England annihilated their own world record ODI score thanks to centuries from Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales; Australia had a bash at chasing it, but fine bowling from Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali finished things in 37 overs
So there we go. Thanks for your company and comments; 481, oh my days. Enjoy the rest of your evening.
What a day! A phenomenal, ridiculous, ludicrous, filthy, sick, ill and frankly pornographic performance with the bat by England, followed by a very tidy bowling effort. After putting England in, Australia competed for a bit, but their batsmen continually got out when set, and the end, in the end, came pretty quickly. Australia have two more matches in which to avoid a whitewash - good luck with that, lads - while England players have places for India and the World Cup for which to compete.
242 runs is both England’s biggest-ever winning margin, and Australia’s biggest-ever losing margin. A fearful symmetry.
Rashid tries a googly, Stanlake chucks his gran’s kitchen sink at it, hauls himself out of his crease, and Buttler resolves the situation.
36th over: Australia 232-9 (Tye 2, Stanlake 0) Target 482
“Plunkett is too injury prone to play any of the longer form of the game,” emails Andy Wilson. “Sad really. We should probably look for another 80mph trundler who can only take wickets in English conditions. Tried and trusted, my friend.”
Ali tosses up a tempter, Richardson bounces down the track to murder it out of the ground, misses, and barely glances behind as Buttler removes the bails.
35th over: Australia 232-8 (Richardson 11, Tye 2) Target 482 The schdeulers appear to have missed a trick here; it’s Scotland who should’ve got the five-match series, with Australia granted a charitable one-offer. It’s the way I tell ’em. Boom boom.
Rashid spits one out the front of the hand, hits the seam, and when it keeps low, Agar, who’s made room, bumps it back down the track. It’s not a gimme, mind, and Rashid falls to his right, just about hanging on.
34th over: Australia 227-7 (Agar 24, Richardson 9) Target 482 Agar picks a slower one from the returning Plunkett and pulls it hard through midwicket for four; Ponting explains that though he looks a bit awkward, he times the ball nicely and holds the bat a long way down the handle like Adam Gilchrist, which allows him to generate a lot of power. He and Richardson both then add a single, before he steps to leg, makes room, and absolutely shmices six over long on. That made an absolutely delicious knuck.
33rd over: Australia 215-7 (Agar 13, Richardson 8) Target 482 This is pretty slow now, three singles from the first three balls of the over, so let’s have a discussion: how many of this ODI side should be in England’s Test side? Are we really saying Eoin Morgan isn’t a likelier middle-order bet than various of the others who’ve had a shy at it lately? Is Plunkett not likelier to succeed overseas than the various medium-pacers who’ve been picked? Why are Westley and ilk better than Roy?
32nd over: Australia 211-7 (Agar 11, Richardson 6) Target 482 Wood keeps at it, as Ricky Ponting has a bash at explaining why Nathan Lyon is sitting at the side. He suggests that Head and Maxwell bowl a bit of spin, but class is class, especially when you don’t have that much of it. Two from the over.
31st over: Australia 208-7 (Agar 10, Richardson 4) Target 482 Agar drives into the off side for two, then slog-sweeps just wide of midwicket. Two more singles follow, and this is pretty sedate stuff. The required rate is a piffling 14.67.
30th over: Australia 200-7 (Agar 3, Richardson 3) Target 482 Wood returns - to try and get this did, I shouldn’t wonder – but has to make do with economy.
“So just a thought,” emails Matthew Share. “England’s top 5 batsmen made more today (in less than 5 hours) than the entire team achieved in both innings, put together, in three of the five Ashes tests played recently ... Christ.”
29th over: Australia 197-7 (Agar 1, Richardson 2) Target 482 Australia haven’t made as thumby a fist of this as the score might suggest. The problem is that they’ve given wickets away when set, and England have better bowlers than they do; the spinners and Plunkett have been especially good. Raashid prances in, and the batsmen take a single each; what a fine bowler he’s become, and I really do wonder if he might’ve made it in Tests given a proper run. Are we seriously saying that Moeen and Bess are better than him?
28th over: Australia 195-7 (Agar 0, Richardson 1) Target 482 Richardson drives for one to get off the mark.
What a grab this is! Maxwell slogs straight down the ground and it looks six all the way, but right on the fence, Plunkett runs around, floats into the air, and grabs with both hands. Belter.
28th over: Australia 194-6 (Maxwell 19, Agar 0) Target 482 Lovely start to the over, Maxwell opening the face to caress four past the keeper.
Rashid drags one down so Paine pulls it to square leg ... where he picks out the only man in the deep. Hales takes a few steps to his right and pouches a straightforward effort. Classic spinner’s dismissal.
27th over: Australia 190-5 (Maxwell 15, Paine 5) Target 482 Rashid is enjoying himself here, while Nasser debates where Ben Stokes will go when he returns. Amazingly, it’s Hales under pressure - or not even under pressure, given there’s nothing he can do, beyond become a strike bowler, to preserve his position.
26th over: Australia 188-5 (Maxwell 14, Paine 4) Target 482 “Maxwell looks like he’s about to do something silly,” says Nasser. “But Australia need something silly.” And after two singles comes a scoop for six, then two more singles, and yon require rate is now 12.25.
25th over: Australia 178-5 (Maxwell 6, Paine 2) Target 482 Maxwell is chucking everything at everything, but Rashid’s over yields four singles and a leg bye. This is very nice bowling.
24th over: Australia 173-5 (Maxwell 4, Paine 0) Target 482 Can Paine redeem himself?
Judging by the look on his coupon, Justin Langer will have some “banter” for Maxwell when he sees him next. Stoinis turned the ball to deep square, Maxwell called him back for a ridiculous single, Bairstow smashed in the throw and there we go. Fancy getting run out on this track.
24th over: Australia 173-4 (Stoinis 44, Maxwell 4) Target 482 My days, we’re nearly halfway and Australia need more than 300 runs to win. Stone the crows. Willey returns, and after an expensive opening spell, limits the batsmen to singles.
“So what’s the previous highest ever winning margin (in runs) in an ODI?” asks Jason Kilby. “Not that I want to see the Aussie suffer or anything.”
23rd over: Australia 169-4 (Stoinis 42, Maxwell 3) Target 482 Rashid rushes in and concedes just one from the first four balls, Roy diving brilliantly to save a boundary. But then Stoinis intimidates four through cover, making it five from the over, nearly seven fewer than needed.
22nd over: Australia 164-4 (Stoinis 38, Maxwell 2) Target 482 Stoinis drags a single to leg, then Maxwell does likewise. But it’s not enough, so Stoinis hoiks Plunkett from outside off, pulling uppishly and adding four, then next ball he leathers four over the top, doesn’t bother running, and when the ball plugs nearly looks silly, but it dribbles over the fence and it’s on! The required rate is now 11.45.
“Perhaps they have Wood in the team because he’s good for having a laugh?” suggests John Starbuck.
21st over: Australia 154-4 (Stoinis 29, Maxwell 1) Target 482 I’m still backing England to nick this.
Excellent bowling, this.
Deirdre Rashid tosses up a slower one, Finch loses it in the flight, and hears the death rattle behind him.
21st over: Australia 152-3 (Stoinis 28, Finch 20) Target 482 Stoinis takes a two and one, then Finch waits for him and biceps one down the ground for six.
20th over: Australia 143-3 (Stoinis 25, Finch 14) Target 482 Finch has had enough, accepting two leg byes before lifting Plunkett over square leg with osmium wrists for six. Four more byes follow, a miserable sling down leg side, and suddenly Australia are back in the hunt.
“‘I think England might win this,’” emails Damien Clarke, quoting me back to myself. “Please amend this to a definite. I need sleep, and if you say it will be so, I can go to bed.”
19th over: Australia 130-3 ( Stoinis 24, Finch 8) Target 482 Rashid is on for Moeen and rustles through a quick over conceding just three. And his last ball tempts Finch forward without an apparent plan, a leading edge dropping just short of the bowler’s dive. Er, this is running away from Australia now.
“Dont judge Wood by his average,” advises Paul Johnston, “judge him by his economy. He’s never had a year where his economy has averaged more than 6 an over. He’s even got 13 dots in this game. He doesn’t take many wickets but he’s hard to get away. Thats his main contribution to this team.”
I proper enjoyed this: Mark Wood teaching Posh Sam Billings Geordie pic.twitter.com/eYmvCDt2KG
18th over: Australia 127-3 ( Stoinis 22, Finch 7) Target 482Plunkett continues as Rashid gets loose, a sentence which puts me in mind of the below, one the great forgotten hip-hop tracks - any more for any more? Five from the over, and Australia just can’t afford one bowler sending down a decent spell.
17th over: Australia 122-3 ( Stoinis 19, Finch 5) Target 482 Stoinis gets going by getting down on one knee and marmalising six into the crowd at wide long on; the catch is taken very smartly indeed. Five singles follow, and Australia needed that. Drinks.
16th over: Australia 111-3 ( Stoinis 10, Finch 3) Target 482 Little-known fact: Stoinis was once called Stonis, until he visited Stamford Hill; I think that defines “ niche”. Anyway. Another useful over from Plunkett, five from it.
“I think the biggest thing from this series is that England’s spinner is back in form,” emails AB Parker. “Considering how underwhelming the other options that have been tried are, him getting back into form can only be a good thing.”
15th over: Australia 106-3 ( Stoinis 7, Finch 1) Target 482 Finch gets off the mark second ball, then Stoinis gets down for a reverse sweep well in advance and tickles four fine.
Marsh decides he’s got no option but to attack Moeen, so looks to hammer him back over his head - and does - but the bat spins slightly in his hand, he doesn’t get all of it, and Plunkett snaffles and snaffle, right on the fence. I think England might win this.
14th over: Australia 100-2 (Marsh 24, Stoinis 2) Target 482 Plunkett replaces Wood, who’s now bowled half of his allocation, and I can’t imagine Stoinis fancies getting acclimatised while he’s banging them in. Hard lines old mate - as Harry Kane might say, “It is what it is”, something it has in common with every single other thing on this planet, apart from Transformers. An excellent opening over, this - Australia manage a leg bye and two singles from it.
13th over: Australia 97-2 (Marsh 23, Stoinis 1) Target 482 Stoinis gets off the mark right away, playing down into the ground and towards cover, then Marsh adds a further single. The required rare is now 10.40.
Head, given away. Dear oh dear. Moeen tries a full one and Head plays a nothing shot, prodding a simple return catch. It’s not enough to get set; to chase this, you need to get stuck in.
12th over: Australia 94-1 (Head 51, Marsh 21) Target 482 It’s gone a little quiet in the middle, Wood testing Head with boomp-ah; he doesn’t do a great job of evading it either, but just about manages it. But after conceding just one from his first three balls, a wide and two twos keep Australia in the hunt, and the second of them, cracked into the covers, raises Head’s fifty. This is really good stuff from the tourists, who might have just chucked bat at everything but instead are making a serious attempt to get the runs.
11th over: Australia 87-1 (Head 47, Marsh 21) Target 482 On comes Moeen, who hustles through precisely the kind of over Englandwere after, ceding just four singles. Is he now a one-day specialist? I know this is a hasty thing to say, but it seems like he’ll need at least two spinners to fail before he gets another shy.
“Move on from him for Tests?” says Jamie of Mark Wood. “I don’t disagree, but he’s even worse at ODIs. His record is awful, he’s expensive, and he doesn’t take wickets. They’ve shown huge faith in him for no good reason, and now he’s not even particularly quick.”
10th over: Australia 83-1 (Head 44, Marsh 18) Target 482 After a single to each batsman, both from decent balls - Head defends and Marsh inside-edges - Head carts him from outside off through midwicket. At what point do England start to wonder? Amazingly, they could kind of use a wicket here - England were 79-0 at this stage.
9th over: Australia 75-1 (Head 38, Marsh 16) Target 482 Have a look! Marsh twinkles down, making room, and powers six over Root’s head. Australia have no choice but to set about him, except he repsonds well and concedes just four singles. Still, that’s above the required rate of 9.98.
8th over: Australia 65-1 (Head 36, Marsh 8) Target 482 Willey offers width and Head slashes to where third man once was for four. Two wides are then generously offered, bookending a single, another single arrives when Marsh bashes to cover, and then Head opens the face for four more. Australia are doing alright, you know.
“I ducked the day at Antigua when Viv scored the fastest ever Test ton,” tweets @east_indies, “and twenty years later left the WACA at lunchtime to do Xmas shopping only to miss Gilly almost matching Viv...”
7th over: Australia 52-1 (Head 27, Marsh 6) Target 482 On comes Joe Root, and Marsh milks a single - can you milk a bowler’s first delivery? - before Head gets down on one knee to launch a drive over extra cover. He doesn’t get all of it, but gets enough to add four, and four singles follow. The rate sneaks up to 10.00; Australia are clearly employing the wickets in-hand method, so they can win via slog at the death.
6th over: Australia 43-1 (Head 21, Marsh 4) Target 482 “As a batsman you’d have to be pretty hurt to retire on this wicket,” says Ricky Ponting of Head’s little bump. “You’re not going anywhere.” And there he is, flicking four down to fine leg after just two singles came from the first four balls of the over. Australia need to force the issue here.
5th over: Australia 37-1 (Head 16, Marsh 3) Target 482 Wood to Head is an hilarious state of affairs I think you’ll agree, and Head concurs, moving towards the off side to take the ball and whip it through backward square for four. Will that be the boundary for the over, or will they look for a big one? Wood, though, as he did last time he went to the rope, adjusts well by aiming closer to the stumps, and then a bouncer wallops collarbone then neck, a proper sair yin. He’s up at 90mph now, which is where he needs to be to stay in this side.
“Transformations,” begins Peter Salmon as though he’s teaching maths GCSE. “Steve Smith’s transformation from crap to Bradman was pretty astonishing. Astonishing too how long ago that feels now...”
4th over: Australia 27-1 (Head 11, Marsh 3) Target 482 Marsh gets off the mark down to square leg, then Willey delivers a wide. Two more singles follow, and the current rate is 8.00, the required rate 9.78.
“Are you still with Mrs Harris, then?” asks Andrew Benton.
Ouch. Short checks his chip, decides not to make a gag about shoulders or food, and picks out Moeen at mid on who takes an ankle-biter.
3rd over: Australia 27-0 (Short 15, Head 10) Target 482 Head comes to the party, creaming four over cover, but Wood comes back at him well, restricting width and chcuking in a bouncer too. On Wood, at what point do England move on from him in Tests? He’s 28, and if it’s not happening now, when is it happening? Six off the over.
“Is the metamorphosis of England’s ODI team since 2015 the most spectacular tortoise-to-hare transformation in cricket history?” asks Tom Bowtell. “Or at least ODI history? Closest possible contender I can think of is Sri Lanka’s 1996 revolution with Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana, or maybe India after unexpectedly winning the 1983 World Cup.
2nd over: Australia 21-0 (Short 15, Head 5) Target 482 Wow! Willey’s loosener is short and wide, so Short freed his arms and guided six over cover! Lovely! And have a look! Bit of swing for Willey, who tries a bit shorter, and Short swings beautifully to time flat over extra cover for a one-bounce four. Four singles and a wide follow, and Australia are above the rate!
Meanwhile, here’s Gary Naylor with some bad decisions: “I said, ‘No thanks’ when friends offered to get me a ticket for that Live Aid thing. I announced in 1983 that Blood Brothers was sentimental tosh that would never succeed. And I went to the pub rather than watch Australia knock off the runs at Headingley in 1981.”
1st over: Australia 3-0 (Short 2, Head 3) Target 482 Wood opens, and Short takes a single off his first delivery then Head drives three into the covers. How do Australia go about winning this? Surely these two have to chuck everything at it, knowing that behind them they’ve got Marsh, Finch and Maxwell? They’re six nearer.
Right then, eyes down for the greatest chase of all-time. Who’s playing Herschelle?
And this...
Related: Dawid Malan dropped from England squad for Twenty20 series
Why not have a look at this?
Related: Bayliss and Jones: England’s Aussies could learn from each other for World Cup missions | Andy Bull
It really is phenomenal how good this batting line-up is – so many different kinds of technical, creative slogger. The question now is will they get something tangible to show for it?
“‘What’s that Skip?’” tweets Harry Lang.“It’s only a bloody monkey?”
“Leave it with me, lads.”
While we wait for The Chase, some reading for you.
Related: Why India’s young talents are getting a leg up from The Wall | Tanya Aldred
Poor old T-Paine. “I think we’ll have a bowl.” Good thought, mate. Strewth. How must he feel now? Still, it’s not easy against this England side, even less so on this ground, and with his attack. Sometimes you just have to say what can you do, but why would we do that. What’s the worst decision you’ve ever made?
To get the ball rolling, I got married at 22. Beat that.
Related: When sport and real life collide: a story about getting divorced during the 2005 Ashes
Evening all, and what a mess! England were totally done by the nervous 450s there, completely bottled the 500. Pathetic.
There is one hell of a run chase in store. Daniel Harris will take you through it, but as for me, my race is run. Bye!
England lost three wickets for 22 in 17 balls at the end there. Is anyone actually disappointed they didn’t reach 500 in the end? It was right there. They could touch it, smell it.
Ben Collier imagines Australia’s team talk will go something like this: “Relax lads, it’s a 490 pitch, they are 9 short.”
Bairstow is asked to explain his current form:
I’ve got no idea, to be honest. It’s just a case of relaxing and watching the ball. Each opposition gives you different challenges. It’s a case of maintaining your consistency, doing the same things day after day and keep enjoying it. When Morgs got going 500 was definitely on.
50th over: England 481-6 (Root 4, Willey 1) Australia had an excellent final four overs, and thus restricted England to just the 481 runs.
Absolute scenes @TrentBridge congrats to the @englandcricket breaking their own world record! @jbairstow21@AlexHales1@JasonRoy20& @Eoin16 on fire!
#EngvAus #481 pic.twitter.com/U6sYTQcLb2
Root’s timing has been entirely absent, and when he swings and misses Moeen tries to take a run anyway. Paine collects the ball, throws underarm at the stumps and England are six down.
49th over: England 474-5 (Moeen 6, Root 3) Moeen sends the ball high to the fielder at deep midwicket, who takes the catch. But on review it’s clear the ball would have arrived above waist height, so the batsman is reprieved and has a free hit by way of a bonus. He misses this one entirely, but it skims off his pad, past Paine and away for four. Then a short ball flies way above the batsman, and a wide is signalled. Barely a decent shot to be seen, but 13 runs from the over all the same. “I’m worried now, the momentum is all with the Aussies,” writes Tim Vincent.
48th over: England 461-5 (Moeen 1, Root 1) Richardson dismisses Hales and Morgan from successive balls, but Moeen denies him a hat-trick, prodding his full toss away for a single. Three runs and two wickets from the over, and 500 is again off the menu.
Morgan scoops the ball into the stratosphere, and it comes back to earth almost exactly where it started, where Paine is by now waiting.
Hales’s excellent 92-ball innings comes to an end as he tries to hit over midwicket but his shot lands well short.
47th over: England 458-3 (Hales 147, Morgan 66) This is much better from Tye, and combined with Hales’s concentration seeming to slightly slip it is a lot better for Australia. There is, though, another high full toss (Morgan mishits his shot and is caught though by the time the ball comes to earth the umpire has already signalled a no ball) leading to another free hit, which is sent straight to the fielder at deep midwicket. Just six off the over.
46th over: England 450-3 (Hales 143, Morgan 64) It’s Richardson’s turn to take some punishment. Hales sends the first ball screeching through midwicket for four, and the third high over square leg for six, to take England to a new world record score! There ends the clean hitting, with the final three deliveries yielding just four runs. Still, it brings up 450 for England!
Australian bowling charts leaked. pic.twitter.com/wNZVvTPHd7
45th over: England 436-3 (Hales 130, Morgan 63) Kaboom! Morgan hits to long-off for six, Maxwell’s desperate dive on the rope for nought. Blammo! Morgan thunders high over midwicket for six more. Still, not a bad over from Tye, just 16 off it.
For the record, the highest total in a List A game:
496/4 (50 overs) by Surrey vs Gloucestershire at The Oval on 29 Apr 2007#Eng 436/3 (after 45* overs) #ODI#EngvAus
44th over: England 420-3 (Hales 128, Morgan 50) I may have been premature with the whole 500 thing. England needed 100 runs to reach that mark, and they knock off a fifth of those in a single over.
Stoinis, first up, tests Morgan with a slow ball; Morgan tests the catching prowess of the punters in the upper tier of the furthest stand. The next is pumped down the ground for four, a shot that makes Morgan England’s all-time leading ODI scorer. Next ball is straight, a bit short, and it disappears down the ground for six more. A single off the next brings up England’s fastest ever ODI 50, off 21 deliveries.
43rd over: England 400-3 (Hales 125, Morgan 33) I think 500 might be slipping out of England’s reach here. The batsmen just haven’t been good enough on the day. Morgan smears another massive six, and then pulls the ball for four, the fielder at deep square leg moving to his right to take it only to see it spin back, wrongfoot him and end up precisely where he had just come from. Still, 18 from that over, and if they keep that up they might still add another 100.
42nd over: England 382-3 (Hales 120, Morgan 20) Stanlake bowls, and Hales thunders it high over midwicket and into the stands, probably the biggest six of a day already packed with ludicrously big sixes.
41st over: England 370-3 (Hales 113, Morgan 15) Hales is very nearly run out here, but is eventually proved to have grounded his bat just before Stoinis’s excellent throw clattered into the stumps. Then Tye gets his second delivery entirely wrong, letting go a little early and sending it looping towards Morgan’s head, leading to a no-ball and a free hit. This one he bowls very well, conceding just a single, but Morgan recovers to get his first maximum, sending the ball into the crowd over square leg, where the guy who catches it keeps hold of it for a quick photo session before finally sending it back. Tye’s six overs have cost precisely 70 runs.
40th over: England 356-3 (Hales 110, Morgan 5) For the first time since overs five and six England fail to his a boundary from 12 consecutive deliveries. The run is broken from the last ball of Richardson’s over, which is low and wide and diverted to third man for four.
39th over: England 349-3 (Hales 105, Morgan 3) “I don’t want to take anything away from the England batting, which seems to be absolutely out of this world, so please reassure me that England are so unbelievably good today and it is not that the pitch is easy!” pleads Andy Tyacke. It’s clearly a phenomenal batting wicket, but for all that there has still been a lot of sweet, clean hitting. So, a bit of both then.
Four days ago, England scored 342 for 8 at Cardiff. It was their highest one-day total against Australia. They've just gone past that with 11.3 overs still to go.
38th over: England 341-3 (Hales 102, Morgan 0) Richardson’s slow yorker befuddles Buttler, who mishits it into his own legs, from where it could have gone anywhere but ends up safe. Next ball, another slow one, Buttler isn’t so lucky. Hales then goes for a pull, gets it totally wrong, the ball hits his glove, bounces over Paine’s dive, rolls away and completes a 62-ball century.
Buttler gets the toe of his bat to Richardson’s slow ball and heaves it into the heavens, from where it eventually drops to Finch at long-on, who holds on.!
37th over: England 334-2 (Hales 95, Buttler 11) This is very sedate, an over entirely lacking vicious boundary blows. Just the seven off it.
Since the 2015 World Cup England's 50-over batting has been revolutionised to an astonishing degree. In all ODI cricket before the 2015 World Cup England scored 300+ every 18.82 innings; since the World Cup England have scored 300+ every 2.20 innings. #ENGvAUSpic.twitter.com/qSCebYbAW5
36th over: England 327-2 (Hales 91, Buttler 8) Hales scoops the ball vaguely towards Maxwell at midwicket, who dives to his left but gets nothing on it as the ball skips to the rope. Later Buttler twice skips to his right to attempt to hit the ball over his shoulder, but twice gets nothing on it. So then he stays where he is, and thrashes the ball to cow corner for six.
I don't think I have ever seen a greater percentage of balls middled in any cricket match @Simon_Burnton
35th over: England 314-2 (Hales 86, Buttler 1) England, with their eye on history, promote Buttler. Bairstow’s last six ODI innings: 138, 104, 105, 28, 42, 139.
Bairstow is out, but he middled this one as well. Agar bowled and Bairstow slapped it low, hard, but straight to Richardson at deep midwicket!
34th over: England 310-1 (Bairstow 139, Hales 84) The players take more drinks, after which Stanlake returns to bowling action. His first five overs went for an average 6.6 apiece, making him by a margin the most economical Australian bowler (Short, Tye and Maxwell are all in double figures, and Stoinis not far behind on 9.33). Not any more. Hales heaves the first into the stands, and the second through midwicket for four. Then he picks out fielders with two fine shots that might have been boundaries, and avoids all the fielders with two poor shots that might have been wickets, which I suppose is the right way round.
In 16 overs between drinks breaks, England are 164-1...
I can't remember how the exact stat went but during the 2015 World Cup (admittedly, with different fielding restrictions) it was something like double the score at 33 overs if the side was three down or better. England, after 33 overs, are 294-1. #ENGvAUShttps://t.co/mMdCVWQJYT
33rd over: England 294-1 (Bairstow 138, Hales 69) Bairstow sends Agar’s first ball screaming to the boundary, but it all quietens down from there. Just eight from the over, which is as close to economical as we’ve seen for a while.
32nd over: England 286-1 (Bairstow 131, Hales 69) Tye comes back, and displays his full range of faster balls, slower balls and somewhere in the middle balls. They pretty much all get the same treatment, Bairstow hitting the second for four, and Hales doing the same from the fourth, fifth and sixth. England’s score here will either be a world record, or (at this point) a disappointment.
Tye pies fly. Oh my, oh my @Simon_Burnton
31st over: England 269-1 (Bairstow 126, Hales 57) Agar bowls, and Hales flays his first delivery down the ground for another enormo-six. Bairstow then tries a gentle paddle over his left shoulder, and very nearly into the hands of the fielder at short fine leg. Sixteen off the over.
30th over: England 253-1 (Bairstow 122, Hales 45) Stoinis bowls, and another sweet, vicious shot from Bairstow sends the ball back into the stands, from where it returns with a large chunk of leather torn loose. It’s swapped for another, and Bairstow swiftly sets about destroying that one too, howitzering it wide of midwicket for four. Of all opening batsmen who have batted more than 10 innings in ODI history three average more than 50: Amla (50.70), Sharma (53.80), and Bairstow, out on his own with an average of 67.93 (h/t Rob Smyth for the stat).
29th over: England 239-1 (Bairstow 109, Hales 44) Agar bowls, and England’s tally increases by just two. So at this point we are able to speculate about the possibility of England reaching 500; they’re probably not going to miss it by much.
28th over: England 237-1 (Bairstow 108, Hales 44) This is all extremely jolly, especially for those of us, such as Steve Pye (below), old enough to remember the bad old days, but you’ve got to feel for the bowlers. They’re just throwing it down and taking the punishment.
27th over: England 227-1 (Bairstow 106, Hales 36) Bairstow is the question for which Australia have no answer. Wherever they bowl, whoever bowls, they get punished. He poks Tye past point for four, and then a single brings Hales onto strike. He wildly top-edges a pull, which flies high into the air and down into the safe hands of ... some bloke in the crowd, who pulls off a decent catch to great acclaim.
A lot of things still leave me shaking my head. The internet, mobile phones, the fact that I found a woman who wanted to marry me. But if you had told me 20 years ago that England would be 203/1 at the halfway point of an ODI my head would have exploded! @Simon_Burnton
26th over: England 216-1 (Bairstow 100, Hales 30) Bairstow completes yet another century, his fourth in six innings, from his 69th delivery, which he wallops away over midwicket for six.
Balls faced for Jonny Bairstow's 6 ODI s:
1) 97
2) 90
3) 86
4) 58
5) 54
6) 69
All since September 2017, in the space of 19 innings. Freakazoid.
25th over: England 203-1 (Bairstow 93, Hales 25) Tye bowls. His first two overs went for 27. This one costs but a single. We are halfway.
24th over: England 202-1 (Bairstow 92, Hales 25) And Short becomes the eighth Australian bowler. We’re not far from a full house, just three to go. Bairstow creams the ball over extra cover and into the stand. There’s no respite from the runathon.
23rd over: England 192-1 (Bairstow 84, Hales 23) Richardson’s back, and his first delivery is wide enough for Hales to merrily thrash it away for four. Then his last is hoiked high over deep square leg for six by Bairstow. It’s a bit harsh, as there was some good bowling in the middle.
22nd over: England 181-1 (Bairstow 78, Hales 18) This must be horribly frustrating for Stoinis. Three times Hales hits only just past a diving fielder, and from there each time it rolls away for four.
21st over: England 166-1 (Bairstow 77, Hales 5) Finch becomes Australia’s seventh bowler of the day, and his over ends with Hales’s first boundary, clipped wide of midwicket.
20th over: England 160-1 (Bairstow 74, Hales 0) So in comes Hales, having spoken yesterday about how much he needs runs. After three deliveries, he has none. Yet.
Getting run out on a deck like this should be a sackable offence imho #EngvAus
England give away their first wicket, Roy calling for a second run with the ball already in the fielder’s hand at long leg, and being punished for it! Roy’s 82 runs came off 61 balls.
19th over: England 156-0 (Roy 80, Bairstow 74) Cowabunga! Tye’s first delivery is sent over long-on, a bit further over long-on, and then a fair amount further still, a massive six! A single later Bairstow pulls for four, a shot that looked good and sounded great.
Not completely crazy to suggest that this could be the 500 Day we've been waiting for in an ODI. #ENGvAUS
18th over: England 141-0 (Roy 71, Bairstow 68) After some drinks Stoinis bowls and Roy scoops the ball in the air to mid-off, where the fielder runs towards it, leaps up, stretches out his left hand, and then watches the ball fly six inches out of reach and away for four. There’s also some good running, the batsmen twice turning a straightforward single into a sharp two.
17th over: England 130-0 (Roy 62, Bairstow 67) Stanlake bowls to Roy, and he doesn’t even move his feet as he heaves the ball over cover for four. And here’s this week’s Spin, by Tanya Aldred.
Related: Why India’s young talents are getting a leg up from The Wall | Tanya Aldred
16th over: England 122-0 (Roy 57, Bairstow 64) Stoinis is the sixth bowler used already by Australia, and his first over costs just four. This is largely down to more good fielding, this time from D’Arcy Short, sprinting and diving to claw the ball away from the rope at full stretch.
15th over: England 118-0 (Roy 56, Bairstow 61) Stanlake bowls, and with a horizontal bat Roy thumps the ball past mid-off, who mistimes his dive by a fraction, for four. There’s a fine piece of fielding from Maxwell at point to save another boundary off the last but it goes unnoticed. The poor crowd’s hands are probably almost raw from applauding.
This is how Australia used to treat us. All we needed to do was find our own Gilchrist and Hayden... @Simon_Burnton
14th over: England 113-0 (Roy 51, Bairstow 61) Roy thunders Maxwell’s first delivery down the ground for six, and a few moments later gets the single he needs to complete his own 50. Bairstow sends the next steepling over cover for six more. This is a run-flood.
100 - Jason Roy & Jonny Bairstow have recorded their 4th partnership worth 100+ runs as an opening pair; no England opening partnership has ever recorded more century stands in ODI cricket (level with Knight & Trescothick). Duo. #ENGvAUSpic.twitter.com/fCpoWm3QpL
13th over: England 98-0 (Roy 43, Bairstow 54) The over starts with a Bairstow single, completing his half-century, and ends with a Bairstow boundary, flicked to deep square leg.
12th over: England 90-0 (Roy 40, Bairstow 49) A double dose of Spin, as Maxwell comes on. Three runs follow.
11th over: England 87-0 (Roy 39, Bairstow 47)“Just” the eight runs from Agar’s latest over. Gary Naylor is being a little harsh here. Stoinis was in an unenviable position, the ball spending so long in the air that by the time it comes to earth everyone is resigned to the wicket being taken, but the catch is still horrendously difficult. It was right at the extreme end of the difficulty/humiliation scale.
Though I understand why Loris Karius may wish to explore alternative employment options, fielding coach for Australia seems ill-advised @Simon_Burnton
10th over: England 79-0 (Roy 36, Bairstow 42) Now Bairstow is dropped! Tye bowls, and he hoiks the ball high into the air over mid off. Stoinis runs back to take it, the ball dropping over his shoulder. He gets there in time, he puts out his hands, and the ball flicks his fingertips on its way to the ground. It was a tough chance, but an important one. And Bairstow doesn’t hesitate to profit from the lifeline, cutting the next ball to third man for four, and the one after that to backward point for four more. England are in a fantastic position after 10 overs.
NOT OUT! Bairstow successfully overturns an lbw dismissal against Agar, with the ball shown to be bouncing over the stumps!
Watch #ENGvAUS live on SS Cricket: https://t.co/mR5Bkv1mCY
Watch live on Main Event: https://t.co/4C00ZBSUsO
Live blog: https://t.co/xiLznKDWW6pic.twitter.com/VZwBVc0CdA
9th over: England 67-0 (Roy 36, Bairstow 30) Between overs the physio comes on to look at Roy’s right hand, which appears to be bothering him. Not as much as Roy’s bat is bothering the Australians, it isn’t. Agar continues, and Bairstow moves off 19 with a sweep for four, and then a cut for four more. He attempts another sweep, which he misses entirely and leads to that lbw business, but survives.
#atthisstage in England's world record 444-3 on this ground two years ago, they were 56-1 from eight overs ... currently 55-0
It’s hard to see what inspired Bairstow to review that, given that England’s need for salvation wasn’t desperate. It looked out to me. Perhaps he felt he got some bat on it, but no. So it all looks forlorn as we finally got to see ball tracking and, to general astonishment, it shows the ball missing the stumps entirely, and Bairstow is saved!
Australia think so, the umpire thinks so, Bairstow hopes not.
8th over: England 55-0 (Roy 36, Bairstow 19) Richardson’s over starts with a loose delivery, straight and wide, and Roy thumps it away for four. Then he hooks magnificently for six, the ball flying just wide of the West Wing and out of sight. Then he thunders the ball past point for four more. When Bairstow scored his 19th run Roy was on just five. Bairstow is still on 19; Roy has added 31.
7th over: England 41-0 (Roy 22, Bairstow 19) Ashton Agar comes on and slows things down further. Three runs are scored.
6th over: England 38-0 (Roy 19, Bairstow 19)“A bit of a shame Johnny hit the last ball of the 4th over for 4,” writes Dean Kinsella. “I was wondering when last he played out a whole over of dots in a limited over international?” Well, it’s just happened. Maiden.
5th over: England 38-0 (Roy 19, Bairstow 19) Roy joins the boundary party, thumping Stanlake high into the air over midwicket. It’s too high, and not quite long enough, plopping into the turf a few yards before the rope and rolling gently to its target. He makes amends from the next delivery, which goes in a very similar direction only more so. Six!
The ball went cleanly past the bat and clipped only trouser!
Australia think so, the umpire did not. There was definitely a sound as the ball travelled through to Paine, but what did it hit?
4th over: England 24-0 (Roy 5, Bairstow 19) Richardson continues and Bairstow, licking his lips like the Big Bad Wolf lying in grandma’s bed as a child’s voice is heard approaching outside, has a wild swing at a ball that is too close to his body to wildly swing at, and misses it entirely. This sets the theme for most of the over, and with one ball to go no runs have been scored. Then Bairstow spins and sends the sixth towards long leg, who doesn’t have time to move before it’s past him.
3rd over: England 20-0 (Roy 5, Bairstow 15) Very much more pedestrian from Roy, the batsman getting bat to plenty of balls but not quite pinging it. Just two off the over.
Bairstow is the fastest starter in England's ODI history. In the first four overs of innings, he has scored 178 runs from 195 balls and only been dismissed once #ENGvAUS
2nd over: England 18-0 (Roy 3, Bairstow 15) Jhye Richardson does the honours from t’other end, and Bairstow picks out long leg again. He doesn’t hit this one so well, and therefore has time to run two. The next ball he hits very well, though, pinging it off the middle of the bat and past mid-off for four, the first boundary of the match. The second isn’t long in coming, Bairstow heaving a wide ball past cover for four more. The next one was nothing more than a gentle push through midwicket, but it splits the field and speeds to the rope to complete an expensive over.
1st over: England 4-0 (Roy 3, Bairstow 1) Stanlake bowls, and Roy clips the first delivery nicely off his ankles, but there’s a fielder at long leg to prevent the boundary. Then Bairstow gets off the mark in identical style, with identical results.
And the players are out! Action imminent.
This looks like a very unusual massage technique.
Here’s our story on England’s Twenty20 team, which features both Curran Brothers but has no room for Dawid Malan, news that “is said to have left Malan both shocked and frustrated”.
Related: Dawid Malan dropped from England squad for Twenty20 series
This is true, though Australia have lost at Trent Bridge to Pakistan (twice) and Zimbabwe.
@Simon_Burnton England have never beaten Australia on an ODI at Trent Bridge https://t.co/YgrkqFCnfh
The teams in full:
England Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Jos Buttler (wk), Moeen Ali, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
Australia Travis Head, D’Arcy Short, Shaun Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell, Tim Paine (capt/wk), Ashton Agar, Andrew Tye, Jhye Richardson, Billy Stanlake.
“We enjoy chasing as a general rule of thumb and it looks a fantastic wicket,” says Eoin Morgan, who would also have bowled first.
Australia have won the toss and will bowl first.
FOLLOW LIVE: https://t.co/VxBOiBEXu5#ENGvAUSpic.twitter.com/JybY6gjS3d
Australia win the toss and will bowl first.“The wicket looks great and I think it’ll stay that way for the whole contest,” says Tim Paine.
“It looks an absolute road,” says Mike Atherton, at Trent Bridge for the toss.
Over the last 10 years Trent Bridge has been the third most batsman-friendly ground in ODI cricket in England, with batsmen averaging 36.46 runs, fully 10 runs more than at Old Trafford.
Trent Bridge is thought of a swing bowler's paradise in red ball cricket, but in ODIs, only Cardiff has seen less average swing with the new ball in the last 12 years #ENGvAUSpic.twitter.com/fOkEuci6kf
Aaron Finch says Australia have “full confidence that, if we play to our full ability and push that for 100 overs rather than 60 or 80 overs, our best is still good enough”. You’ll not the presence of the word if in the middle of that sentence. England won the first two matches by comfortable margins, and the tourists need to turn their ifs into whens.
For those who have had enough of the World Cup, I have two things to say. One, already? And two, here you go! It’s top-level sport, it’s not football, and so far it’s been a lot of fun. Especially if you’re English.
Here’s Alex Hales on how badly he needs a big score today, and also on Thursday, and again on Sunday:
I’m on the fringes and any chance I can get it’s up to me to convert big runs and put some pressure on Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow. Looking at the way things are now, I’m the one who drops out once Stokes comes back. But things can change quickly. It’s up to me to use these three [remaining] games well and try and score as many runs as possible.”
Related: Alex Hales accepts he has to take every chance he can for England
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