Key events
33rd over: England 174-7 (Carse 25, Rashid 9) Starc slams a back of a length ball into Rashid’s gloves. The England set up will not like the look of that but their prize leg-spinner looks ok to continue. Four leg byes end the over and takes the target to less than a hundred. That last wicket partnership from Carey and Hazlewood looking all the more crucial as each over passes.
32nd over: England 166-7 (Carse 24, Rashid 5) I thought Mitchell Starc was coming on for a final dart but it is Glenn Maxwell, Rashid picks up a couple and Starc is summoned…
31st over: England 164-7 (Carse 24, Rashid 5) Adil Rashid fences Hazlewood away for an unconvincing four, this could be over quickly from here.
WICKET! Smith c sub (J Fraser-McGurk) b Hazlewood 49 (England 159-7)
Gone! One run shy of fifty Jamie Smith picks out the sub fielder at mid-wicket. He’s gutted and angry that he either didn’t keep it on the carpet or go well over the top. Josh Hazlewood gets the breakthrough and Australia need three more as Rashid comes to the middle.
30th over: England 159-6 (Smith 48, Carse 23) Hardie back into the attack and just a couple of singles off the over. The game bubbling away in Leeds…
Congratulations to Sunrisers who take the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in a weather affected final in Leicestershire:
29th over: England 157-6 (Smith 48, Carse 23) A change does indeed come in the shape of Josh Hazlewood. Jamie Smith gets an inside edge from a length ball and it goes for four down the leg side. England chipping away, they need Smith to stay there if they are to have a hope. 114 more needed for them, Australia need four wickets.
28th over: England 152-6 (Smith 44, Carse 22) Matthew Short is called into the attack for more spin. Josh Hazlewood can be seen limbering up at deep point. Shot! Carse dances down and dispatches back over the bowler for SIX! Long levers and a flamingo flourish with the back leg for good measure.
27th over: England 144-6 (Smith 44, Carse 15) Zampa hasn’t been at his best today with the ball, a few too many full tosses and lacking a little in consistency. Just three singles off it though, Australia won’t mind that.
26th over: England 141-6 (Smith 43, Carse 13) Carse rocks back and slices Maxwell away to the fence for four backward of point. I wonder if Marsh might bring back his seamers here to try and finish the job in a hurry?
25th over: England 136-6 (Smith 43, Carse 8) Carse isn’t content to just play second fiddle to Smith, he launches a length ball from Zampa down the ground for four and then tries a sweep… he misses by a distance and the ball thunks into his pad. Australia go upstairs… mighty close! It stays Not Out on the umpires call but the ball was hitting the top of leg stump. Lucky lad, Brydon.
24th over: England 129-6 (Smith 42, Carse 2) Maxwell whistles through a quick over, just a Carse single off it.
23rd over: England 128-6 (Smith 42, Carse 1) Smith works a single off Zampa to leave Carse on strike with plenty of close in fielders breathing down his neck. Zampa throws in the googly and Carse did not look like he had much idea what was coming down. A single into the off side brings Smith on strike for the last ball… which is clubbed into the stands by Smith. He’s so quick on anything short and duly punishes a drag down from Zampa.
22nd over: England 120-6 (Smith 35, Carse 0) A wicket maiden for Maxwell as the game lurches Australia’s way once more. Brydon Carse joins Smith in the middle with 151 runs needed and just four wickets left.
WICKET! Bethell c Starc b Maxwell 25 (England 120-6)
Oh no! After doing all the hard work Bethell gives it away with a sorry hack into the off-side off Glenn Maxwell. It was a wide ball from Maxwell and should have been carted to the fence but Bethell got his weight all wrong and plinked up a relatively simple catch to Mitchell Starc behind point on the off-side.
21st over: England 120-5 (Smith 35, Bethell 25) A change of end for Zampa and a full toss to start sees Smith work a boundary into the off side and bring up the fifty partnership between himself and Bethell. A further single each as England slowly rebuild.
20th over: England 114-5 (Smith 30, Bethell 24) Close! Jamie Smith gets away with a hack into the off side, the ball looping in the air but landing safe of three converging fielders. Singles still the order of the day as the match enters a holding pattern of sorts.
19th over: England 110-5 (Smith 28, Bethell 22) Starc into his seventh over as Smith and Bethell inch towards a fifty partnership. Just a single off the over. Adam Zampa is whipped out of the attack after just one over and Glenn Maxwell is thrown the ball.
18th over: England 109-5 (Smith 28, Bethell 21) Both batters look to use their feet to the spinner, working the gaps to pick up three singles off the over.
17th over: England 106-5 (Smith 27, Bethell 19) Bethell does well to jam down on a Starc yorker and scamper a single. SIX! ‘ave some of that! Jamie Smith is onto a short ball in a flash and swivels a pull with plenty of panache into the crowd. We are going to see some spin… here’s Adam Zampa! Don’t go anywhere…
16th over: England 98-5 (Smith 20, Bethell 18) England inch towards a hundred but still have plenty to do, the small matter of 173 more runs still needed. Still no sign of spin as Mitch Marsh loads up his pace bowlers. Starc is coming back for his sixth over. This’ll be a test for the two young English batters.
15th over: England 94-5 (Smith 18, Bethell 17) Hazelwood continues to join the dots for Australia before Jacob Bethell pounces on a lesser spotted short ball and pulls away for four to end the deluge of dots.
14th over: England 88-5 (Smith 17, Bethell 12) No sign of spin yet for Australia as Hardie continues. He’s been very impressive though and stitches together a maiden to a frustrated Jamie Smith.
13th over: England 88-5 (Smith 17, Bethell 12) A bit ragged from Josh Hazlewood – which is not a line that gets typed regularly. He oversteps to give away a Free Hit but then sends down consecutive wides to loud jeers from the crowd. When he does bowl a legal delivery Jacob Bethell smears him over mid-off for four. Cue more jeers. Hazlewood then shows his class by beating the bat twice and getting out of the over for no more cost.
12th over: England 81-5 (Smith 17, Bethell 8) Hardie to Smith. One slip in place. Jamie Smith goes up and over and picks up four. Not wholly convincing that one. The two youngsters scamper a quick two off a leg-bye. Eoin Morgan approves paternally from the commentary box.
11th over: England 75-5 (Smith 13, Bethell 8) Jacob Bethell looks a real talent – he plays a princely cut behind point off Hazlewood to pick up four and then latches on to a short ball, lasering it through midwicket for four more. These two need to do more than flatter to deceive though, England need a mammoth partnership to give themselves a chance.
Phew. What a passage of play. Here’s the Hardie grab that got rid of danger man Duckett:
10th over: England 65-5 (Smith 12, Bethell 0)Jacob Bethell blocks out the hat-trick ball but Hardie finishes the PowerPlay with a double-wicket maiden to leave England on the ropes.
WICKET! Livingstone c Carey b Hardie 0 (England 65-5)
What a grab by Alex Carey! Livingstone is snaffled down the leg-side from his very first ball and has to go! Hardie on a hat-trick!
WICKET! Duckett c & b Hardie 32 (England 65-4)
Catch me, Hardie! A brilliant reaction catch from Hardie in his follow through as Duckett gets a cue end on an attempted pull shot. Big wicket for Australia!
9th over: England 65-3 (Duckett 32, Smith 12) Jamie Smith has started his innings like a bullet train! He drives Starc down the ground in some style and then follows up with a flick through midwicket for four more. Neither side taking a backward step at the minute.
8th over: England 55-3 (Duckett 31, Smith 4)Aaron Hardie replaces Hazlewood and is greeted by a Duckett clip off the hip for four first ball. A single brings Smith on strike. Not bad! Smith is high on his toes and smokes a back foot drive through cover for four. Punch and counterpunch at Headingley.
WICKET! Brook lbw b Starc 4 (England 46-3)
Harry Brook is set up and knocked down by Mitch Starc! Starc drags the batter across his crease before spearing in a full in-swinger that pins Brook lbw. Excellent fast bowling, England’s captain is on his way.
7th over: England 46-3 (Duckett 26, Smith 0) Jamie Smith is the new batter, he joins Duckett with England in bother.
6th over: England 42-2 (Duckett 26, Brook 0) Audacious scoop for four over the keeper by Duckett! Hazlewood gets his teapot on, that ball was bang on middle stump. SHOT! Duckett plays a short arm jab for SIX into the Western Terrace. It isn’t dull this, a huge play and miss follows the next ball. Timed to purrrfection, Duckett clips off his pads for another four to finish the over.
5th over: England 28-2 (Duckett 11, Brook 0) In walks Harry Brook. Three slips waiting to a pumped up Mitch Starc. Brook defends stoutly, three dots to finish the over. Australia on top after the early exchanges.
WICKET! Jacks c Short b Starc 0 (England 26-2)
Starc gets Will Jacks for a duck! Good catch from Matthew Short diving away to his right at second slip. Starc angled it across and took a thick edge. Early wobble for England.
4th over: England 26-1 (Duckett 11, Jacks 0) Will Jacks is the new batter. Starc will continue to Duckett.
WICKET! Salt c Carey b Hazlewood 12 (England 26-1)
Salt gets a meaty edge off a length ball from Hazlewood and the ball flies away for four. Salt is trying to engineer some space outside off stump but the bowler isn’t giving him an inch. GONE! After three play and misses Salt gets a feather on one and is somewhat predictably snaffled by Carey behind the stumps. Australia have their first.
3rd over: England 22-0 (Salt 8, Duckett 11) Shot! Duckett clips Starc off his pads for a well timed four through mid-wicket. Starc then spears a wide down the leg-side. Eeeesht! Starc over-corrects and flings one outside the tramlines on the off side that Duckett nevertheless throws the kitchen sink, kettle and toaster at to no avail. Starc beats his man with the next, pitching it on off and moving it away late. Duckett connecting only with fresh air once more.
Starc sends down a third wide in the over, he’s very much bowling like a man who hasn’t played since June and has been in bed with flu the last few days to boot.
2nd over: England 13-0 (Salt 8, Duckett 5) Here comes Mr Metronome – Josh Hazlewood. His usual nagging length against Mr ‘I Don’t Leave It’ Duckett will be a fascinating match up. Duckett clubs down the ground for a couple to get off the mark. Hazlewood responds with a rippah that flies past a Duckett forward poke. An edge past Smith in the slips sees Salt come on strike.
Is that a tickle? There’s a wood-y sounding noise as the ball passes Salt’s bat and Australia choose to review… NOT OUT. The DRS shows the ball passed the bat and clipped Salt on the elbow. THAT WAS AN EDGE! Salt edges to the cordon and is dropped by a diving Matthew Short at second slip just as Ricky Ponting was wondering why Steve Smith – one of the all time great slip grabbers – isn’t in the cordon! Eventful over, Salt survives by the skin of his molars.
1st over: England 8-0 (Salt 8, Duckett 0) Starc goes full with his first ball, a booming in-swinger beats Salt and flies narrowly past the off stump!
Shot! Salt then uses the 90mph pace of Starc, leaning on a full ball that races through cover for four. Same again! Salt gets bat on a full and fast ball and angles it in the gap wide of point for four more. Australia can’t afford for England to get away to a flier.
Right then, here come the English openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett. The returning Mitchell Starc prowls at the top of his mark as late summer sun the beats down at Headingley. Let’s play!
I’ll be back for England’s run chase. They’ll have Starc, Hazlewood and Zampa to contend with and 271 runs to make.
Far too much has been made of Harry Brook’s throwaway comments while not enough had been made of his excellent rotation of bowlers and dynamic field positioning. He’s got a long career ahead of him and I can see him lifting a lot of trophies as England captain.
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) September 21, 2024
Australia 270 all out!
England breathe a sigh of relief. Alex Carey hits two boundaries at the start of Olly Stone’s over and tries to strike a third only to find Phil Salt in the deep. A final wicket partnership of 45 gets Australia up to a target they can defend, especially with Starc and Hazlewood returning to the bowling stocks.
England bowled well though, sharing the wickets around on a batter friendly surface. Over to their much vaunted batting card to knock off this eminently reachable total.
