adminJames Faulkner fired an unbeaten 69 as Australia recorded an extraordinary one-wicket win over England in Brisbane to go 2-0 up in the one-day series.Faulkner hit five sixes in a 47-ball assault, sharing in Australia’s highest final-wicket ODI stand as the home side triumphed with three balls remaining.
Earlier, Eoin Morgan struck six sixes in 106 from 99 balls, Ian Bell made 68 and Jos Buttler 49 in England’s 300-8. It was England’s eighth successive defeat against Australia.
For England, with only two victories against modest representative opposition on this tour, the mental scars of a 5-0 Ashes whitewash will have deepened with this crushing reverse.
When the penultimate wicket was taken, 57 were needed from the final six overs but Faulkner, who recorded Australia’s fastest one-day international century against India in November, launched the next two deliveries from Ben Stokes for six.
Remarkably he was booed by the crowd for failing to take a single in the penultimate over but he dispatched two more consecutive sixes off Stokes to leave 12 needed from the final six balls, and only three were required as three fours came off Tim Bresnan.
The unchanged tourists began confidently enough after opting to bat, with Alastair Cook (22) and Bell adding 57 — their highest ODI opening partnership at the Gabba,
Three wickets fell in six overs and Morgan, who averages 30 in Test cricket and made the last of his 16 appearances in February 2012, had made only a single when he appeared to have a reckless swipe at Michael Clarke’s left-arm spin and was caught in the outfield.
But the left-hander had astutely observed that only four fielders were present inside the 30-yard circle rather than the requisite five – effectively resulting in a free hit – and informed umpire Kumar Dharmasena that a no-ball should have been called.
He accumulated steadily to add 61 with Bell, who played in assured fashion for his 28th ODI half century until attempting a suicidal single to Clarke’s left hand at short cover in the 30th over.
However, the innings was transformed by Morgan and Buttler, who shared 113 in 68 balls, with 90 scored in seven overs. Morgan struck Mitchell Johnson off the front foot for an imperious six over extra cover and reached his sixth ODI century in typically innovative fashion by deflecting a bouncer over the wicketkeeper’s head for four.
It appeared as if England would fall short of 300 when three wickets fell in five balls late on but a Buttler stroke off Johnson in the 48th over that was prevented from going over the ropes by Marsh at long-off and originally credited as two, was corrected to a six during the interval.
Whereas Nathan Coulter-Nile spilled a top-edged return catch offered by Buttler when on 27, England’s much derided fielding produced two early moments of brilliance as Sussex paceman Chris Jordan struck twice in successive overs.-Cricinfo.
Online Reporter