In modern cricket, a total of 270 runs is not considered extraordinary, especially against a team like England. However, the Australian bowlers made this total sufficient for victory. With excellent bowling from Starc and Maxwell, Australia managed to restrict England.
In the second match of the five-match ODI series on Saturday, Australia faced England. After losing the toss and batting first, Australia scored 270 runs in 44.4 overs at Leeds. In response, England was all out for just 202 runs in 40.2 overs. Australia won by 68 runs.
With this win, Australia has taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. This victory also marks their 14th consecutive ODI win. The world champions also hold the record for the most consecutive ODI wins, with 21.
Australia’s batting was not very impressive on Saturday. At one point, they lost 9 wickets for 221 runs. Mitchell Marsh’s 60-run innings off 59 balls was the highlight. Additionally, Matthew Short and Travis Head both contributed 29 runs each.
After losing 9 wickets, Alex Carey, in partnership with Josh Hazlewood, added 49 runs for the last wicket, taking Australia’s total past 250. Carey scored 41 runs in the partnership and ended with a total of 74 runs off 67 balls, which significantly boosted Australia’s score.
Brydon Carse took 3 wickets, while Adil Rashid, Jacob Bethell, and Matthew Potts each took 2 wickets.
On the other hand, England’s chase was troubled early by Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc. Hazlewood dismissed Phil Salt (12), while Starc sent back Will Jacks and Harry Brook. Brook managed to score 4 runs, but Jacks was out for a duck.
Then, Aaron Hardie, coming on as the third bowler, quickly dismissed Ben Duckett and Liam Livingstone (0), leaving England at 65 for 5. Duckett scored 32 runs, and with their departure, England effectively fell out of the match.
Although Jamie Smith put up some resistance later on, no one else could stabilize the innings. After Smith was dismissed for 49, Jacob Bethell (25), Brydon Carse (26), and Adil Rashid (27) contributed small but insufficient innings as the hosts crossed the 200-run mark.
However, these efforts were not enough for victory. Starc, playing his first ODI since the last World Cup final, took 3 wickets. Hardie, Maxwell, and Hazlewood each claimed 2 wickets.
England will fight to keep the series alive in the third ODI on Tuesday at Chester-le-Street.
