England triumph after rain scare
England's fielders celebrated wicket after Australian wicket
Also In The News
|
Russian president Vladimir Putin has accused the US of fostering insecurity among members of the international community. |  |
Sunday, 11, Feb 2007 08:15
England ended their tour down under on a high after winning the three-match one-day tri-series final in Sydney by 34 runs.
The chief threat to an English victory came not from the Australians but from the weather, with four rain breaks in total creating a possibility that the required 20 overs in Australia's innings for a result to be declared might not be reached.
After hurrying through 22 balls after the fourth resumption of play to reach the 20-over landmark England always looked like winning, however, allowing them to wrap up a series win without recourse to the scheduled final match.
At one stage in the England innings such a result did not seem entirely likely.
The tourists slumped to 112-4 after Ian Bell was spectacularly run out for 26 by Michael Hussey, having won the toss and elected to bat.
A 45 from Mal Loye had proved a useful contribution but 15 from Ed Joyce and just six runs from Andrew Strauss presented England with some problems at the midway stage of the innings.
Paul Collingwood (70) and Andrew Flintoff (42) put on a vital 97-run partnership for the fifth wicket, however, before the tail-enders scrambled a meagre 37 runs from the final seven overs. England finished on 246-8.
In reply Australia got off to a solid start, helped by Liam Plunkett bowling two wides with his first two balls. However, he then took the vital wicket of Ricky Ponting (7) after Sajid Mahmood (1-31) removed Matthew Hayden for just five runs.
This left the Australians on 39-2 from their first six overs as a 45-minute rain break took place.
That soon became 39-3 when, with the very first ball back after the resumption, Plunkett produced a jaffer to bowl Adam Gilchrist. Later in the over Michael Clarke was out for a duck, giving the expensive but nevertheless impressive Plunkett 3-43 from his opening six-over spell.
Hussey struggled to get started and eventually fell for a damaging ten-ball duck when he edged a catch behind to Strauss off the bowling of Flintoff, who took 1-10 from his economical five overs.
An anxious wait for England supporters followed during the fourth rain break. Had the game ended at that stage Australia would have escaped without a result, just 22 balls short of the minimum 20 overs required from the Australian innings.
With more rain expected Flintoff put on spinners Monty Panesar and Jamie Dalrymple to quickly reach the 20 overs, haemorrhaging runs but ensuring a victory.
Dalrymple then took a spectacular diving catch to remove Brad Hodge (49), Australia's last recognised batsman.
As at the Oval in September 2005, the moment of England's win over Australia finally came amid soggy circumstances. The last four balls of the match saw 11 runs come from the baggy greens' tail before a terminal, fifth rain break drove the players back into the pavilion.
Australia finished on 152-8, giving England a 34-run victory according to the Duckworth-Lewis method.