That’s all from us today. We’ll be back on Sunday to bring you the decider *weather permitting*. Thanks for your company and comments. Goodnight.
Ali Martin was at Lord’s to witness England’s white ball rousings in the flesh and has sent this early report:
Drizzle in Brizzle? Oh. The weather doesn’t look too great in Bristol on Sunday…
Looking at the Bristol forecast, seems like Australia will be saved by the rain from an epic England comeback from 2-0 down for the second time in two summers
— Ben Gardner (@Ben_Wisden) September 27, 2024
A word or two from the Captains:
Harry Brook:
We’ve taken all positives from the first two games and brought them to the last two. We identified times where we could put more pressure on - getting early boundaries for example. The bowlers did beautifully on an interesting wicket. Archer was bowling quick with swing and seam movement.
(On his own form with the bat)
It’s always nice to be scoring runs, it helps think clearly.
Mitchell Marsh:
We were off. Fair play to England. We couldn’t get early wickets and were thoroughly outplayed. Their total was over par. Liam (Livingstone) was brilliant. Bristol will be a great experience… we’re excited for the opportunity.”
Not bad:
Reckon that's the second biggest men’s ODI victory, measured in terms of runs, achieved by England against Australia in this format. Also only Australia’s second ODI defeat at Lord’s in 25 years; a period in which they have played 14 ODIs here.
— George Dobell (@GeorgeDobell1) September 27, 2024
Just four bowlers used in an ODI, pure class from Brook's England
— Yas Rana (@Yas_Wisden) September 27, 2024
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England win by 186 runs! (Australia 126 all out)
Rashid fizzes a leg break past a hapless Josh Hazlewood and that is comprehensively that. A stellar performance with bat and ball sees England level the series at 2-2 and a deciding duel set up in the Wild West Country (Bristol) on Sunday.
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24th over: Australia 122-9 (Starc 2, Hazelwood 0) Potts finishes his evenings work with a double wicket maiden and overall figures of 4-38. Impressive stuff.
WICKET! Adam Zampa c Livingstone b Potts 0 (Australia 122-9)
Adam Zampa blocks out the hat-trick ball but falls tamely off the next -plinking a dolly to Livingstone at midwicket. Australia on the brink.
WICKET! Carey lbw b Potts 13 (Australia 122-8)
Potts scuds one into Carey’s pad as the batter jumps across the crease. The umpire says no but the bowler likes it. “That’s close” says the bowler. “Shall I go for it?” asks Brook. They do and IT IS OUT. Three reds and Matthew Potts is on a hat-trick!
23rd over: Australia 122-7 (Carey 13, Starc 2) I wonder if Carey and Starc might open the shoulders here? Nope. Just two more runs off Rashid.
WICKET! Abbott c Livingstone b Potts 10 (Australia 119-7)
Abbott tees off and gets Potts away for SIX over long on but then tries to repeat the shot next ball without the same connection – the ball finding Livingstone’s safe clutches three quarters of the way to the fence. Starc joins Carey at the crease. England need three more (wickets) and Australia need a load more (runs)
22nd over: Australia 119-7 (Carey 12, Starc)
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21st over: Australia 112-6 (Carey 11, Abbott 4) Rashid spins his web. Abbott can’t pick him and can hardly lay a bat on him either. Just a Carey single off the over. England buzzing about and oozing confidence. So is Simon McMahon on email:
“Call me reckless if you like, but I’m calling this one now, James. Series decider in Bristol on Sunday, weather permitting of course. At least it’s not Manchester…”
20th over: Australia 111-6 (Carey 10, Abbott 4) Matt Potts replaces Jofra Archer who keeps one up his sleeve for later filed Break in case of Emergency. Five singles off the over as the run rate climbs over ten an over.
19th over: Australia 106-6 (Carey 8, Abbott 3) Adil Rashid replaces Brydon Carse who takes a well earned breather with figures of 3-36 off his six overs. Close! Rashid rips a big leg break and beats Abbott’s drive… Jamie Smith whips off the bails and celebrates. Upstairs we go and NOT OUT – third umpire Dharmasena thinks there is a smidge of shoe behind the line to save the batter. Ricky Ponting on the Sky commentary isn’t so sure and thinks it was on the line rather than behind it. I’m more in the latter camp but Abbott is given the benefit of the doubt.
18th over: Australia 103-6 (Carey 6, Abbott 2) Archer goes for just two runs off the over and has Abbott hopping about the crease with some well directed short stuff.
17th over: Australia 101-6 (Carey 5, Abbott 1) Carse continues round the wicket, Abbott and Carey rotate strike to take five singles off the over and bring up the team hundred but Australia need a whole lot more. The bad news for them is that Archer is probably going to bowl out and he has two more overs left.
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16th over: Australia 96-6 (Carey 2, Abbott 0) Jofra Archer is all smiles, he loves playing at Lord’s. Maxwell had a chunter as he walked off, I think about the two-paced nature of the pitch but I think credit goes to Archer there for mixing up his pace and his length. If you are 91mph and full one delivery and then able to bowl a slower ball short one without any discernible change in action then fair play.
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WICKET! Maxwell c Smith b Archer 2 (Australia 96-6)
Maxwell is gone and so too Australia’s hopes of the win. A slower short ball comes off at half speed and Maxwell is too early on it, an under edge going through to a diving Jamie Smith behind the stumps.
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15th over: Australia 93-5 (Carey 1, Maxwell 0) Glenn Maxwell arrives at the crease and lines up a big yahoo at his first ball from Carse… connecting only with fresh air. Two wickets in the over, Carse has 3-31 from five after going for 19 in his first. Tip of the hat to him.
WICKET! Labuschagne b Carse 4 (Australia 93-5)
Anything you can do Jofra… what a ball from Brydon Carse! Off stump thudded back and Marnus trudging off with a shake of the head and a chew of the gum.
Australia have lost five wickets for 27 runs in the last seven overs.
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WICKET! Inglis c Jacks b Carse 8 (Australia 91-4)
Carse gets Inglis with one that holds in the pitch, the batter early on the shot and driving uppishly to Will Jacks at short cover who takes a sharp catch.
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14th over: Australia 89-3 (Inglis 6, Labuschagne 4) Another probing over from Archer who has the batters hopping about with his speeds around early 90 mph mark. Australia have been kept quiet with the wickets falling and the run rate is rising like a charmed snake.
13th over: Australia 84-3 (Inglis 4, Labuschagne 2) DROP! Carse should have had another as Marnus cloths a pull to Rashid running in from the deep who fumbles the catch and leaves the field with a cut digit. Hopefully not a double blow for England.
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12th over: Australia 82-3 (Inglis 3, Labuschagne 1) Marnus is good to continue and manages to get off strike with a dab to point. Archer looks like he could be in business every ball – Inglis is tentative to a full ball and just manages to get his bat down and squirt the ball into the leg side for another single. Fabulous over from Archer.
Marnus Labuschagne comes to the crease to face Archer with his dander up. We’ve been here before eh? The crowd roar Archer in and eeeesht! he clatters Marnus on the elbow first ball. A long delay whilst the batter is checked over, it looks painful but he should be ok – the replay showed it hit the arm guard.
The delay allows Sky to show a slow mo replay of the Archer stump splatterer to Marsh. Take a look at this:
Superb bowling from Archer 👏 pic.twitter.com/KEFzAdafO8
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 27, 2024
WICKET! Marsh b Archer 28 (Australia 80-3)
You cannot do that Jofra Archer! What a ball to get rid of Mitch Marsh! Pitched on middle and darted late to knock back the off stump! Nothing the batter, any batter, could do about that one.
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11th over: Australia 79-2 (Marsh 28, Inglis 2) Inglis whips off his pads for a couple to open his account. Carse has settled down after the wicket, using the slope to angle the ball past the bat. Just four off the over.
10th over: Australia 75-2 (Marsh 27, Inglis 0) Josh Inglis is the new batter but he’ll be at the non strikers end as Smith fell off the last ball of Potts’ over.
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WICKET! Smith ct Smith b Potts 5 (Australia 75-2)
Inside edge and gone! Smith curses as he trudges off, fallen to Potts again. He charged the seamer in an attempt to get his feet moving and the slightest bit of movement in was enough to see a loud snick and a comfortable catch to his namesake behind the stumps. Two quick ones for England.
WICKET! Head b Carse 34 (Australia 68-1)
Bowled ‘im! Brydon Carse comes back well after being tonked in his first over. A full ball from around the wicket whistles past Head’s attempted flick across the line and sends the bails flying skyward like a pair of quizzical eyebrows. Breakthrough for England and it was much needed.
9th over: Australia 68-1 (Marsh 25, Smith 0) Steve Smith joins his skipper and has his feet in concrete for his first two balls. Two runs and a wicket off the over.
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8th over: Australia 66-0 (Marsh 24, Head 33) Potts stifles a leg before appeal with the ball thunking into Marsh’s pads but it was heading down the leg side. It’s a change of ends for the Durham seamer but the boundaries are still being found by Australia – Marsh holds the pose as he drives handsomely down the ground for four.
7th over: Australia 60-0 (Marsh 20, Head 32) Travis Head gets stuck into Brydon Carse! A short ball is marmalised for SIX over the Mound Stand and out of the ground. New balls please! Ricky Ponting reckons that is the biggest six of the series so far. It made a frighteningly satisfying sound off the bat and soared into the London night sky. Head hits three more fours off a nervous looking Carse to make it 19 runs off the over. Australia are ticking.
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6th over: Australia 41-0 (Marsh 19, Head 14) Marsh flays for four through point and the two batters run extremely well to make it eight runs off the over. England are still on the attack with two slips in place, no breakthrough yet and Australia looking dangerous. Brydon Carse is coming on to replace Potts, he was the pick of the England bowlers in Durham but got plenty of tap the match before at Trent Bridge. What’ll it be this evening from the big man? We’re about to find out.
5th over: Australia 33-0 (Marsh 14, Head 11) Shot! Mitch Marsh whips a short ball off his hips with Swiss clock timing and the ball soars into the stands at midwicket for SIX. Two more off the over with a dab to third. The sun has set at Lord’s and the floodlights are now casting their spindly shadows.
4th over: Australia 25-0 (Marsh 6, Head 11) The ball is moving around and late off the surface, Archer has both Head and Marsh beaten outside the off stump. A full ball is muscled down the ground from Head to keep Australia up with the run rate. Excellent contest this.
3rd over: Australia 19-0 (Marsh 6, Head 6) Potts bowls a tidy maiden but four runs come from another leg side ball that flicks Marsh’s pad and runs away fine to the fence.
2nd over: Australia 15-0 (Marsh 6, Head 6) DROP! Archer bangs one in short and Marsh’s pull shot is later than a Spanish supper. The ball hangs in the air and and should have been Jamie Smith’s catch with the gloves but he let Will Jacks make the attempt running round from slip and Jacks could only get fingers to it. Archer looks displeased as well he might. That should have been taken.
Salt meet wound… Marsh scampered a single off the drop to bring Head on strike and the Walrus tache’d one clips his first ball off a length for SIX into the Mound Stand. Close! Archer responds by beating Head with a beauty that pitched and jagged like an off spinner to leave the left-hander groping. An eventful over ends with seven runs taken off it.
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1st over: Australia 8-0 (Marsh 5, Head 0) Matt Potts and his King Edgar hair cut to start for England. His line is a bit awry to begin with with three leg side wides gifted to Australia. Marsh flicks a straight ball for two to get off the mark and then guides off the back foot for two more down to deep point. Jofra Archer is going to bowl the next at the ground where he has had his most memorable moments in an England shirt.
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With the sun setting behind Old Father Time the players emerge into the last dregs of a summer golden hour. Marsh and Travis Head stride out. I have a sneaky feeling this is going to be eventful from the beginning. Nasser Hussain' channels the Manic Street Preachers on the Sky commentary. “Everything must go…”
Lalit Modi has been having some fun on social media with the Hundred sale firmly in his keyboard crosshairs:
The Hundred has been described as “a big fat Ponzi scheme” by the former chairman of the Indian Premier League as he doubled down on criticisms of the competition’s revenue projections after leaking key sections of the confidential document drafted by the England and Wales Cricket Board to pitch the tournament to foreign investors.
In a series of posts across 24 hours on X, Lalit Modi, who also founded the IPL, published the ECB’s financial projections for the tournament as a whole and for each of its eight franchises, calling them “overly optimistic”. Modi described the Hundred as “a struggling non-starter league” and said “the numbers put in document [sic] are definitely not achievable”. Projected sponsorship growth, he said, “seems more like wishful thinking than a realistic forecast”.
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Do send us a missive if you are tuning in. The OBO mailbag is open. That was a confident display from England with the bat, captain Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone the standout performers after Australia put early pressure on with the ball. The home side have given themselves a decent chance of getting the win they need to level the series at 2-2 and take it to a decider at Bristol on Sunday.
We’ll have a twenty minute break and be back with the Aussie run chase.
Tuck into this final over, Liam Livingstone certainly did.
Liam Livingstone doing Liam Livingstone things ✨
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 27, 2024
28 runs in the final over 😱 pic.twitter.com/blMbKjlVNy
England score 312-5 off 39 overs
Liam Livingstone peppers the stands at Lord’s!
SIX.DOT.SIX.SIX.SIX.FOUR.
28 runs pummelled off the final over as Starc goes full and is clobbered back over his head. The bowler then goes short and is whipped into the stands on the leg side. This is utter carnage in the early evening North London sunshine!
39th over: England 312-5 (Livingstone 62, Bethell 12) Wow. Livingstone finishes unbeaten on 62 off just 27 balls with three fours and seven sixes, he hits the fastest fifty at Lord’s and then strolls off with the crowd on their feet.
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38th over: England 284-5 (Livingstone 34, Bethell 12) Ricky Ponting on the Sky comms suggests Liam Livingstone should farm the strike now, nothing against Jacob Bethell but due to the fact Livingstone is seeing it like a spacehopper. Bethell does as Punter says and scampers a leg bye off the first ball. Hazlewood gets one in the blockhole and then outfoxes Livingstone with a wide yorker that lands right on the tramlines. Full again… and four – Livingstone muscles down the ground and then takes a single off the final ball to be on strike for the last. Mitchell Starc will bowl it.
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37th over: England 278-5 (Livingstone 29, Bethell 12) Starc returns and Bethell drives for one down the ground. BOFF! Next ball Starc misses his yorker and Livingstone clubs down the ground and into the stands for SIX. Starc did not like that, stomping back to his mark with the frown of a man chewing on a fistful of nettles. He calls on all experience to get out of the over for the cost of nine runs, slower ball bouncers and wide yorkers the order of the day. Two overs to go, can England get to 300?
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36th over: England 269-5 (Livingstone 23, Bethell 10) Mitch Marsh goes to Josh Hazlewood who immediately hits a yorker length and Livingstone dose well to jam his bat down and keep it out, in fact the ball squirts past point and they scamper a single. Bethell clips a full ball to square leg to return the favour. In the slot and mullered into the stands over midwicket by Livingstone. That was slot slot slot and duly dispatched. Ouch! Hazlewood hits Bethell on the lid with a slower ball bouncer. Foxed the youngster with the change of pace but he’s checked over and good to continue. 11 off the over in the end – three overs to go, Livingstone chomping at the bit/with the bat.
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35th over: England 258-5 (Livingstone 16, Bethell 8) What a shot! Jacob Bethell times the undercrackers off a leg side ball from Zampa, reverse sweeping flicking away with real style and the ball just ploops over the boundary sponge by an inch or two. A similar tale as the last over as Zampa does well to limit the damage with England looking to get after every ball. In fact it is five dots, feast and famine. England aiming to get up to 300, Australia doing well to keep them tied down.
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34th over: England 252-5 (Livingstone 16, Bethell 2) Livingstone slog sweeps Glenn Maxwell for SIX over the short boundary on the leg side. The bowler fights back with a couple of darts that Barrow’s finest can’t get away. Cat and mouse stuff. Just two more singles off the over as Maxwell does well to limit the damage after the first ball six. Five overs to go.
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Cheers Daniel, top stint. Straight down to brass tacks with Adam Zampa in his Zoo era Bono shades rattling through the 33rd over. Three singles worked off it as Jacob Bethell joins Liam Livingstone for the culmination of the England innings. There are six overs to go, could be plenty of boundaries… or wickets – buckle up knuckle heads.
33rd over: England 244-5 (Livingstone 9, Bethell 1)
WICKET! Smith c Hazlewood b Maxwell 39 (England 241-4)
One brings two! Smith leans back and tries to slice Maxwell past backward point. But he picks out the tall timber of Hazlewood who holds on. It looked soft but I think that was fair enough. He had to try and force it.
With that I’ll leave with you the great Jimbo Wallace. Over to you Jim
32nd over: England 241-5 (Livingstone 7)
31st over: England 232-4 (Smith 36, Livingstone 1) Australia have the wicket they were after but England still on the up. Three twos – all for Smith – as well as a pair of singles either side of the Brook wicket means its a decent haul. Some sharp fielding from Australians in the deep. They’re not giving up.
WICKET! Brook c Maxwell b Zampa 87 (England 225-4)
A brilliant grab in the deep ends a stunning knock! Zampa fired it in and Brook obliged by whacking it over his head with some force. But he didn’t quite get the elevation he was after which meant Maxwell was in the game. The ball dipped as it approached him at long-on and almost over-ran it. he adjusted and got his hands down low to grab it before it hit the deck.
30th over: England 224-3 (Brook 87, Smith 29) Marsh has chucked the ball to Hazlewood to wrestle back some control. He can’t find it. Brook welcomes the big man back into the attack with a premeditated scoop that finds the fine-leg fence. Two balls later Brook spins as he pulls to find the big gap at deep square leg and pings it perfectly. Hazlewood fights back well by finding a tricky length and a bit of nip back into the right hander and keeps a free-hit tidy after over-stepping.
29th over: England 213-3 (Brook 78. Smith 28) It’s all going England’s way. Brook, who kicked off this Zampa over by pulling another boundary to the square leg fence, hits one down to fine leg an easy two. But Inglis took aim at the stumps, hit them and was helpless as the ball continued on its way to the opposite boundary for ‘six’ overthrows. Australia look ragged.
28th over: England 201-3 (Brook 31, Smith 23) Labuschagne into the attack now which is a sign of Australia’s inability to keep things tight. His second ball is in the slot and Smith spanks him back over his head for six. A full toss is smeared into deep cover for two and after a decent response from Marnus, Smith dinks a single from a sweep.
27th over: 191-3 (Brook 70, Smith 14) There’s a boundary every over now. This time it’s from another short ball from Zampa and Brook cuts hard past Head at deep cover. Four more runs are collecting through good running and accurate placement.
26th over: England 184-3 (Brook 64, Smith 12) Abbott again and he’s just not having his best day out. In fact, he’s not had the best series, has he? There’a a wide down the leg side that trickles past Inglis and costs three runs. Then there’s a slower ball bumper that catches Brook’s top edge but there’s enough wood on it to see it skip down to the fine leg boundary. Otherwise the England duo are in complete control, milking five additional runs from that Abbott set worth 12 to the total.
25th over: England 171-3 (Brook 59, Smith 8) England have targeted Zampa and it’s worked. Both Smith and Brook blast sixes on the on-side. Brook’s was a drag-down from Zampa and deserved what it got, but Smith’s was a stroke of pure class as he pounced on a fuller delivery and sweetly timed it over wide long-on. A quickly run two for Brook closes out the over.
24th over: England 156-3 (Brook 50, Smith 1) The England skipper follows up a tone in the last match with a half-century here. He’s been brilliant, facing only 37 balls and clattering seven fours. Smith, the new man, shows his intent by charging Marsh but the slog only catches the inside edge and he gets a single off his pads. Brook takes five off the over as he runs two twos, and a single that’s tucked into the leg side.
23rd over: England 150-3 (Brook 46, Smith 0) Over to Brook after Duckett falls for a well earned 63. The ball before he spooned Zampa to fine leg, he drilled a boundary through the covers. Zampa was getting some tap but that wicket could prove to be a turning point. We shall see.
WICKET! Ducket c Abbott b Zampa 63 (England 150-3)
The change of ends works for Zampa! That was a fantastic knock from Duckett who played the right shot but for once couldn’t execute. It was there to be swept, so Duckett got low and went for the big ‘un. Perhaps a bit of extra bounce played a role here as the ball caught the top edge of the swishing bat and Abbott at fine leg had the simple task of running in and pouching it.
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22nd over: England 145-2 (Duckett 59, Brook 45) Maxwell comes into the attack and his first over costs 13. Australia just can’t get a grip on this. The over starts with a wide and soon enough Brook is whacking two boundaries in two balls. One is a drag down and smacked through the covers. The next is clipped through square leg where the fielders in the deep make a bit of a mess of things. There’s another wide and a single apiece. What a platform England have now. The last five overs have gone for 9.4 an over.
21st over: England 132-2 (Duckett 58, Brook 35) Ducket grts out the ramp and executes to perfection. He’s in position so early and watches it all the way as he dinks Abbott’s full ball away to the fine leg boundary. Five more runs that were ran (know what I mean) adds up to nine from the over. It’s been one of those innings where you look up and suddenly England are 132-2 after 21 overs.
20th over: England 123-2 (Duckett 53, Brook 31) Zampa tosses it up and Brook unfurls a gorgeous drive that splits the two fielders in the covers. Zampa drops it shorter and Brook rocks onto the back foot and scythes an open-faced drive that pierces the off-side again. Those consecutive fours raises the 50 partnership off just 30 deliveries. This has been brilliant batting and England are gaining a real ascendency in this match.
19th over: England 114-2 (Ducket 53, Brook 22) Duckett carves Abbott over backward point but Zampa cuts it off so the good looking stroke is only worth two. There’s a chance for Labuschagne to hit down the stumps with a direct hit, but he misses so Duckett gets a single. There’s also a single from Brook down the leg side.
18th over: England 109-2 (Duckett 50, Brook 20) Zampa into the attack and Duckett comes out his crease and pops the wrist-spinner for a wonderfully timed six over mid-on. That was a fantastic show by a man who has taken to this opening slot in the ODI side as if he was made for it. A single – one of four to go along with a couple at the top of the over – takes Duckett to a run-a-ball half-century.
17th over: England 97-2 (Duckett 40, Brook 18) Starc is aiming for that magic yorker but can’t find it. When he did bang it in shorter he lost his line but that still seemed to get the wicket he was after. Brook flicked it, Inglis caught it diving forward behind the stumps, but only on the half-volley. The umpire’s own review saved the England skipper. Five singles from every other ball has the scoreboard ticking along. They’re going at 5.7 to the over. They might want to accelerate once they get back from a drinks break.
Brook survives a caught behind review as Lord's boos Inglis!
Another controversial moment at the Home of Cricket! Brook tickled Starc down the leg side and Inglis dived forward and caught it. Or so he thought. On review the ball bounced an inch short of his gloves. So Brook remains at the crease and the Lord’s crowd have another reason to show their disdain for an Aussie ‘keeper.
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16th over: England 92-2 (Duckett 37, Brook 16) Brook is cooking. His skips down the track and clips Marsh’s first ball fir four through midwicket. A pair of singles gets him back on strike and then the England captain unfurls the shot of the day, shifting his weight back and half-driving, half-punching off the back foot to the straight midwicket boundary. That is not an easy shot to play and is always a sign of a batter in form. A wide down the leg side, which Brook attempts to scoop, means it’s 11 off that Marsh over.
15th over: England 81-2 (Duckett 36, Brook 7) Starc back into the attack. He’s angling it into Duckett, who clips to midwicket for three, and away from Brook, who smokes one to the sweeper in the covers for one. Too full from Starc, but perhaps that’s an over-correction after his first ball which was absolute dross and got feathered down to fine leg off Brook’s tickling blade.
14th over: England 72-2 (Duckett 33, Brook 1) Earlier Morgan said that this Lord’s pitch can sometimes be tricky, which means that batters can’t (and shouldn’t) tee off, but England are in a bit of bother now. Tidy bowling from Marsh who has found some tasty movement. Jacks, who picked up a couple earlier in the over with a hack over point, smacked his bat in frustration after getting out. The new man is Brook who gets off the mark with a single into the off-side.
WICKET! Jacks c Labuschagne b Marsh 10 (England 71-2)
And another for Marnus! Sure, there was movement away through the air and off the seam, but that is a tame end for Jacks who swatted as this one without any real shape or intent. Not a half-volley by any stretch, he still chucked his hands as it lifted off the deck. The movement meant it caught the outside half of the bat but the batter must shoulder some blame himself. Smart grab from Labuschagne.
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13th over: England 69-1 (Duckett 33, Jacks 8) Abbott continues and he continues to get a pasting. He strays onto Jacks’ pads and is nonchalantly flicked for four through midwicket. Two singles elsewhere means its’s not the worst return, but Marsh would have wanted greater control from his change bowler.
12th over: England 63-1 (Duckett 32, Jacks 3) The skipper, Mitch Marsh, is into the attack. He’s got a ring field and is looking to bowl wicket to wicket. Duckett wafts at a full ball and though he looks a little awkward he gets a big piece of it and creams it past the wide mid-off for four. A tickle down to fine leg from Duckett, a caress to deep backward point from Jacks and a wide down the leg side add a combined three runs to the score.
11th over: England 56-1 (Duckett 27, Jacks 1) Duckett survives his second lbw review and then responds by thwacking Abbott’s half-volley down the ground for four. A two worked off the back foot keeps his score ticking along. Jacks adds a single with a punch through the covers.
Big shout for lbw as Abbott pulls out the celebrappeal! Again Joel Wilson says not out as Duckett is pinned on the stumps. Height isn’t the problem this time. That pitched outside the line of leg stump. Australia lose a review.
10th over: England 49-1 (Duckett 21, Jacks 1) Quality again from Hazlewood. Just one run – to the new man Jacks who punched past cover – and the wicket. What a bowler. England might want to get a move on now and target Abbott at the other end.
WICKET! Salt c Labuschagne b Hazlewood 22 (England 48-1)
Hazlewood deserves that! He’s been so tight, forcing the England batters to manufacture something and this time he’s snagged the breakthrough. Salt advances, looking to hit the bowler off his length, but he cramps himself and squirt a drive to backward point where Marnus holds on well to one that was dropping on him.
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9th over: England 47-0 (Salt 22, Duckett 21) Abbott comes into the attack but can’t find his line. His first two balls are wide outside off stump and Salt lashes them both to the point boundary. Abbott straightens and Salt then picks a single off his pads. Duckett inside-edges and almost gets four, but Carey, diving at fine leg, keeps it to two. A leg-bye off the final ball means it’s an expensive start for Abbott.
8th over: England 35-0 (Salt 13, Duckett 19) After getting pulled for four, Hazlewood goes back to line and length and it’s effective. Duckett faces four balls but can’t work a gap. On his fifth he squeezes a single past a diving backward point. Salt keeps the strike and closes out the powerplay with a single of his own.
7th over: England 33-0 (Salt 12, Duckett 18) Duckett gets a life as Starc’s extra bounce off the deck means the lbw shout is turned down on review. Starc was confident but Joel Wilson was unmoved. The umpire’s decision meant that even though it might have been clipping the bails, Duckett remained not-out.
He then spanked Starc over cover for four, lofted another over mid-on for three and was almost caught on the leg side after a leading edge that ended with Duckett diving at the non-striker’s end. A direct hit might have seen him gone.
An eventful over adds 10 to the total.
Duckett survives a lbw review! Starc pinned him on the crease but the umpire’s decision was not-out. Had Joel Wilson given it Duckett would’ve been on his way. Umpire’s call on height keeps England’s opening pair intact.
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6th over: 23-0 (Salt 11, Duckett 10) Salt is opening up. He trots out his crease and wafts at a tight delivery from Hazlewood that lifts off a good length. It catches a thick outside edge and flies over Steve Smith at second slip for four. Salt swishes at the next ball and doesn’t get anywhere near it. The next is hacked with no feet and dribbles back up the pitch. He’s having a go, no doubt about it. Good fielding in the covers keeps him on strike which means there’s time to get beaten – again – on his outside edge.
5th over: England 17-0 (Salt 5, Duckett 10) Starc twice beats Salt who decides he’s going to fight back. A big swoosh gives him two and then a bunt off a yorker ends with a scampered single down the ground. Morally the bowler is winning this battle but Salt endures.
Bag news for Big Cam Green ahead of a big summer:
Big breaking news from London: Cam Green has a back injury and is finished for the series. Was scanned after Durham. Nothing further in terms of how serious it is, but if it was just a bit of soreness...
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) September 27, 2024
4th over: England 14-0 (Salt 2, Duckett 10) Duckett climbs into a long-off from Hazlewood who digs in a bumper but the England opener is all over it, rising with the bounce and rolling his wrists as he pulls it for four in front of square. It’s a good retort from Duckett who was well beaten on his outside edge the ball before with a wobble-seam delivery. At the top of the set, Salt tickled a single off his hips.
3rd over: England 7-0 (Salt 1, Duckett 6) Starc almost holds onto a sharp return catch off Duckett from the first ball of the over. Angling in from that slingy left arm, he finds swing away from the left-hander and beats him. Duckett does well though not to follow it and nick off. There’s a wild slash that flies down to deep third for two and another two worked through square leg. Duckett then makes it a hat-trick of twos with a punch through a gap in the covers. Good comeback from the opener.
2nd over: England 1-0 (Salt 1, Duckett 0) Hazelwood opens the other end and delivers a maiden. He’s such a top quality bowler and he’s on the money immediately, hitting an awkward length and finding a tantalising fourth stump line. Some zip off the pitch means Salt isn’t sure where to play it from and is more or less stuck on his crease. Salt comes out the crease to negate the movement away through the air but he can’t work the single. Lovely bowling.
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1st over: England 1-0 (Salt 1, Duckett 0) Starc gets us going and he’s a little leg-side to start. The first delivery pops off a length and thuds Salt’s glove but then the England opener works a single behind square. The left-hander Duckett provides a tantalising angle for Starc who looks to bring a fuller one away from him. Two slips hover. Ducket leans into a flashing drive but doesn’t get hold of it. The last ball is a beauty that almost finds the edge.
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Phil Salt is out there in a jumper, taking guard. Looks like middle and leg if you’re interested.
Micth Starc has the ball in his hand. My goodness, we’re actually going to get some cricket!
Finally the wait is (almost) over!
More than two hours since our scheduled start time, the Aussies, in the dazzling canary yellow, are cutting striking figures near the boundary in the gloom of Lord’s. We’ll be up and running shortly.
Hi Anwen Crawford from Sydney, thanks for dropping in:
Hi Daniel. It’s getting later and later here in Sydney! Will this match begin before the midnight hour? (Thankfully it’s a Friday night.) I echo your frustration at the delay between toss and first ball in an ODI.
Pleased to see that Alex Carey has retained his place in the Australian team – how could he not after two standout performances – though slightly puzzled that it’s Inglis who’s been given the gloves. I had thought that if both played, it would be the other way around, given that Inglis has proved himself quite adaptable in terms of the batting order, and I do think of Carey as the senior wicketkeeper. Either way, I hope both play well today, and that Carey can banish the ghosts of Lord’s past, if need be. The abuse he copped last year was appalling.
What are we calling this white ball series? Is it the Bashes? Or the Washes, given the weather?
Hang tight mate, we’re starting in 15 minutes.
Agree with you on Carey. He’s such a tough competitor. I was there in Manchester when he got knocked on the chin in the World Cup semi-final against England and helped Steve Smith cobble together a score. It wasn’t enough as England steamrolled the target, but it showed that Carey has a lot of guts. The noise from members of in the Long Room would have washed off him like water off a duck’s back.
Further reductions as teams get 39 overs each
That’s still a decent chunk of cricket.
Play will start at 2:45pm.
Alrighty, for the second time today the covers are being dragged off the pitch.
Fingers crossed that’ll be the last time.
Should England get a bowl today, Jofra Archer will be ripping into Australia with that deliciously languid action of his.
But Andrew Benton in Hong Kong wants to know if the ECB has learned a lesson:
I seem to remember there was lots of talk in 2019 of an increased chance of Jofra Archer succumbing to injury due to his being fast-tracked into the England team.... Do you know if ECB has or will revise it’s thinking in case of similar situations in the future?
Not sure Andrew. I guess that all depends if they manage to find a player as devastatingly excellent as Jof.
Johnny Joseph has put his hand up and provides this answer to Rachel’s question on player availaiblity:
Regarding Rachel’s email, it’s also worth noting that the 6 Nation Rugby tournament goes on while the Premiership is still playing so it’s not a completely unique quirk! I think that there being so many countries who play football internationally and simultaneously that it would be impossible to have league fixtures playing at the same time.
Fingers crossed we can draw the series level today!
Good point. Outside of football I reckon this is more common that we might think.
Another ripper of a question, this time from Rob Wright:
Just when you think we’re about to see some cricket, more rain! They’re bringing on the extra cover, and my wife is fascinated by this, suggesting perhaps that’s where the term originated. Can anyone deny or confirm?
Your wife might be bang on! This article from our archives confirms it.
However, there is also the theory that the fielder at cover was stationed there to ‘cover’ the area between point and mid-off.
Personally I lean more towards the latter idea as I’d wager that the position pre-dates the use of covers. But I’m simply guessing.
While we’re on the subject, my favourite name for a fielding position is the Afrikaans for short leg, which is slagyster posisie – pronounced slaggh-ayster-po-zees-ee.
This directly translates to slaughterhouse position. Which just about captures what’s going on under the lid off the batter’s hips.
Rachel Kelsall is a relatively new cricket fan and has a question to ask.
I’ll give my best answer but if anyone out there wants to correct me please do!
OK Rachel, what have you got?
Hello Daniel,
This is probably a very simple question, sorry - but I’m only recently beginning to follow any sort of cricket and I can’t get the wording right to google the answer.
I’m wondering what the overlap is between the player’s in this match and player’s involved in the county championship which your colleague is also helpfully covering. Would they have had to pick, or be picked for, one or the other? Or is this a different type of cricket with different players involved completely.
If they do have to pick - is there not a system of international breaks like in other sports?
Feel free to ignore this if you feel the answer should be obvious
Thank you
Hi Rachel, welcome to this ridiculous sport we love so much. I believe it is simple. The players in the England set up are contracted by England, so the national team gets to pick when they play.
They do get to play for their domestic teams but not as often as players did back in the ‘70s-’90s. This is a consequence of more international cricket as well as those central contracts that help manage the players’ load.
Also, different formats require different skillsets which means some players might be in England’s ODI and T20I teams, but not the Test team, thereby allowing them to play for their county when the Test team is in action.
Hope that helps. If anyone wants to add to this please feel free.
Nick Way is on my page.
Agree how annoying it is to wait after the toss, especially when there’s already been a weather delay. Couple of minutes for batters one to four to get their pads on, that’s all you need. Some traditions are only “because we’ve always done it that way”
Sadly Nick, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway as the covers are on and we have to wait even longer. At least we’ve done the toss.
Further delays
Nooooooo! The covers are back on. It’s raining. Sad faces everywhere :(
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Well that’s something.
Jofra Archer's first international appearance at Lord's since his debut in the 2019 #AshesPashes
— Vithushan Ehantharajah (@Vitu_E) September 27, 2024
Eight minutes to go. It really is frustrating that we have to wait so long between the toss and the first ball. After all, in Test matches when teams are bowled out there’s a quick turnaround. What is the hold up. Graaaah!
Cricket being cricket, we have to wait 30 minutes between the toss and the first ball, which is rather silly if you ask me.
Meanwhile, Andy Flintoff (no, not that one), noticed something from Jim’s Spin:
I have noticed that the famous ‘sons of’ mentioned in The Spin this week were all sons of former England captains (Atherton, Flintoff and Vaughan). When should we expect Alastair Cook’s or Andrew Strauss’s nippers to play first class cricket?
Match reduced to 43 overs a side
Unfortunately the rain has stripped us of 14 overs in total. Still, should be a good show.
Australia team
Three changes for the Australians and they’re all heavy hitters.
Inglis takes the gloves off Carey who keeps his place in the side as a specialist batter. Travis Head returns to the top of the order and Adam Zampa steps in.
Australia: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Steve Smith, Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschange, Alex Carey, Glenn Maxwell, Sean Abbott, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazelwood.
England team
England keep with the side that got the job done up in Durham.
Archer plays consecutive games as he builds back to full match sharpness. A tasty middle order will need to fire again.
England: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Harry Brook (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon carse, Jofra Archer, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid.
Same team 💪 Same result 🤞
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 27, 2024
We lose the toss and bat 🏏
🏴 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 | #EnglandCricket
Australia win the toss and bowl first
Just as Morgan predicted, the skipper who wins the coin flip will chase.
Three changes for the Aussies as Adam Zampa, Josh Inglis and Travis Head return to the side. Alex Carey retains his spot as a specialist batter.
Harry Brook would have bowled as well but doesn’t seem too bothered to be batting. England are unchanged which means Jofra Archer plays back to back games.
Sean Abbott is chatting with Mike Atherton for Sky.
It’s mostly platitudes, as you’d expect from a pretty polished pro. Some good bits on the transference of skills from red to white ball.
What I found most interesting is how he referred to Harry Brook and Will Jacks as “Brooksy” and “Jacksy”.
It’s been said before but it really is quite something how modern players are so chummy with each other. Not saying it’s a bad thing. It’s probably healthier to be honest. Still, quite the evolution.
Eoin Morgan is out in the middle. He says it all “looks good” and that the “wicket looks pretty hard”. He reckons the play is to bowl first.
Oh, and he of course makes mention of the “unbelievable drainage systemic” a Lord’s. Won’t be the last time we hear about the outfield and the slope.
Toss scheduled for 1.30pm BST
So we’re only an hour behind schedule. Great news though, we’ll be getting some action soon enough.
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The players are warming up!
The covers are being removed. We’re getting closer.
In case you missed it, Ben Stokes is open to a return to England’s ODI team.
Is that wise? Would that further knacker his already knackered knees? That’s a silly question. If he’s willing and fit then he surely has to get back in. Right?
While we watch grown men sweep water around a big tarpaulin, let’s get back to some divisive rhetoric.
Here’s Krishna Moorthy:
Hello Daniel. Jay Shah is not the first person from India who is heading ICC, but he is certainly the least deserving. 10 years ago, he was a nobody but then his father’s party came to power and suddenly a nobody has turned into a Midas.
Nepotism in bureaucracy and organisations is vastly understated.
And speaking of nepotism, James Wallace penned this week’s Spin column where he considered the rise of some unfamiliar players with very familiar surnames.
The groundstaff are making movements, but we won’t get play any time soon. There’s a bunch of standing water – from what I can tell – and you don’t want to risk being the guy who dumps it from the covers onto the pitch (believe me, I’ve been that guy).
But this is good news as it means it’s stopped raining over Lord’s.
Simon Leyland has picked up something that I dangled in my premble.
He wants to know, “If Lords is not the HQ of cricket, where is?”
I guess right now it’s wherever Jay Shah resides.
Ricky Ponting just spent a good few minutes singing Will Jacks’ praises. He particularly loves his bat speed and footwork.
The young lad has certainly impressed and could be a mainstay for some time.
Toss delayed at Lord's
As expected, the toss has been delayed.
The covers are on, the skies are grim. Might be a long wait.
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We’ve got our first email and the title is simply ‘Nope’.
It’s from Rob:
Looking forward to some adversarial cricket today, but currently hiding in a cafe at Paddington until you say the rain has stopped. It’s up to you, Daniel.
I can do a lot mate, but I can’t control the weather. I’ll do my best though.
Lord’s security on high alert today.
As Ali Martin reports, it’s a year on from the ugly scenes in the Long Room and the Aussies will not want to go through that again.
My word, has anyone seen the Sri Lanka v New Zealand score?
Kamindu Mendis is 182 off 250 in a partnership of over 200. What does that pitch in Galle look like?
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I’m afraid to say it’s pretty wet around the country.
Tanya Aldred is keeping an eye on the County Championship where a few games have already been called.
Preamble
Hello, hello, happy Friday and welcome to our coverage of the 4th ODI between England and Australia.
It’s been a soggy morning in London but according to my gaslighting app, things should dry up relatively soon and we might even get a few rays of sunshine later. But don’t quote me on that.
I do hope we get a proper game as this series has been a load of fun and I’d quite like some more.
Travis Head pulverised England’s bowlers in Nottingham before a sloppy show from the hosts saw them stumble to a 68-run defeat at Headingley.
The series looked done and dusted but then a sensational century from skipper Harry Brook up in Durham kept things interesting. Of course Australia can take all the marbles with another win today, but England will back themselves after that DLS victory.
This is the first time Australia are playing an ODI at the (self-anointed) Home of Cricket since the 2019 World Cup. Back then Mitchell Starc blew New Zealand away in an 86-run win. The tall Aussie quick likes this ground. It was here he produced one of the great deliveries in living memory when he served up an unplayable yorker to bowl Ben Stokes in that same tournament.
Of course this is where England established themselves as one of the great 50-over sides in history and they’ll hope some of that magic rubs off on a new crop of players still finding their feet.
Looking forward to this one. Fingers crossed we don’t have a major delay.
If you’d like to get in touch, drop me a mail and I’ll do my best to stick your thoughts on the blog.
Play scheduled to start at 12.30pm BST.
Toss, teams and updates to come.
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