If this ODI seemed a match too far, in a series too many, a month too late, then no one told the Headingley faithful. They squashed on to trains to Burley Park and into the ungainly stands, a sell-out crowd roasting in the unexpected September heat of the open seats of the Western Terrace and cheering England to the rooftops – alongside the pantomime if dated booing of Steve Smith and Alex Carey. At least for the first few hours.
With stoical enthusiasm, most then stayed as the game swung, to watch England’s innings, a start-stop affair in light that faded alongside their chances, as an inexperienced 50-over side slumped to a comprehensive 68-run defeat. They go 2-0 down in the five-match series.
England had looked in with a good shot at the halfway stage after they dismissed Australia within 45 overs, despite an excellent 74 from wicketkeeper Carey at more than a run a ball, in an enterprising last-wicket partnership of 49 with Josh Hazlewood that frustrated the bowlers.
England’s reply was a high stakes affair. Opener Phil Salt’s short but eventful innings included three flamed fours, a survived review off Hazlewood, a drop (next ball) at slip by a lunging Matthew Short, before coming to a close as he kissed an edge off Hazlewood, which was collected by Carey. Two runs later, Will Jacks was on his way, snaffled at slip first ball to a peach from Mitchell Starc that angled across him and induced a thick edge.
Captain Harry Brook was off the mark through midwicket with a typically sharp clip to the rope from Starc, to roared appreciation for the local lad, but he was done soon after by one that swung in, thudded into his back pad and almost toppled him.
England were soon in even more serious trouble at 65 for five in the 10th over. First, opener Ben Duckett, who had been tacking along nicely in boundaries, including an audacious scoop over the keeper, was flummoxed by a slower ball from Aaron Hardie, who leapt to his left in his follow-through to pick up a toe-ended pull like a parent stretching to scoop up a toddler’s sippy-cup. Then, next ball, Liam Livingstone was caught by a diving Carey with a legside flick that he would like to forget.
But Jamie Smith wasn’t ready to throw in the towel, looking as outrageously at home in ODI cricket as he has in Test cricket all summer. He got going with three fours, a dreamy cover drive, a screamer that whistled down the ground, followed next ball by a slightly luckier drive that flew through midwicket.
But he was also measured, mixing watchful singles with blazing boundaries, including a six clapped over square leg with brio. He and Jacob Bethell, who had safely seen off the hat-trick ball from Hardie, and who again impressed with his stroke-making, put on a careful 55. But when Bethell was caught for 25, Smith got becalmed batting with the enterprising Brydon Carse, and eventually had to slope off , caught at midwicket for 49.
Adil Rashid, promoted up the order from 11 to nine, was off the mark with a boundary, but as the floodlights flickered on at a quarter to six, and the seats started to empty, the game was up for England.
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It had all looked so different when they won the toss in bright morning sunshine and elected to field, Olly Stone replacing the rested Jofra Archer. After a couple of watchful overs, Travis Head looked to repeat his trick of the first ODI, to blast England over the rope and into the hills – the first six coming in the fifth over of day – and matched almost stroke for stroke by his opening partner Short.
Carse came in for a particular hammering – until Head jiffied him off his hips only for the ball to fall into the hands of Stone on the rope, for 29. Short was nicely caught behind off Potts, but Mitchell Marsh joined in the heavy-lifting as Smith, bowled shaping to drive one that nipped back, and Marnus Labuschagne fell cheaply.
On a pitch that gripped, Glenn Maxwell was the excellent Rashid’s 200th ODI wicket – the third England bowler to reach the milestone in men’s cricket (and the first spinner) after Jimmy Anderson and Darren Gough.
Carey looked as if he was going to run out of partners when Hardie and Starc fell in successive balls from Carse and Zampa was caught at backward point by Stone off Rashid from the third ball of the 37th over.
At that point, the scoreboard read 221 for nine, but Ashes pantomime villain Carey, in his first innings since March, eked out every last run alongside Hazlewood, making a gettable score seemingly more tricky and ultimately too good.
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