Australia gain an unassailable lead by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Ground:	Lord's Cricket Ground, St John's Wood
Scorecard:	England v Australia
Player:	AJ Strauss, B Lee
Event:	Australia in British Isles 2009

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DateLine: 12th September 2009

 

The Australian one-day side continued its dominance over an under-cooked English side. Brett Lee produced a stunning assault on the English batsmen taking a five wickets for just 49 runs in his nine overs. With this win Australia have taken an unassailable lead of 4-0 in the one-dayers. Australia chased down a relatively modest target of 221 in 43.4 overs for the loss off three wickets. England had scored 220 in 46.3 overs.

 

Strauss once again won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch promising avalanche of runs. Strauss this time had Denly as his new partner hoping that they will be able to provide a solid start to their innings. But Denly found the pace off Lee too hot to handle as he drove loosely outside off-stump against Lee and was caught at first slip by Cameron White. Strauss meanwhile shrugged off his partner's dismissal to motor along to score a brisk fifty which he brought up in just 48 balls. Bopara who came in at one down put together 67 for the second wicket with his captain. But the second-wicket stand ended when Bopara was trapped leg before for 26 by Hauritz.

 

The Australian bowlers then bowled to an excellent restrictive line and length as the English batsmen found it tough to get going. The boundaries dried up as the batsmen could not get find the gaps. Strauss frustrated by the long long run-less tried to slog-sweep Hauritz but instead got a top-edge and and gave a comfortable catch to Bracken at short third man. England went 11 overs without a boundary and when Lee bowled Prior for 29 they were 146 for four in the 33rd over. Wright, Stuart Broad and Adil Rashid were powerless against Lee who was literally on fire and when Mitchell Johnson bowled last man Ryan Sidebottom there were still 21 balls left in England's innings.

 

Watson and Paine settled down quickly as they punished a rudderless English bowlers.Tim Bresnan momentarily lifted England when he struck in his first over, trapping Watson in familiar style as the opener moved across his crease. Ponting then joined Paine in the middle and continued to assault the English bowlers. There was some pretty ordinary bowling, particularly from Bresnan, while lapses in the field. Paine passed his fifty from 61 balls and when he tried to sweep Rashid he got a top edge that was easily taken by Matt Prior. Clarke joined his skipper in the middle and though Ponting got dismissed after adding 60 for the third wicket, there were no hiccups en route to achieving the target.