Key events
WICKET! Australia 172-5 (Smith c Carse b Archer 60)
Jofra Archer has finally dismissed Steve Smith in international cricket! All those snorters over the years and the wicket came from a nothing short ball that was pulled hard towards square leg by Smith. Brydon Carse charged clockwise round the boundary and swooped to take an outstanding two-handed catch. My word, that really is brilliant.
34th over: Australia 171-4 (Smith 60, Carey 24) Cheers Jim, hello everyone. Even though England haven’t played badly, there’s a feeling of inevitability about this game. I’m not sure England picked the right team either: Olly Stone or John Turner (if he exists) for Liam Livingstone would be my hindsight-driven choice.
Anyhow, the first over after the drinks break is a pretty quiet one from Rashid: single, single, dot, dot, dot, single.
James Wallace
33rd over: Australia 168-4 (Smith 59, Carey 22) Alex Carey is in fine fettle, pulling Jofra Archer through midwicket for four. That’s me done for a while, here’s Rob Smyth to take you through the rest of Australia’s innings. Thanks Rob!
32nd over: Australia 162-4 (Smith 58, Carey 17) Rashid returns and brings some control. Smith and Carey rotate strike to pick up five from the over. Jofra is coming back, Harry Brook turning to some pace.
31st over: Australia 157-4 (Smith 57, Carey 16) Carey is dangerous, he lofts Bethell twice down the ground in the over, once for four along the baize and then for SIX high and long into the crowd!
30th over: Australia 145-4 (Smith 53, Carey 5) Steve Smith goes to fifty off 71 balls after Jacks drags down and is flayed away to the fence.
29th over: Australia 139-4 (Smith 48, Carey 4) Alex Carey – Player of the match at Headingley – joins Smith in the middle and is immediately into his work, sweeping and driving the impressively bleached Bethell.
WICKET! Labuschagne c Smith b Jacks 0 (Australia 132-4)
A duck for Marnus! An attempted paddle sweep off Jacks sees the ball top edged into his helmet and easily caught by Smith behind the stumps.
28th over: Australia 134-4 (Smith 44, Carey 0)
WICKET! Green c Jacks b Bethell 42 (Australia 131-3)
Gone! Jacob Bethell gets the break through as Green plinks a catch to Will Jacks in close at shirt mid wicket. The fielder was there for exactly that and Green duly obliged. Bethell completes a wicket maiden as Marnus arrives at the crease to greet his mentor.
27th over: Australia 131-2 (Smith 44, Labuschagne 0)
26th over: Australia 131-2 (Smith 44, Green 32) Will Jacks into the attack and Australia get after him straight away. Green thumps him down the ground for four and Smith plays a deft late cut for four more. Power and placement. 11 off the over.
25th over: Australia 120-2 (Smith 38, Green 37) It’s been relatively slow going for Australia as the halfway stage is reached. Bethell is manipulated for seven runs off his over. Green and Smith will know they have chewed up enough deliveries now that one of them has to go on and get a big one.
24th over: Australia 113-2 (Smith 34, Green 34) Carse into his seventh over. Another good one. Mixing up his lengths, the batters can’t get a read on him. He’s gone for just 29 from his seven overs.
23rd over: Australia 108-2 (Smith 32, Green 31) Jacob Bethell replaces Rashid. The youngster struggles himself, sending down two leg side wides before serving up a half tracker that Green pulverises to the leg side boundary.
22nd over: Australia 99-2 (Smith 30, Green 26) Carse into his sixth over. He’s looked much more accurate and comfortable today on his home ground, he took some tap at Headingley despite finishing with three wickets. Three singles off the over, both sides sizing each other up at the moment.
21st over: Australia 95-2 (Smith 28, Green 24) Rashid is struggling with his control, perhaps because of the nippy conditions, and is bunted for two boundaries. Smith paddling fine for four and Green getting a huge stride out and smearing a drive through the covers.
20th over: Australia 84-2 (Smith 22, Green 19) This partnership is just starting to flourish and isn’t far from reaching fifty. Smith and Green find the gaps and run decisively. Six off the over.
19th over: Australia 78-2 (Smith 19, Green 16) Four singles from Rashid. Excuse me whilst I catch up, I got caught up in a stop and chat with a neighbour who took in some post for us. Tittle tattle tithe. Begs the question which cricketers or otherwise OBOers have found themselves inadvertently chewing the breeze and shooting the fat with? The mailbag is open…
18th over: Australia 74-2 (Smith 17, Green 14) “Potts’ haircut and determined countenance put me in mind of a medieval saint. Perhaps depicted in tapestry whilst being executed horribly” emails Charlie Tinsley. Agreed. Quite the Baldrickian vibe about his barnet. His bowling is much better – just a single off his latest over.
17th over: Australia 73-2 (Smith 16, Green 14) Rashid starts after the break. First sighting of spin for the day. The leg-spinning wizard strays onto the pads and is pumped away for four through midwicket by Green. Imperious. Get those fingers warmed up Rash.
16th over: Australia 67-2 (Smith 15, Green 9) Now then! Smith rolls onto his back and resembles a yellow shirted woodlouse after trying and failing to ramp Jofra over the keeper. Smiles all round, Smith doesn’t mind looking a bit daft in pursuit of runs, why change the habit of a lifetime eh Steve? Archer strays on to Smith’s hip and is clipped away fine for four. Easy as that. Time for a drink.
15th over: Australia 62-2 (Smith 11, Green 9) “A bit dopey from England’ drawls Ian Ward on Sky as they are no-balled for having too many fielders behind square on the leg-side. Carse bowls Green with the resultant no ball and draws a cheer from the inattentive punters in the crowd. NOT OUT!
14th over: Australia 58-2 (Smith 9, Green 8) Good stuff from Jofra Archer, just a couple off his over as he finds a good length and asks plenty of questions.
13th over: Australia 56-2 (Smith 9, Green 6) Green picks up a three with a guide to deep point after having collected a couple with an outside edge in the same region. Beaten! Carse jags one past Smith’s outside edge as the batter plays away from his body.
12th over: Australia 51-2 (Smith 9, Green 1) Potts continues with two slips in place. Green pokes into the off side and takes a single to get off the mark. Smith pulls powerfully but Jacob Bethell just about manages to stop the boundary on the square leg sponge.
11th over: Australia 46-2 (Smith 6, Green) Another sizeable human arrives at the crease. The Jolly Yella Batter – Cameron Green. England have their dander up.
WICKET! Marsh c Smith b Carse 24 (Australia 47-2)
Marsh smears Brydon Carse for SIX over square leg but the bowler wins the battle of the big men by nicking him off the very next ball, pushing it fuller and finding the edge. Jamie Smith taking a simple catch. Big BIG wicket!
10th over: Australia 41-1 (Marsh 18, Smith 6) We’re going upstairs for a review! Steve Smith was given out on field, pinned lbw by Potts as he shuffled outside his off stump. Smith reviews right away with a disdainful T-sign. He’s right you know, decision overturned – the ball was sliding down and going over. Earlier in the over he pinged Potts through cover for four. It’s a decent duel between these two again.
9th over: Australia 37-1 (Marsh 18, Smith 2) Carse goes full and Marsh drives him back down the ground for four. Runs starting to flow a bit more easily for the Aussies, they’ve had to scrap a bit so far.
8th over: Australia 33-1 (Marsh 14, Smith 2) Archer into his fourth over. He goes full and Marsh whips off his pads in style, timing the absolute undercrackers off the ball as it races to the midwicket fence.
7th over: Australia 26-1 (Marsh 8, Smith 1) Carse replaces Potts. More short stuff? You betcha. Marsh emits a low groan as a short one hits him in the mid-riff. The physio scampers on and is then sent back. Merely a flesh wound. Close! Marsh tries to force off the back foot but doesn’t connect, a leading edge then sees him gladly make it down the other end.
6th over: Australia 25-1 (Marsh 7, Smith 1) Oooph. Archer has Smith hopping about at the crease and looking in all sorts of trouble. A series of short balls at the chest and then a slightly fuller delivery that squares Smith up completely. A nod of approval from Smudge as he survives the over.
5th over: Australia 23-1 (Marsh 5, Smith 0) Marsh takes a risky single and Jofra Archer has a shy at the stumps… yikes! Marsh was a goner if the throw had hit. Smith covers up to Potts and stays on nought.
4th over: Australia 21-1 (Marsh 3, Smith) Steve Smith is the new man. He’ll get a sighter from the non-strikers end to begin with. Potts got him with a snorter at Headingley, nipping one back into the off bail. I doubt Smith will have forgotten.
WICKET! Matthew Short c Rashid b Archer 14 (Australia 21-1)
Short sits back and hooks Archer for SIX and then tries the shot again the very next ball… only to be caught by Adil Rashid on the boundary! Short hangs his head, three foot higher and it was another six but that slight flaw in execution has seen him perish.
3rd over: Australia 12-0 (Short 7, Marsh 3) Probing over from Potts, hitting a good length and finding some nibble despite the blustery conditions.
2nd over: Australia 10-0 (Short 6, Marsh 2) It will be Jofra Archer to open from the Lumley Castle end. Memories of Darren Gough ‘spooking’ Shane Watson come swirling back from my youth. Decent bounce from Archer, he’s up at 90mph in his first over, pushing the batters back into their crease with his pace.
1st over: Australia 6-0 (Short 5, Marsh 1) Potts whizzes in with his dark King Edgar haircut standing out against the grey skies and biscuit coloured pitch. There looks to be decent carry through to the keeper, that’ll encourage the quicks. Short and Marsh get off the mark with glides wide of point for singles. Cut for four! Potts offers width off the final delivery and Short doesn’t miss out.
Here come the players, it looks mighty cold and breezy in Durham but thankfully fine at the moment. Matthew Potts will start with the new ball to Mitch Marsh and Mathew Short. Let’s play!
Eoin Morgan talks on Sky about how crucial it is for England to get something from this series, whether that be victories or big performances from individuals. Ideally both. He talks about not letting losing become a habit, even for a young side without much experience coming up against an Australian side who are World Champions and have won 14 (FOURTEEN) ODIs in a row.
Brydon Carse on playing at his home ground:
Teams:
England 1 Ben Duckett, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Will Jacks, 4 Harry Brook (c), 5 Jamie Smith (wk), 6 Liam Livingstone, 7 Jacob Bethell, 8 Brydon Carse, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Matthew Potts
Australia 1 Matt Short, 2 Mitchell Marsh (c), 3 Steven Smith, 4 Cameron Green, 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Aaron Hardie, 9 Sean Abbott, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Travis Head is rested, he sounded full of cold a few days ago when interviewed at Headingley, Ricky Ponting thinks he has a bit of stiffness too.
Adam Zampa is unwell and so also misses out for Australia. Word from the England camp is that Reece Topley is also unwell and due to miss the rest of the series. Get well soon both.
England win the toss and will bowl first
Mitch Marsh calls incorrectly once again “I’m beginning to wonder if that coin has a heads side mate” and Harry Brook wastes no time in choosing to bowl. He’ll have Jofra Archer at his disposal in place of Olly Stone. More team news to follow.
Pre match reading: Adil Rashid has 200 ODI wickets and counting…
Proper Criggit:
Preamble
James Wallace
Hello and welcome to the OBO of the third England v Australia ODI from Durham. The good news? Burn that cagoule and ditch the snood! The weather is fine in the North East. Let me just fire up my weather app to double che – ah. Best put the lighter down and keep the snood within arms reach, I mean it is nearly October in England for crying out loud.
That wasn’t the bad news? Not really. For England that is the fact that they are 2-0 in the five match series having being thoroughly outplayed in the first two games. A defeat today will see the Aussies clinch the series at the earliest opporunity and leave plenty of questions to be pondered for this nascent England white ball side.
The toss and teams will happen shortly with play set to begin at 12.30pm local time. I’ll bring you news of those and any weather updates as they happen. Zip up, strap in and get in touch.
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