- Australia repulsed a spirited late charge to record a four-run win over England at the Oval on Friday in the first of seven one-day internationals.
Luke Wright (38) and Adil Rashid (31 not out) added 46 in 34 balls for the seventh wicket before Ryan Sidebottom hit two consecutive fours off Brett Lee's final over in the day-night match followed by a cracking cover-drive to the boundary from Rashid.
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| Luke Wright |
However, 13 off paceman Nathan Bracken in the last over proved too much for England who ended on 256 for eight at the ground where they regained the Ashes last month, in reply to Australia's 260 for five.
Callum Ferguson, who has made a promising start to his international career after breaking into the one-day side this year, top-scored with 71 not out off 75 balls in Australia's innings.The Australian batsmen found it difficult to time the ball fluently against the spin of Rashid and Graeme Swann while Paul Collingwood picked up a couple of wickets with his slow-medium cutters.
Rashid was the pick of the bowlers with his bustling leg-spin, after impressing with his maturity and control in the recent Twenty20 World Cup.
He conceded only 37 from his full complement of 10 overs and did not yield a boundary until the final ball of his eighth over and only one more in the remainder of his spell. Australia captain Michael Clarke, the best player of spin on either side, struck them both in an otherwise laboured 45 from 72 balls.
Wrights Strikes
Lee, who missed the Ashes series with an intercostal muscle injury, bowled two wides and two no-balls in his second over as he strained for extra pace.
He did though capture the important wicket of England captain Andrew Strauss (12), who sliced a stinging catch to Cameron White at first slip before Clarke turned to the off-spin of Nathan Hauritz.
Hauritz had Matt Prior caught for 28 off a reverse sweep then Tim Paine effected a sharp stumping off Ravi Bopara (49), who at last found some form after a dismal Ashes series. England, like Australia, struggled when the pace was taken off the ball.
Owais Shah played a somewhat frenetic innings of 40, frequently threatening to run either himself or his partner out, before he was out hit wicket for 40 when his back foot slipped and dislodged the bails.
Collingwood again looked woefully out of touch, reaching 23 from 39 balls. He was brilliantly caught by Shane Watson leaping high at mid-wicket.
All-rounder Wright, one of the candidates to take over from Andrew Flintoff in the test arena, rose a cheer with the only six of the match. He scooped Watson from outside off-stump for a leg-side boundary but was unluckily run out by Paine off a Lee no-ball. |
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