last month.
Toss and confirmed teams will be coming up shortly – with the first ball to be bowled at 11.30am AWST/2.30pm AEDT/3.30am BST. In the meantime, get in touch with your thoughts and predictions by email or find me @martinpegan on Bluesky.
Source: www.theguardian.com
