Australia Takes 2-0 Lead in England ODI Series
England's improved bowling performance in the second ODI in Leeds was eclipsed by the return of three of Australia's stalwarts - Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Glenn Maxwell as they powered their side to a 2-0 series lead. Only Jamie Smith and three lower-order batters offered any modicum of a fight as Australia's trio accounted for seven of the 10 wickets to fall.
For Australia, Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey were the poster boys of defiance. First the skipper scored a 60 while batters fell in succession around him, and then the keeper-batter built small but meaningful partnerships with the middle and lower order and dragged out the innings. His exploits included a 49-run stand with No.11 batter Hazlewood, who contributed just four runs off 11 balls in a stand that stretched from the 37th over to the 45th.
England batters couldn't replicate even a shade of that resilience as they folded for 202 in the 41st over. Not a single batter got to 50, with Smith's 48 the best individual effort. The chase for what was an under-par total of 270 on a fairly good batting surface took off well as Phil Salt hit back to back fours off Starc in the opening over. Hazlewood however, made the right-hander queasy by repeatedly beating the outside edge of his bat. Salt caved in the fourth over, and nicked one behind to Carey.
An exceptional, diving catch at second slip from Matthew Short in the following over from Starc sent Will Jacks back for a first-ball duck. Starc then picked the third wicket of the PowerPlay to cripple England's chase further with an inswinging yorker to trap Harry Brook leg before. Smith eased his and England's nerves with a cracking backfoot punch to get off the mark in the eighth over and hit two more in the ninth, but Aaron Hardie's double-wicket over left England five down for just 65. He first took a one-handed blinder on follow-through to dismiss Ben Duckett and then had Carey to thank, who dived full length to have Liam Livingstone caught down the leg side for a golden duck.
Smith and Jacob Bethell - who also picked two wickets earlier in the day - attempted a revival with a 55-run stand. Marsh threw the ball to Maxwell in the middle-overs and reaped instant dividends as Bethell hit one to Starc at short third. Brydon Carse and Adil Rashid - two others who kept England in the race for series parity with the ball - combined with Smith to prolong the innings. But that could only go from 120 for 6 at Bethell's exit to 202 all-out with all three of them falling. Starc then came back to put the finishing touches with the wicket of Olly Stone, walking away with figures of 3 for 50.
Brief Scores: Australia 270 in 44.4 overs (Alex Carey 74, Mitchell Marsh 60; Brydon Carse 3-75, Matthew Potts 2-30, Jacob Bethell 2-33) beat England 202 in 40.2 overs (Jamie Smith 48; Mitchell Starc 3-50, Josh Hazlewood 2-54, Aaron Hardie 2-26, Glenn Maxwell 2-15) by 68 runs.
