Birmingham: Australia began their Champions Trophy campaign with a listless defeat to England, and they had worse news in the days since. Michael Clarke, their captain and key batsman, continued to be sidelined with a back problem, and hours before today's game, regular opener David Warner was stood down from the match after news emerged of an altercation with an England player in a Birmingham bar over the weekend.
Things worsened for them after the match got underway as Shane Watson, Australia's most dangerous batsman and one of only two players in the side to have played more than 50 ODIs, was caught behind in the second over. Soon after, Phillip Hughes was run-out, caught short by an underarm flick from Martin Guptill. In walked George Bailey, the stand-in captain who seems to get scant respect despite a solid start to his one-day career, and he set about righting the innings with Matthew Wade, who was promoted to the top of the order to replace Warner. Their 64-run stand wasn't the most exciting to watch but against a disciplined New Zealand attack which thrived despite not getting much movement on a cloudy day, it steadied the early jitters.
When talk turns to the causes for optimism in New Zealand, it usually centres on the promising pace attack that has emerged. Tim Southee had an off day, and Mitchell McLenaghan continued to hoover up wickets - his fourth four-wicket haul in nine ODIs so far - but the biggest impact was made by New Zealand's spinners on a slowing track at Edgbaston. Daniel Vettori, passed fit after struggling with his long-standing Achilles tendon problem, was his usual accurate self, not turning it big but slipping in the arm ball to keep the batsmen guessing. Nathan McCullum, the Man of the Match in the tense win against Sri Lanka, also proved hard to hit and he got the wickets of both Wade and Bailey at crucial junctures. Kane Williamson, a part-timer who is being increasingly used by New Zealand, bowled almost unchanged from the 29th over till the end of the innings, and his figures were dented only by a Glenn Maxwell onslaught in the penultimate over. All three bowled out their full quota, and their 30 overs was the most spin New Zealand have ever been sent down in an ODI.
Bailey played a series of crisp, uncomplicated drives down the ground against the quicks, but even he had trouble against the slower bowlers, making only 14 off 37 deliveries from Vettori. It was Adam Voges, another man who has had wait a long time to get an extended run for Australia, who provided the impetus after the spinners choked the runs early on.Voges nearly chipped a return catch to Nathan McCullum when on 2, and watchfully worked the singles after that, only opening out once the quick bowlers came back. Southee was driven for consecutive fours as he searched for swing, and McLenaghan was guided to fine leg for successive fours as well. More than those fours it was the steady singles that pushed the innings along, with Voges limiting the number of dot balls.
Bailey and Voges put on 76 to give Australia a launchpad, before Bailey was bowled attempting a sweep just before the batting Powerplay. Australia couldn't hit top gear as McCullum and Williamson kept things tight, and Voges fell soon after the Powerplay to a full toss that he miscued to short cover. It was left to Maxwell to throw his bat around at the death to lift Australia to 243, a score which should prove competitive on a surface where stroke-making could prove difficult in the chase. |
