Welcome to the live coverage of the ODI tri-series final between Australia and England at the WACA in Perth.
Australia win the Tri Series with a classy 112 run victory v. England. Are they the team to beat at #cwc15? #AusvEng pic.twitter.com/VqdIlJRYDj
— ICC (@ICC) February 1, 2015
Australia 278/8 (50.0 overs), England 166/10 (39.1 overs)
Australia won by 112 runs and have claimed the tri-series final.
ENGLAND INNINGS
OVERS 39.1// RUNS 166// WICKETS 10
Bopara's grit is finally broken by Maxwell. The latter has bagged 4 wickets apart from his supreme innings of 95 with the bat. Finn then departed for only 6 runs with Hazlewood cleaning him up.
ST Finn b Hazlewood 6
RS Bopara c Bailey b Maxwell 33
OVERS 37// RUNS 158// WICKETS 8
Bopara is playing a lone innings here. England are mostly but out. He has stitched in a 28-run partnership with Finn. The latter has taken 28 balls to make just five runs. Aussies are all so good and it is just a matter of time.
OVERS 29// RUNS 130// WICKETS 8
England have fallen apart here. Their batting has looked vulnerable despite a good bowling unit. Joe Root departed after getting a start. Faulkner trapped him for LBW. Buttler threatened with a start and threw his wicket away. Maxwell getting him and the next ball he got Woakes. Woakes' day has been a sad one. Broad came in next and hit a couple of fours and sixes off Maxwell and Johnson before the spinner got him. Cummins gets his 2nd catch.
SCJ Broad c sub (PJ Cummins) b Maxwell 24 (20b)
CR Woakes c & b Maxwell 0 (1b)
JC Buttler c sub (PJ Cummins) b Maxwell 17 (22b)
OVERS 15// RUNS 61// WICKETS 4
Marsh is introduced by Bailey and he starts of neatly. Four runs come from his over. Johnson then bowls well to Root who in the fourth ball gets a vital three runs through mid-wicket. Root then plays the entire over of Marsh and gets only a single off the last ball. Aussies are bowling well as an unit here. Maxwell comes in and Root gets an important boundary. Seven runs come.
OVERS 11// RUNS 46// WICKETS 4
Root smashes one off Hazlewood for four. Good shot that. Next over Johnson bowls superbly and claims two wickets. First he bounces in a short one and Moeen Ali fends one to Finch at slips. Next ball Morgan is bowled after he tries to leave the ball. What an over. Double wicket maiden.
EJG Morgan b Johnson 0 (1b)
MM Ali c Finch b Johnson 26 (30b)
OVERS 9// RUNS 40// WICKETS 2
Ali smashes two fours off Starc who is bowling too full down the leg side. Hazlewood then bowls a maiden to Taylor. He has been superb for the hosts. Johnson comes in and Ali drives him through cover for four. Hazlewood continues with his brilliance conceding just three runs. Taylor plays a loose shot with the hand coming out from the bat and Maxwell takes a good catch diving towards his left at point. Johnson gets his man. Root is the new man in and he gets off strike. Ali then drives once again and gets a boundary.
JWA Taylor c Maxwell b Johnson 4 (18b)
OVERS 4// RUNS 18// WICKETS 1
Starc starts and well Bell is on song here. Two lovely shots through the covers for four. Hazlewood then bowls a good over that sees only three runs come. Starc then bowls a loose one and Ali flicks it for four. Hazlewood then bowls an unplayable ball which Bell nicks and Haddin takes the catch. Big wicket this. Wicket maiden for the pacer.
IR Bell c Haddin b Hazlewood 8 (9b)
Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh star for Australia before James Faulkner smashes 50 off 24 balls to steer Australia to 278 runs. England need to bat well to win the final. Aussies have the edge here.
AUSTRALIA INNINGS
OVERS 50// RUNS 278// WICKETS 8
Woakes will have a day to forget. Faulkner heaves him for 24 runs of the second last over. He hits a six of the third ball over mid-wicket and then gets a four past the keeper after getting an edge. The last two balls are butchered for sixes. One over long on and the other through mid-wicket. Australia go past 260. Challenging score this. Finn bowls the last over and gets Johnson who tries to go for a big shot. Morgan takes the catch. Faulkner then gets two runs after pulling a ball in the leg side. He misses the fifth ball after trying to clear and doesn't manage contact. The last ball he hits another six to produce a crazy innings. 35 runs come from the last two overs.
MG Johnson c Morgan b Finn 3 (10b)
OVERS 48// RUNS 243// WICKETS 7
England have made a comeback into the game after getting both set batsmen. Marsh who got to a well made fifty punishes Broad for two important fours in the 43rd over. First Maxwell departed and then Marsh too followed suit. He gets run out. Haddin gets some superb timing and sends a ball to the fence for a four. Broad then gets his wicket in the next over. Anderson then bowls a superb over giving just a run. Faulkner hammers Broad through covers for a four. He then hits Anderson for another two boundaries as the bowler finishes his 10 overs.
BJ Haddin c Taylor b Broad 9 (12b)
MR Marsh run out 60 (68b)
OVERS 41// RUNS 201// WICKETS 5
Broad gets a bad treatement from Marsh who wallops the first ball of the over through mid-off for a four. He then strikes another straight through the ground. Broad then gets danger man Maxwell out. He gets a top edge and Buttler catches the ball. Maxwell goes for 95. His innings had 15 fours!
GJ Maxwell c Buttler b Broad 95 (98b)
OVERS 40// RUNS 192// WICKETS 4
Anderson and Woakes face the tune of a Maxwell carnage. Marsh roates the strike well with Maxwell and the latter powers one through the boundary for a four over cover region. Woakes then is butchered all sides of the ground. Four fours in the over. The first four is hammered past mid-on. The next ball is a wide and after that Maxwell hits one through mid-off for a four. He then hits a reverse shot over third man region for a four. The next ball is sent to the boundary over covers. 18 runs comes from Woakes' over.The duo have already added more than 130 runs together.
OVERS 38// RUNS 165// WICKETS 4
Batting powerplay has been taken and Marsh pulls Woakes for a six through deep square leg. Woakes otherwise bowls a good over. Anderson is brought back and Maxwell flicks one through the leg side for four. Eight runs come. Maxwell then clobbers Woakes over mid wicket and cover for four. The bowler comes back well with some timely dot balls including a yorker.
OVERS 35// RUNS 146// WICKETS 4
The duo have got a partnership of 86 runs as Australia are getting back into the game. Maxwell has been the leader at the crease and is playing really well with not allowing the English bowlers anything. Marsh meanwhile has been as crucial to highlight his value. Three boundaries have come in the last four overs to show the scorecard is ticking along.
OVERS 30// RUNS 120// WICKETS 4
Maxwell has batted well here and has got to his fifty. Really matured innings from the talented youngster. England have bowled well and isn't allowing much to the Aussie batsmen. Marsh is batting slowly and is crucial to Australia's hopes.
OVERS 24// RUNS 96// WICKETS 4
Finn gets punished by Maxwell who plays a good looking shot for four. Eight runs are conceded. Ali then gives away four singles. He will be England's key here. Maxwell gets on top and plays two very elegant shots for fours off Finn. Ali is containing well here and allows only two runs. Broad replaces Finn and Maxwell gets another boundary through the vacant slip region. Ali then is driven by Mitchell Marsh for a four through covers. Good reaction from the Aussies here. Maxwell and Marsh can get them to a safe zone.
OVERS 18// RUNS 60// WICKETS 4
Runs have been hard to come by. Finn has been amazing this series as he gets into the right channel once again and allows just a run. Broad bowls a maiden as Maxwell is watchful early on after the former keeps it tight outside the off stump. Finn then concedes only two runs. Ali is brought in to the attack and well he gets the dangerous Smith. The 25-year-old is stumped after trying to walk out and work the ball but Buttler who initially fumbles with the ball gets enough time to get his victim.
SPD Smith st Buttler b Ali 40 (50b)
OVERS 14// RUNS 54// WICKETS 3
Anderson has been brilliant all morning and bowls a maiden. Bailey who isn't among the runs sees out the over which had some good deliveries. Broad then comes in to bowl and gives away just three runs. Anderson then bowls a beautiful line and length to Smith and the latter manages a single off the last ball. Bailey has struggled and it took him 16 balls to get off the mark before a short ball takes him by surprise and he gives a simple catch to forward short leg. Finn replaces Anderson and he bowls well to start with keeping it simple. One run comes from the over. Broad then concedes a four off the last ball to Smith of the 14th over.
GJ Bailey c Taylor b Broad 2 (17b)
OVERS 8// RUNS 39// WICKETS 2
Smith takes charge and sends Woakes twice towards the fence. The first shot is driven through mid-on before another shot is placed well past mid-wicket. Anderson then gets Warner after a ball takes a sudden bounce and surprises Warner to take the leading edge to point. Bailey comes in and defends the rest of the over. Woakes continues and Smith hits him for another four through mid off. Sublime shot this!
DA Warner c Taylor b Anderson 12 (18b)
OVERS 5// RUNS 25// WICKETS 1
Woakes is given the ball and he concedes six from his first over with Smith running four runs from the last ball. Warner then takes charge against Anderson and gets a four. Woakes then is punished by Smith and Warner. First shot is driven past point by Smith before Warner guides a ball through mid off fielder. Nine runs come from his over. Anderson then bowls a tidy over.
OVERS 1// RUNS 1// WICKETS 1
James Anderson starts with the proceedings for England and he starts beautifully. First ball beats the outside edge as the second ball is defended. He then gets Aaron Finch to nick one to slips. What a blow! Steve Smith comes in.
AJ Finch c Root b Anderson 0 (3b)
TOSS: England won the toss and elected to field.
Australia Team
AJ Finch, DA Warner, SPD Smith, GJ Bailey*, GJ Maxwell, MR Marsh, BJ Haddin, JP Faulkner, MA Starc, MG Johnson, JR Hazlewood
England Team
IBell, MM Ali, JWA Taylor, JE Root, EJG Morgan*, RS Bopara, JC Buttler, CR Woakes, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson, ST Finn.
Perth: In what seems to be a dress rehearsal of their opening game in the World Cup, an unbeaten Australia take on England in the cricket tri-series final, here on Sunday.
Having accumulated 15 points from four matches, the George Baily-led Australia undoubtedly start as overwhelming favourites with a fit-again Mitchell Johnson set to bolster the attack at the WACA.
Despite the absence of Michael Clarke, they have appeared to be a gelled unit, with both their batting and bowling clicking during the tournament.
Perhaps the biggest question mark for them is the form of Bailey. He has scored 10 and 5 in his two outings thus far, before being suspended for the Hobart match against England.
With Shane Watson still under an injury cloud, it is expected that the team management might give Bailey another go at number three in the batting chart. The rest of the batting line-up picks itself. With Mitchell Marsh, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Brad Haddin and James Faulkner slotting in, they bat as deep as number eight.
The hosts will certainly bank on their pace battery led by Johnson and Mitchell Starc on a fast and bouncy track as.
Australia have been quite comfortable throughout this series, only to be run close in the chase against England at Hobart. And this marks a remarkable turnaround for the Eoin Morgan-led side in this last one month.
England look a completely different side to the one that played in Sri Lanka, losing 5-2. It meant the end of the road for then-skipper Alastair Cook with Morgan taking over the reins.
Since then it has been an upward curve for England, especially after landing here. Their batting hit form early, with Ian Bell in particular, getting runs in the practice games. The real test remained in facing India, having lost 3-1 at home in the ODI series the past summer.
But they brushed aside that challenge, winning comprehensively by nine wickets in Brisbane before the victory here in Perth to push the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side out of the tournament. It is clear that their bowling attack, led by James Anderson and Steve Finn is relishing the Australian conditions.
The big question-mark for England will be their consistency. They need to sustain this upward curve in form going into the World Cup.
Even if they lose to Australia in the final, they won't mind it too much if they can continue to perform and run them close as they have done in the last two weeks, a completely different scenario from the Ashes summer twelve months ago.
Their encounter at Perth was perhaps the brightest spark on that tour, with England winning by 57 runs. It gives them more confidence heading into this final, with their opening clash in the World Cup nearly visible on the horizon.
Teams:
Australia: Michael Clarke (c), George Bailey (vc), Pat Cummins, Xavier Doherty, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Brad Haddin (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner, Shane Watson, Gurinder Sandhu, Moises Henriques, Shaun Marsh.
England: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Joe Root, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Chris Woakes.
