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Ben Duckett justified his elevation to opener with 95 off 91 balls before England succumbed to a trial by spin in their first ODI against Australia at Trent Bridge.
Tasked with bringing the same energy to the top of the 50-over order that he has in Tests, Duckett laid the foundations for a mammoth total with a busy knock, putting on 120 in 101 balls with Will Jacks for the second wicket.
However, Duckett’s dismissal five short of a second ODI ton saw England collapse from 213 for two in the 33rd over and on course for a score well in excess of 350 to 315 all out with two balls unused.
Both Duckett and Harry Brook, who made an enterprising 39 off 31 balls on his England captaincy debut, were caught and bowled by part-timer Marnus Labuschagne, one of eight bowlers used by the tourists.
In the absence of their big three fast bowlers – Pat Cummins, who has been rested for the entire tour, and Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, both of whom are ill – Australia’s spinners took centre stage.
Adam Zampa celebrated his 100th ODI with three for 49, while Labuschagne also claimed three scalps and fellow part-timers Travis Head and Matthew Short were in the wickets column, too.
In total, 26 of the last 27 overs were sent down by the quartet, including all of the last 10, in an innings where Mitch Marsh chopped and changed his bowlers in a bid to keep making breakthroughs after losing the toss.
England’s bold batting in the first 10 overs has been synonymous with their white-ball resurgence since 2015 but despite the shorter boundaries here, Duckett and Salt struck a more measured tone.
They still rattled along at almost a run a ball despite eight fours in the first powerplay – four in one over when Sean Abbott dropped short to Duckett – while Salt was bowled for 17 by Ben Dwarshuis.
Jacks deposited spinners Short and Zampa into the crowd as he and Duckett brought up bustling fifties full of running between the wickets at better than a run a ball.
There were a dozen bowling changes in the first half of England’s innings and the last of them led to Jacks departing for 62 off 56 balls as he thrashed to cover off Zampa, who rallied from conceding 27 in his first three overs.
Australia attempted to strangle England with spin and while Duckett continued to rotate the strike, Brook crashed a pair of straight sixes off Short to carry his side to 201 for two after 30 overs.
Any hope of them doubling the total receded when Duckett then Brook gave return catches to Labuschagne. Duckett was undone by a googly that stuck in the pitch and took a leading edge to deny him a ton, while Brook cast a suspicious look at the surface after innocuously knocking back to Labuschagne.
Marsh continued to dangle the carrot with part-time spin and while there were boundaries to be had, ODI debutant Jamie Smith fell for 23 off 19 balls after lobbing to long-on off Short, fresh off his surprise five-for in the T20 series at Cardiff.
Both Liam Livingstone and Brydon Carse found the bucket hands of Cameron Green off Zampa and while another ODI debutant in Jacob Bethell made 35 to carry England past 300, the all-rounder and Adil Rashid holed out in the last over bowled by Head.
