Tom Banton stood up in a must-win game for England, scoring his 2nd ODI ton and first in Australia. Tom Banton’s 121 off 99 balls, alongside contributions from Joe Root, Jordan Cox, and Will Jacks, all scoring solid half-centuries, ensured England reached a massive 355/6 in 50 overs in Adelaide. For Australia, Xavier Bartlett picked up 3 wickets while others chipped in here and there on a difficult day for the bowlers. The Aussies have to bat well to chase this down.
Tom Banton gives England a solid start despite losing Ben Duckett inside the power play.Â
Put into bat first, Tom Banton and Ben Duckett came out to open the batting for England while Xavier Bartlett had the ball in hand for Australia. Bartlett bowled a quiet first over to start the contest. Spencer Johnson shared the new ball from the other end. Banton got the first boundary away as he flicked it away through midwicket for a boundary. Bartlett continued as Duckett rocked back and cut it past cover point for a boundary. Spencer continued and bowled a decent over as well.
Bartlett continued as Duckett survived a close LBW scare as the onfield umpire gave it NOT OUT. Replays showed Umpire’s call on hitting the stumps. Bartlett drew the first blood for Australia as he removed Duckett for 9 off 20 balls with one four to his name as he cut it to Connolly at cover point. Joe Root came out to bat next. Johnson continued and hit Banton on the helmet. A mandatory concussion check was done on him. Root then flicked it away through midwicket for a triple.
Bartlett continued as Banton drove it past mid-on for a boundary. Johnson continued as Banton stood tall and pulled it over top of forward square leg for a boundary. Banton took on Spencer as he stood tall and pulled it away over deep backward square leg for the maximum. Bartlett continued as Banton looked to pull on the front foot and got the top edge over fine leg for a boundary.
Spencer continued to bowl the last over of power play as Root drove it sweetly past mid-off for a boundary as the 50 came up for England in 9.3 overs. England were 54/1 in 10 overs of mandatory power play with Banton unbeaten on 32 off 26 balls alongside Root unbeaten on 12 off 14 balls. We now entered the middle phase of the game.
Tom Banton & Joe Root drives England forward till the 25th over.Â
Jack Edwards came into the attack post the power play. Edwards bowled a quiet first over to start his spell. Riley Meredith came into the attack next. Root welcomed him with a boundary as Root flicked it off the pads past deep square leg and long leg for a boundary. Root then flicked it away past midwicket and mid-on for a boundary. Edwards continued as the 50-run stand came up between the two players. Banton then hung back and whacked it away past mid-on for a boundary.
Leg spinner Adam Zampa came into the attack next. Zampa bowled a decent first over to start his spell. Meredith changed ends as Banton punched it past covers for a triple. Then Root played the deft touch to dab it down to third man for a boundary. Zampa continued as Banton caressed through the covers for a boundary. England were 94/1 in 16 overs when we paused for Drinks, the first of the day and innings.
Meredith continued after the break as Banton reached his fifty in 45 balls, his 6th ODI fifty. Meredith bowled a decent over. Zampa continued as the 100 came up for England in 17.4 overs. Meredith continued as Banton hammered it away with a pull over midwicket for a boundary. Zampa continued and bowled a decent over as England reached 113/1 after 20 overs.
Jack Edwards came back into the attack as Root walked down the track and flicked it between midwicket and mid-on for a boundary. Cooper Connolly came into the attack next. Root brought up his 6th 50-plus score on Australian soil and his 50th ODI fifty overall in 50 balls. Connolly conceded a wide as well. Edwards continued and bowled a decent over. Matthew Renshaw came into the attack next and started with a wide. Banton punched it sweetly through covers and mid-off for a boundary.
Jack Edwards continued to bowl the 25th over of the innings as Banton took him on as he stood tall and pulled it away flat and hard over the leg side for the maximum. England reached 142/1 in 25 overs at the halfway stage of the game with Banton unbeaten on 74 off 70 balls alongside Root unbeaten on 56 off 60 balls to keep England in a solid position.
Tom Banton falls after a splendid ton as Australia hit back with a few wickets to keep England under check after 40 overs.Â
Riley Meredith came back into the attack next. He bowled a decent over. Spencer Johnson came back into the attack next as the 150 came up for England in 26.4 overs. Banton showed his class as lofted the ball over mid-on for a boundary. Cooper Connolly came back into the attack and broke the partnership as he removed Root for 62 off 68 balls with 5 fours to his name as he pulled it away to short midwicket with Scott taking the catch. Captain Harry Brook came out to bat next.
Meredith continued as Banton pulled it away past midwicket and mid-on gap for a boundary. Banton then glanced the ball on the pads for a boundary to fine leg region to move into the 90s. Banton then stood tall and pulled it away past midwicket for a boundary. Adam Zampa returned to the attack and bowled a better over. England were 175/2 in 30 overs. Meredith continued and knocked over Brook for 5 off 11 balls. Keeper batter Jordan Cox came out to bat next. He got off the mark soon.
Zampa continued as Banton got to his maiden ODI ton on Australian soil and his second overall. England were 184/3 in 32 overs when we paused for another Drinks Break. Meredith continued and conceded a wide as Cox pressed forward and drove it past mid-off for a boundary. Zampa continued and bowled a decent over. Xavier Bartlett came back into the attack next and conceded a wide as the 200 came up for England in 34.2 overs. Banton stood tall and pulled the short ball over deep square leg for the maximum. Banton went big again as he pulled it over deep square leg again for the maximum.
Bartlett hit back and got rid of Banton for 121 off 99 balls with 12 fours and 4 sixes to his name as he was holed out in the deep with Cameron Green taking the catch. Will Jacks came out to bat next. Meredith returned to the bowling attack as Cox pulled it away past mid-on for a boundary. Bartlett continued and bowled a decent over. Meredith continued and bowled a decent over.
Bartlett continued as Jacks backed away to stay leg side and cut the ball between backward point and short third man for a boundary. Cooper Connolly returned to the attack to bowl the 40th over of the innings. He bowled a decent over. England reached 245/4 in 40 overs with Cox unbeaten on 28 off 28 balls alongside Jacks unbeaten on 14 off 14 balls. We now entered the last phase i.e. death overs phase of the innings.
England ace the death phase to finish with a massive 355/6 in 50 overs.Â
Spencer Johnson came back into the attack as Cox muscled the ball through covers for a boundary. Cox went again as he shuffled across and scooped it down past fine leg for a boundary. Adam Zampa returned to the attack as Jacks took on the short ball and pulled it away to deep forward square leg for the maximum. The 50-run stand came up between the two players. Jack Edwards returned to the attack as Cox launched him over deep square leg for the maximum as Cox brought up his fifty in 39 balls his second ODI fifty.
Zampa continued as Cox backed away and opened the bat face to carve it over deep cover point for a boundary. Bartlett continued as Jacks cut him away past deep cover point for a boundary. Cox then reverse swept the ball past backward point for a boundary as the 300 came up for England in 45 overs. Edwards continued and bowled a wide before Cox backed away and flat batted it down the ground for a boundary.
Bartlett continued and he conceded a wide as the 100-run stand came up between the two players. Jacks was then given a lifeline as he was dropped at short third by Adam Zampa off Bartlett. Bartlett conceded another wide before getting rid of Cox for a well-made 67 off 49 balls with 7 fours and one six to his name as he was caught in the deep by Renshaw. Sam Curran came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway. Jacks then went deep in the crease and sweetly drove through covers for a boundary.
Edwards bowled the 48th over and conceded a wide as Curran took him on by shuffling across to stand tall and pulled him deep forward square leg for the maximum. Spencer Johnson returned to bowl the 49th over and removed Sam Curran for 14 off 9 balls with a maximum to his name with Connolly taking the catch. Gus Atkinson came out to bat with an over to spare. Australia were penalised for slow over rate.
Jack Edwards bowled the last over of the innings as Jacks got to his 7th ODI fifty in 39 balls. Atkinson then took on Edwards and cleared his front leg to loft it over deep midwicket for the maximum and then clubbed it down the ground over long-off for the maximum. Jacks then stood tall and flat batted it over the bowler’s head for a boundary. 18 runs off the final over as England finished with 355/6 in 50 overs. Jacks finished with an unbeaten 54 off 40 balls with 4 fours and one six to his name while Atkinson remained unbeaten on 13 off 4 balls with 2 sixes to his name. 10 extras given by the fielding side.
Australia had a tough outing with the ball in hand. Xavier Bartlett was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/72 in 10 overs. Spencer Johnson finished with 1/61 in 8 overs. Riley Meredith finished with 1/75 in 10 overs. Cooper Connolly finished with 1/11 in 3 overs. Jack Edwards finished with 0/73 in 9 overs. Adam Zampa finished with 0/54 in 9 overs. Matthew Renshaw finished with an over for 7 runs. This means that Australia needs 356 runs to win off 50 overs to clinch the series 2-0 with a game to spare.
Who’s Winning, Australia or England?Â
England have done well to recover from the debacle in Perth to come back and post a strong total in Adelaide. 355 runs is a good score on the board flat or no flat pitch. Australia will have to bat out of their skins to win this from here. Can they do it though? England will feel they have a good chance to level the series 1-1. They need to bowl well though. At the interval, England will be the happier side is what we feel.
Let’s see how the chase turns out to be at Adelaide Oval.
Also Read: AUS VS ENG: Mahli Beardman’s Maiden 6-Wicket Haul Demoralised England.