- Australia win by 51 runs to take a 2-0 series lead
- Steve Smith hits another 62-ball century
Remember two years ago? Then, in this format, Australia were in a world of pain. Now, they are right alongside England as the most dynamic team in the world. Sure, they are still rusty with the ball - not least Starc - but they still have four white-ball internationals in this stretch to reach their best. In signing off, I’ll hand you over to Tanya Aldred who is on the tools for South Africa and England in their second T20 in Cape Town. If Friday is anything to go by, that will be a match worth watching. Thanks for your company, see you again later in the week. Bye!
Related: South Africa v England: second men's T20 international – live!
50th over: India 338-9 (Saini 10, Chahal 4) Target 390. A game that could have been a thriller, but Australia simply made too many. A fine series win.
49th over: India 329-9 (Saini 4, Chahal 1) Target 390. This is all a bit silly. Australia should try and bowl India out to get their own slice of NRR given they are going to be fined anyway, but it looks like Maxwell is running around to bowl the 50th.
A lovely wrong’un, that’s only going one place: middle stump.
48th over: India 327-8 (Saini 3, Bumrah 0) Target 390. Australia must be on their way a fine for their over rate based on the way they raced around to every Maxwell ball there. A slightly shambolic way to end, much as it was Friday. On the other side of the ledger, India are blocking it out due to the Net Run Rate component of the ODI Super League, a system where you’re punished for losing ten wickets.
Maxwell is brought on to get through a 60-second over due to poor over rates but Shami ruins that plan by hitting him straight in the air, taken back with the flight.
47th over: India 325-7 (Shami 1, Saini 1) Target 390. The hat-trick ball is sprayed down the legside - not the end of the world. He bowls another later in the over when bumping Saini. But two wickets and four runs - game over. Cummins 3/67.
Two in a row! Cummins gets both set men caught in the deep from consecutive balls. He’s on a hat-trick and Australia have just about iced a big series win.
Cummins, the ever reliable. The first delivery of his final over is fast and full, Jadeja swings hard but doesn’t get much of it and it is taken by Maxwell running back towards deep cover. That should be that - it had to be these two. Right?
46th over: India 321-5 (Pandya 28, Jadeja 24) Target 390. Well, what a let off by Starc that might turn out to be. It’s Jadeja who enjoys the free hit for the no-ball, hammering it into the Ladies Stand for SIX! And two balls later, he DOES IT AGAIN! Jadeja such an entertainer and one of the best strikers in the game. To be fair to Starc, he closes out the over without losing his bundle. 18 off it, which is what India need four more times to secure one of the most ridiculous wins of all time.
STARC GETS PANDYA WITH A NO-BALL. Called by the TV umpire after the all-rounder holes out to midwicket. He’s well over the line. Good use of technology.
45th over: India 303-5 (Pandya 26, Jadeja 9) Target 390. Nothing much wrong with their approach to Cummins - always some effort picking up 12 from an over he has sent down - but it means the required rate goes up to 17 with 87 off 30 needed.
@collinsadam This is now the highest scoring ODI played in Australia, beating the 688 runs scored in Australia v Sri Lanka at the 2015 Men's World Cup.
The first match of this series (682) is third on the list.
44th over: India 291-5 (Pandya 24, Jadeja 1) Target 390. Adam Zampa’s reputation will be enhanced yet further after tonight after bouncing back from a ropey start. Up at 17 an over that India need here. With all the experience players like Pandya and Jadeja have in the IPL, you couldn’t rule it out. But still, so far to go now.
The end of a fine hand. He had to take Zampa on, successfully (albeit just) clearing long-on for six, then miscuing over point, but the luck didn’t stretch to a third attempt, taken by Hazlewood at short third man off a fat top edge. Well bowled.
43rd over: India 279-4 (KL Rahul 68, Pandya 21) Target 390. What a luxury for Finch being able to leave so much of the heavy lifting to Cummins. Two almost-chances in this over to start an end, Zampa not quite at third man off Pandya then Finch about two metres short from diving when Rahul miscues a slower one to point. Nine runs all up with Cummins still two to bowl. In addition him, Starc will have two, likewise Zampa, and Hazlewood just the one. Henriques the other option - he’s bowled seven. Next up, it’ll be the legspinner.
42nd over: India 270-4 (KL Rahul 66, Pandya 14) Target 390. Hazlewood had Pandya’s measure early in the over but Rahul responded in style when getting his opportunity, flatbatting a SIX over point, clearing both the rope and the sweeper. So, ten off the over leaving 119 from 47 deliveries for India to pull this off.
41st over: India 260-4 (KL Rahul 59, Pandya 11) Target 390. Cummins stands up for Australia - how often do we say it? Just one wide and six dots - quite incredible at this stage of the innings. A perfect modern limited-overs combination of high pace, wide yorkers, slower ball bouncers into the deck... Pandya had no answer.
40th over: India 259-4 (KL Rahul 59, Pandya 11) Target 390. Some over that from Starc. Rahul got him away over extra cover - he’s hitting them beautifully - but four dots and a single is a big win for the hosts at this stage, the required rate up to 13.3.He’s lucky to get away with the last one, a short ball well outside off-stump, but owed one after a fairly dreadful run with the cricket gods in this series so far.
39th over: India 254-4 (KL Rahul 55, Pandya 10) Target 390. Cummins returns, with five of the remaining 12 overs his. Rahul cuts him hard into the gap, but only for a couple. Pandya later in the over gets cramped up when trying to swing. Back to Rahul... AND HE GOES BIG! The right-hander targets midwicket and nails his pull, 15 rows back. It brings up his half-century in 52 balls. They won’t lie down!
38th over: India 254-4 (KL Rahul 55, Pandya 10) Target 390. A lot of big shots tonight from India but the run rate is still only just above six an over. KL tries to loft Cummins straight but Finch chases back and saves two. A pull shot out of the middle goes straight to Agar sub-fielding at deep midwicket. Not finding the boundaries that they need. But from the last ball of the over it comes, Rahul chancing his arm to pull a length ball and sending it a long way. SIX MORE!
37th over: India 244-4 (KL Rahul 46, Pandya 9) Target 390. Starc starts hitting his yorkers, and he’s backed up by some good fielding from Smith at backward point. Having a fair day, Smith. But when Starc drops short, Rahul DEMOLISHES HIM OVER SQUARE LEG. That’s the biggest hit of the night! Only seven off the over in total though.
36th over: India 237-4 (KL Rahul 39, Pandya 9) Target 390. Hazlewood to Pandya, who batted so well the other night. Needs to get himself set and not try to do everything all at once. They need nearly 12 an over, 161 runs from 84 balls. Five quiet deliveries is enough before Pandya smacks Hazlewood across the line flat over midwicket. SIX!
35th over: India 229-4 (KL Rahul 38, Pandya 2) Target 390. So, Pandya and Rahul with 11 an over to get. That’s some degree of difficulty. And what a moment for Henriques with his vital take of Kohli, influencing this game once again.
KOHLI IS OUT! Hazlewood does it! He races down the track at the big quick but miscues this time, into the hands of Henriques at short midwicket. Brilliant catch!
34th over: India 221-3 (Kohli 87, KL Rahul 34) Target 390. Kohli and Zampa, always a fascinating contest. Back into the attack, can he pick up the main man? Not here he won’t, the Indian skipper dancing and launching inside out over cover - amazing footwork, what a cricketer. But seven off it, which Australia will take.
33rd over: India 214-3 (Kohli 81, KL Rahul 33) Target 390. Heeeeere comes KL Rahul! After the six in the previous over, he clips Hazlewood over midwicket for four then square drives him for another - stand and deliver stuff. We’ve seen the damage this man can do when he gets his eye in, the perfect time to take the authority, which also allows Kohli to control his own tempo as he sees fit.
32nd over: India 203-3 (Kohli 78, KL Rahul 25) Target 390. That’s BIG from KL Rahul, making room to flat-bat him long and high over midwicket for SIX! Such quick hands. And the first time we’ve seen any real aggression against Henriques.
31st over: India 193-3 (Kohli 76, KL Rahul 17) Target 390. Starc has the chance to round out a second frugal over on the trot but Kohli understands the importance of pushing back at that very moment, making enough room to cut past point for four. Still, seven off it is a win for Australia at this stage with the required rate up to 10.5 and just 30 runs coming from the last five overs. Time to shift gears, skipper.
30th over: India 186-3 (Kohli 72, KL Rahul 14) Target 390. Just one run off the Henriques over! Six bowled, 1/24. Rahul simply can’t lay a glove on him here. I said when starting off tonight that Maxwell making runs makes people happy. The same will apply for Moises doing a job here - one of the best people in the game.
29th over: India 185-3 (Kohli 72, KL Rahul 13) Target 390. That’s where Starc needs to be: full and straight - play to your strengths. In turn, he’s played with respect.
28th over: India 182-3 (Kohli 71, KL Rahul 11) Target 390. Hard to overstate what a fantastic job Henriques is doing here. This is the third time he’s had to send down an over after an expensive one down the other end and the third time he’s got to the end of it having conceded no more than a run a ball. And on this occasion, that comes after giving up a boundary first ball too - Kohli pulling him behing square, albeit not completely in control of the stroke. Just keep him going.
27th over: India 176-3 (Kohli 66, KL Rahul 10) Target 390. Finch brings Starc back to take advantage of the pressure that has been built up but instead, he goes around for 13 from his first over back. Superb from Kohli, to be fair, clipping over square leg for SIX to begin - a delivery on middle stump at worst. His wrists, wow. Rahul finishes the job to cap the productive set, thumping him through cover for four. The required rate stays under ten - still well within striking distance.
26th over: India 163-3 (Kohli 58, KL Rahul 5) Target 390. Henriques drawing on all his short-form experience here, running his fingers down every delivery, giving Kohli very little pace to work with. He has 1/17 from his four - very handy overs.
25th over: India 160-3 (Kohli 56, KL Rahul 4) Target 390. Much better from Zampa, back with that potent overspin at the experienced Indian pair. Just four singles.
“I look forward to the selectors bringing in S.Marsh to open in the Tests,” writes Brenden Fawkes. “Simultaneously citing his experience and potential.” Be still my beating heart! He’s the man in Shield form, he’s a left-hander, he’s opened... I’m in.
Who is an experienced left-hander, in the form of their life and with a pretty good record as a Test opener? Please make it so. #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/eXapVMDrgv
24th over: India 156-3 (Kohli 54, KL Rahul 2) Target 390. Henriques completes his wicket-taking over, just three singles off it. He’s doing a super job for Finch.
“Hi Adam.” Hi, Tam Paravinci. “I’m guessing that given your long-time lobbying for the third umpire to monitor no balls you’re probably also enjoying the referrals that start with ‘I’ve already reviewed the front foot’. Only a small thing, but it does improve the flow. Enjoying the OBO as always.”
What a catch by Smith at midwicket! Diving to his right, that’s a beauty - both feet off the ground, both hands on the ball when it arrived. Tremendous fielding. Shreyas didn’t get all of the pull shot, classy off-pace bowling from Henriques.
23rd over: India 153-2 (Kohli 53, Shreyas 38) Target 390. After that quiet period, India are turning up the volume again, which they have to in a chase like this. Early in the over, Shreyas goes at Zampa, over that gap at midwicket again, another four in that direction. Now Kohli, who brings up his half-century with a well-executed sweep, also skipping away to the rope. That’s his 102nd score above 50 in 241 ODI innings. It’s getting harder and harder to argue there has been anyone better.
22nd over: India 140-2 (Kohli 47, Shreyas 32) Target 390. Kohli decides enough is enough with Maxwell, jumping back deep in the crease to lift the spinner over midwicket, into the gap for four. Calculated attack from the Indian captain, who moves into the 40s with the stroke. Maxwell has bowled three, Henriques two.
21st over: India 131-2 (Kohli 39, Shreyas 31) Target 390. We have a marriage proposal flashed up on the screen in the crowd between overs, an Indian fan on one knee, his wife-to-be in Aussie gold. Very nice. Bold! But nice. An attacking move now: Zampa is back, through his over without any meaningful damage.
20th over: India 126-2 (Kohli 35, Shreyas 30) Target 390. Maxwell gets a bit of his own medicine here with Shrehyas launching into a switch hit, slammed over backward point out towards the Members Stand - four runs. Ten off it, all told.
19th over: India 116-2 (Kohli 31, Shreyas 24) Target 390. Good captaincy from Finch. It’s always a challenge in these situations when to use the fifth bowler and he’s done it nicely with Henriques in and out of this with four singles. So, that’s 15 from three as far as that equation is concerned, with Maxwell to go again now.
“Hi Adam!” Hello Peter Salmon. “No one likes to see a player hurt of course, but surely Warner’s injury allows us to kickstart the Warner/Burns/Pucovski debate, which should rune the whole Australian summer. I mean, we are over half way through the second ODI and so far nada. My starter for ten, I’m a big Burns fan, but surely he has to go? Or will this Warne injury open the door for Burns and Pucovski to open together. What are the implications?!!!”
18th over: India 112-2 (Kohli 29, Shreyas 22) Target 390. Maxwell follows Henriques - Finch is trying to zip through a few of these overs from his fifth bowler before Kohli gets too deep into this chase. And he does his job too, four singles across an over sent down in about 90-seconds. That helps build pressure.
17th over: India 108-2 (Kohli 27, Shreyas 20) Target 390. Moises Henriques, come on down. This is his first ODI since the Champions Trophy of 2017 - a very different world, in so many ways. And with the exception of a wide, he does the job with his range of off-cutters and slower balls. Has a big job as the fifth bowler.
16th over: India 101-2 (Kohli 24, Shreyas 17) Target 390. A tidy over from Zampa, attacking the stumps with his overspin, a tactic that has worked for him when picking up Kohli in the past. To drinks, with India needing 8.5 an over from here.
15th over: India 98-2 (Kohli 22, Shreyas 16) Target 390. Kohli moves through the gears now too, unfurling a lovely straight drive off Cummins to start his fresh over then playing a delicate late cut - perfect placement and execution. Here he goes...
14th over: India 89-2 (Kohli 13, Shreyas 16) Target 390. Better from Shreyas. He’s moved beyond that skittish start, cutting Zampa with control behind point for four.
13th over: India 84-2 (Kohli 12, Shreyas 12) Target 390. The Indian supporters are giving it big after the DRS overturn, roaring for their captain. Before the dismissal that wasn’t, he hit Cummins for SIX over fine leg. Maybe a bit of a top edge but it didn’t matter as he had more than enough on it to land in the stands. Top contest.
KOHLI GIVEN OUT LBW TO CUMMINS! But he reviews immediately, suggesting an inside edge. Yep, there’s a big mark on Hotspot. That’s NOT OUT.
12th over: India 77-2 (Kohli 5, Shreyas 12) Target 390. Zampa, the man of the moment on Friday night, into the attack at a man he has a sturdy reecord against - Virat Kohli. He’s off strike down the ground straight away, Shreyas taking advantage of a half-tracker later in the over, thumping it to the rope.
Virat Kohli v Adam Zampa in ODI
174 balls
148 runs
5 wickets
Avg: 34.80 - SR: 117.56
Balls per wicket: 29.6#AUSvIND
11th over: India 70-2 (Kohli 3, Shreyas 7) Target 390. Kohli is off the mark with a couple behind point, then playing and missing at Cummins. That’s where he can be vulnerable before getting set - like most players, really. Shreyas is back on strike to finish and wants nothing to do with Cummins’ bumper, taking his eyes off it. TV have some shots of Warner hobbling into the car to leave the SCG. He’s in strife.
10th over: India 67-2 (Kohli 0, Shreyas 7) Target 390. Shreyasisn’t mucking around here, taking Hazlewood’s bouncer over point - as you do - for four. He backs away later in the over in an attempt to flay him in that direction again, failing to make contact. Cummins and Hazlewood will both be licking their lips, I suspect.
9th over: India 61-2 (Kohli 0, Shreyas 1) Target 390. Shreyas Iyer joins the captain Kohli, off the mark with a glide to third man. Back to back successful overs for the hosts, just five runs from it. Now they can turn the screws. And now the injury update: “David Warner has an aductor (groin) injury. He will have scans tonight.”
Bang, bang for Australia! Cummins earns just enough extra bounce at Agarwal to kiss his outside edge, taken well by Carey moving quickly to his right.
8th over: India 58-1 (Agarwal 26, Kohli 0) Target 390. Kohli walks to the middle, ODI number 250 for the greatest player in 50-over history. He defends and leaves the first couple from Hazlewood - a successful over and just two off it. Superb.
Here’s that Warner injury, by the way. We’ll have an update soon, I’m sure.
David Warner is off the field after landing awkwardly in this fielding effort.
Full details: https://t.co/5khiQINJhl#AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/VqJgzNQMXd
Dhawan is sorted out by Hazlewood, a top edge landing with Starc at mid-on. He was roughed up by a bumper earlier in the over, the left-hander’s hook nearly landing in the hands of fine leg, but he’s not so fortunate the second time around.
7th over: India 56-0 (Agarwal 26, Dhawan 28) Target 390. Agarwal’s turn again, playing two glorious and contrasting cover drives off the new bowler Cummins, slamming the first then steering the next through the same gap two balls later.
Prediction: this game will finish later than 11:09pm (when Friday's ended). #AUSvIND
6th over: India 47-0 (Agarwal 18, Dhawan 28) Target 390. Much as it was on Friday, the Indian openers are turning just a little bit of pressure back onto the Australians. Sure, they have a massive total to bowl at but Dhawan’s pull shot off Hazlewood is authoratative and the overthrow conceded later in the over frustrating. It’s followed by a rare wide from Hazlewood when missing the mark with a bouncer. 10 off it. Sure, it doesn’t mean much at this stage but India are going at 7.8 an over and require 7.8 an over to win from here. A marathon, but Kohli does come next.
5th over: India 37-0 (Agarwal 17, Dhawan 20) Target 390. Oohhh, Starc lands a picture-perfect inswinging yorker at Dhawan but the left-hander is able to get his bat down just in time, an inside edge trending just fine of Carey and down to the rope. There’s no such luck required from the next delivery, a half-tracker put away over point - help yourself stuff for the experienced Indian opener. Now it is three in a row - the third is an almost-identical yorker with the very same result, off the inside edge and beating the man at fine leg to the boundary sponge. 16 off it. “Mitch has got to hang in there,” says Nathan Lyon on the TV commentary. “He’ll feel like the whole world is against him but he’s got to make sure his mind is clear.”
4th over: India 21-0 (Agarwal 16, Dhawan 5) Target 390. After being helped to his feet, Warner was able to make his way off the field, albeit with a grimmace all the way. Adam Gilchrist notes that it is 18 days until the first Test, so Australia won’t be taking any risks at all with their superstar opener. These days, the Australian comms team are great at sharing injury updates with the media, so we’ll have a pretty good idea of what is going on with Warner in a matter of minutes. He saved a boundary with the dive at mid-off, just four added from the Hazlewood over.
He comes up in a lot of pain after diving to make a stop, reaching for his right groin.
3rd over: India 17-0 (Agarwal 13, Dhawan 4) Target 390. Good again from Agarwal, carving a couple, clipping two more then driving a single to cover. He looks good; a very organised opener. Dhawan has one ball to negotiate from Starc, the first he’s faced from the left-armer so far, and defends correctly. Noisy crowd, sounds great.
Not even the disgusting heat can stop the @thebharatarmy! #AUSvINDpic.twitter.com/U2cVOozNNR
2nd over: India 12-0 (Agarwal 8, Dhawan 4) Target 390. A boundary first up for Dhawan as well, leaning on a full delivery from Hazlewood and beating the packed circle on the off side, out to the rope at cover. Sure enough, the metronomic right-armer drags his length back and stays in his shoebox for the rest of the over.
1st over: India 8-0 (Agarwal 8, Dhawan 0) Target 390. Four first ball! Starc is on Agarwal’s pads to begin and he’s clipped away with ease. And four more from the third when the left-armer is wide and feel, steered through the gap behing point. Just the start India needed to keep the pressure on Starc after Friday night.
The players are back on the field. Mitch Starc has the ball in his hand, hoping to have a much better outing than he did on Friday. It’s Mayank Agarwal taking strike for the visitors, there alongside the ever-reliable Shikhar Dhawan. A massive job ahead of them in pursuit of 390, so this should be a fun first ten overs. PLAY!
How do we fix the over rates problem? India were about half an hour late today, by my calculations, after missing the mark ny 40 minutes on Friday. Sure, it was hot and there were extra breaks, but there’s always something. Kohli’s team were fined 20 per cent of their match fees on Friday but does that really matter to players this wealthy? I appreciate that suspending the skipper via demerit points doesn’t work either - see the Jason Holder saga last year - but there has to be a solution.
Mine, for what it is worth: empower the match referee to dock the fielding team the number of runs they see fit. Of course, there would be a framework to help them make that decision, but give them the discretion to make a call then and there so that it has a relationship to the game being played. With that hanging over the fielding captain’s head (as it does in the Blast), then they’ll race through.
Morning all. Much as it was on Friday, I timed my wake-up perfectly, just as Glenn Maxwell was walking to the middle. Sure, everybody knows how invested Geoff and I are in the Victorian’s story, but when playing with such freedom and joy comes off as it did today, he makes everyone happy. What a gift. As always, I’m looking forward to your company through India’s chase - do drop me a line.
Just the cheeky old 390 then, hey? A bit under par the 390? Goodness me, India came here to pose a challenge and they’ve been absolutely wiped off the park twice in a row. Their run chase had some meat on it on Friday night thanks to Pandya’s work down the order, but they need their IPL talent to deliver up top if they’re to present a respectable reply tonight.
It all starts with Warner and Finch. That pairing became prolific during the 2019 World Cup, and has been rock solid for a couple of home seasons in a row. Another partnership near 150, another big half-century apiece.
50th over: Australia 389-4 (Maxwell 63, Henriques 2) The fun keeps coming. Maxwell tries the reverse scoop again, missing the ball completely, which nearly bowls him, and then Umpire Reiffel gives him out caught behind. Maxwell reviews immediately and the replay shows the ball clipping his pad rather than bat. Next ball, a vast leading edge that goes about 180 metres up in the air over backward point, and lands just far enough from Pandya that he can’t take the catch running back! That’s how you raise a fifty!
And as if Saini hasn’t had a dirty enough day, he follows up by bowling two high full tosses. Not no-balls, but gimme balls, and Maxwell smokes them both for six! Nice and simple, over midwicket both times, leaning back and World Seriesing them outta here.
49th over: Australia 374-4 (Maxwell 48, Henriques 2) Moises Henriques gets back into an Australian squad, gets into the XI today, and gets to bat with seven balls remaining. Gets off the mark with a brace though. Bumrah’s day is done, 1 for 79.
Anything Smith can do, you’ll see Labuschagne try it. So he plays the conventional scoop shot from wide outside off stump, kneelingand getting enough bat on it to send it behind square. But when he goes more conventionally it comes undone, trying to clear cover and instead hitting flat to the fielder. Bumrah’s long wicketless streak comes to an end.
48th over: Australia 364-3 (Labuschagne 63, Maxwell 47) Shami is doing so well in this over. In at the pads, keeping them to singles, twos. But at some point he has to bowl to Maxwell when Maxwell wants to play a shot. And on this occasion it’s a reverse-sweep to a length ball from a bowler operating at over 140 kilometres an hour.
Is that enough? Do you think it’s enough? No, one more. So this time Maxwell plays a reverse scoop shot over third man for the same result.
47th over: Australia 351-3 (Labuschagne 61, Maxwell 35) It keeps coming! Bumrah the bowler, plenty of width, Maxwell goes down on one knee and flays a cover drive for six! It barely fits the requirements of a cover drive, with the bat so angled and the bat face pointing almost skyward at the point of contact, but it does the job from the base of the knee roll pressed into the ground. Bumrah concentrates on bowling in at the stumps thereafter, and keeps it tidy, but the over still costs a dozen.
46th over: Australia 339-3 (Labuschagne 58, Maxwell 28) Ah, Glenn Maxwell. You gift to the world. Shami bowls short, so Maxwell pulls him for six. Why not? Conventional, but it’s a classic for a reason. Then Shami bowls wide, so Maxwell falls to one knee towards the line of the ball, opens the face of the bat skyward, and sends it high over backward point, where it stops within the boundary for three runs. Who saw that coming? Not knowing the future is the gift. He keeps the strike with another pull shot for one. Keep it coming.
45th over: Australia 326-3 (Labuschagne 56, Maxwell 17) It’s not happening for Labuschagne when he tries to power-hit. Lines up Bumrah on the pull shot but under-edges for one. Maxwell drives for a sharp single and gets a second run with an overthrow. Tries a lusty cut shot and toes it to deep extra for two more. Then looks to play the helicopter but changes his mind at the last moment, opens the face of the bat instead, and flays it to deep extra cover. Who can do that? No one should be able to.
Two runs from that shot, with protection at deep point. Labuschagne finishes the over by square-driving a wide yorker for four! What can India do? That question is rhetorical.
44th over: Australia 314-3 (Labuschagne 51, Maxwell 10) Pandya continuing, and should have another wicket but he’s dropped. Short outside off, a cutter, Labuschagne tries to cross-bat it down the ground, doesn’t strike it well, but of all people coming in off the rope Ravindra Jadeja drops the catch. Best fielder in the world without much contest but he’s made a couple of bad errors today.
Labuschagne follows up by playing a late cut at a similar delivery, and that’s much more his style. Beats the field for four, and he’s invited to the runs party.
43rd over: Australia 307-3 (Labuschagne 44, Maxwell 10) Labuschagne the senior partner, Maxwell freshly in the middle, so the shot-maker takes a moment to add a second single and get set. Ok, now he’s ready. Walks outside off stump, effectively moving aroundthe line of a Jadeja delivery, waiting until it’s nearly past him, then heaving it away with a backwards-facing pull shot through long leg for four.
You with me?
42nd over: Australia 296-3 (Labuschagne 42, Maxwell 1) Pandya has made a difference. Slowed the scoring, then got rid of Smith, and now Glenn Maxwell’s first ball is a bouncer that hits him in the side of the helmet as he plays a pull shot. There’s a break for a doctor check but Maxwell will continue. Knocks away a run to midwicket, letting Labuschagne use the pace to find two to backward point.
Pandya 1 for 17 off three overs.
All good things must come to an end. But for one last treat, before it does, Smith plays the most ridiculous shot of his day. Pandya bowls really wide, outside the return crease. Smith has already made up his mind that he wants it, and throws himself at the line of the ball like he’s lunging for a slip catch. Once there, he’s getting under it and scooping it over fine leg for four!
Absurd. Absurd. Absurd.
41st over: Australia 288-2 (Smith 100, Labuschagne 39) Smith is flying, Labuschagne at a standstill. Doesn’t need to do anything but stay there. Smith drives a couple of runs down the ground, then smacks Chahal for six! Dead straight, dead on! A big gallop and a straight bat. He knocks a ball away to deep midwicket and they come back for two. Smith has 98. Down the ground, wants two, can’t come back because Marnus slips over at the striker’s end! Lost his foot altogether. So Marnus drives a single from the fifth ball, and that one chance is all that Smith needs to complete back-to-back centuries. Two in three days!
A simple drive down the ground, helmet off, arms raised, and once again he’s got there in no time.
40th over: Australia 275-2 (Smith 88, Labuschagne 38) Burmah now, with four overs up his sleeve. Smith farmed the strike from the last ball of Shami’s over, and now uses the bit of width from Bumrah to drive behind square for four! It keeps curling away from the deep square sweeper and beats him. So Kohli puts another man back there and has a short third inside the circle, after which Smith reaches for a ball and guides it between that man and the keeper for four more. Smith is furious with himself when he hits a dot ball to cover, so he consoles himself with flicking another boundary through backward square leg. This is astonishing batting from a player whose one-day game has rarely been to the fore.
39th over: Australia 262-2 (Smith 75, Labuschagne 38) Shami to Smith, who opens his stance and hammers four through extra cover! No elegance to that shot, all power. Smith then premeditates a ramp shot, kneeling outside the off stump, but the ball is too short for him to make contact, and he’s left wafting the periscope up trying to get anything on it. One of the more entertaining varieties of dot ball. Shami tries to outsmart Smith by bowling very wide, but this time Smith doesn’t move across so the bowler gets penalised an extra. When Smith steers to short third man he’s happy to take a run to Pandya, who can’t throw fiercely. Pandya concedes this impairment and doesn’t bother throwing the ball back at all.
Labuschagne turns over the strike once more, and what follows is just rude from Smith. Shami nails the yorker. Really. Middle stump, on the crease. But Smith has backed away outside leg, and cover-drives it for four. Fast hands through the ball, not just digging it out but launching it away, flat and fast. What do you do?
38th over: Australia 250-2 (Smith 65, Labuschagne 37) Off-cutter from Pandya, who is just placing the ball down the other end rather than trying to bowl fast. Labu tries to flat-bat it over cover and nearly holes out to mid-off, but gets enough carry to elude the fielder. Pandya eventually gets fired up enough to put some more muscle into a bouncer that flies past the badge of Marnus’ headwear, too fast for the pull shot. Quality, even while hampered.
Ian Forth must have the TV coverage in the UK. “Latest innovations from Fox this season failing to engage thus far. The percentage split of an innings now has coloured cheeses, like old-style Trivial Pursuit. Hmm, OK. And there’s something called a Fox Tracer which draws a big purple line to show where the ball’s just gone. But we can see where the ball’s just gone by using our eyes. Still, no sign of James Brayshaw - yet - so the afternoon can be counted a triumph.”
37th over: Australia 246-2 (Smith 64, Labuschagne 34) Chahal back with the Agarwal experiment over, and Labuschagne is down the pitch trying to swing him way, getting an inside edge past leg stump for two. Gets a bigger piece of the next one, flat swept over midwicket for four. Once Smith gets strike he shows his padawan how to go bigger, getting more uplift on his sweep shot, behind square rather than in front, and landing it on the rope for six.
Bring back Agarwal!
36th over: Australia 235-2 (Smith 60, Labuschagne 27) Cheers around the ground as Hardik Pandya takes the ball. The all-rounder has been prohibited from bowling as he comes back from injury, but there was a clause that he could contribute a couple of overs if India really need them, and they do. Shami and Bumrah have four left each, Jadeja has one, so there are three overs of Chahal and four of Saini to be diluted. Pandya goes alright, nothing fancy, keeps them to five runs.
35th over: Australia 230-2 (Smith 59, Labuschagne 23) Agarwal gets a bowl! Desperate times for Kohli. It goes alright for four balls, just a couple of singles, but then Jadeja lets through a cut shot at point for four, and Smith follows up by whacking another boundary high down the ground.
Still 35 degrees in Sydney.
Hot hot hot at the SCG @GeoffLemonSport pic.twitter.com/iQdqsGECEU
34th over: Australia 220-2 (Smith 50, Labuschagne 22) Rehydrated and renewed, Labuschagne plays his first authoritative shot of the day, launching into a cover drive to a half-volley wide outside his off stump. A huge step across and an equally big swing through the ball. He adds a brace to midwicket, a single to cover, another single when he’s back on strike. Finding his pace. Smith turns the last ball of the over to fine leg with a cross-bat shot to raise his half-century.
33rd over: Australia 209-2 (Smith 48, Labuschagne 14) Chahal the bowler, and the harvest continues: sweeps, drives, singles, twos. And now drinks.
32nd over: Australia 203-2 (Smith 46, Labuschagne 10) Jadeja bowling his ninth. He’s been economical but unthreatening all day. That’s about the best that finger spinners can hope for in Australia, especially on one-day decks. The 200 comes up, Smith closes on a fifty, The Boys Light Up comes on the PA, Peter Lalor sings along enthusiastically a couple of desks away.
31st over: Australia 197-2 (Smith 42, Labuschagne 8) Saini returns, and needs to contribute. It’s not going to be by bowling too full to Smith, who drives back underneath the bowler for four. Nor will it be by bowling on leg stump, letting Smith leg glance four more. Actually that’s a big unfair, he bowled on middle stump but Smith moved across so far that the glance was on. It’s unfair to be a bowler.
30th over: Australia 187-2 (Smith 33, Labuschagne 7) Oh, stop it Steven. Jadeja bowls a pretty decent delivery, on the off stump, no room to hit, so Smith makes it by shimmying outside leg, opening his clawed grip on the bat handle, and driving between the infielders for four to deep cover. Having explored that side of the field, he plants one foot down the track and picks up a slog-sweep for six! Luckily for him the horrible wind has died to almost nothing, because he was hitting to that side of the ground. Smith 33 off 25, off a great clip once again.
29th over: Australia 173-2 (Smith 21, Labuschagne 5) Thick outside edge for Labuschagne, who sprints the first hoping for a second but Saini at deep third is too fast for him. Five singles from the over. Bumrah is not bowling badly at all. Players tend to be very cautious of him these days, which might be a factor.
28th over: Australia 168-2 (Smith 19, Labuschagne 2) I suspect we’ll just see a collection phase of the innings for a while, with the new bat in and Jadeja’s spin still operating. The TV is putting up a stat suggesting that Bumrah is about to hit the longest streak of balls bowled without a wicket for an Indian ODI bowler since 2008, for what that is worth. What happened in 2008? Must have been grim. J-Boom is up past 280 balls without a dismissal, which is unusual to say the least for a fellow who normally takes one every 30 balls in one-day cricket.
27th over: Australia 164-2 (Smith 16, Labuschagne 1) This Smith kid looks like he can handle a bat. Faces Bumrah, barely moves, just places it in the path of the ball and steers four behind point. Talk nah. Labuschagne copies him, unsurprisingly, for his first run.
26th over: Australia 157-2 (Smith 10, Labuschagne 0) Marnus gets to walk out in his listed position, after being bumped down the order at the back end of the innings on Friday. Time on his side now. The Twins united.
This is Klask. Can we live-blog this? Email the sport editors and demand it.
What a piece of fielding from the deep! Smith chips Jadeja over the bowler’s head for a run, Warner banks on coming back for the second as he always would, but Shreyas Iyer nails the stumps from long-off with a direct throw! Jadeja was just making sure to stay out of the way, and celebrates with a dramatic high kick. Warner is a foot short of his ground, and though he seemed a certainly to go past Mark Waugh to his 19th ODI century, second place overall for Australia behind Ponting’s 29, that will have to wait for another day. Luck for India, brought about by skill!
25th over: Australia 153-1 (Warner 82, Smith 7) Shami continues. India need more of his magic. As an Australian heading to the bar might say, “Anotheries?” But no, he’s just going to be immaculately straight-driven by Smith for four, Shami falling a few inches short of the yorker length, Smith hopping both toes out of the way to hit through the line of the ball.
Whenever I hear a commentator say “Class,” my brain thinks they have said “Klask,” which is a Scandinavian game played with magnets. Different.
24th over: Australia 145-1 (Warner 80, Smith 1) A neat little push from Warner to Jadeja gives Smith the strike. Smith pushes through the off side for his first run. Calm before the storm? It’s still 35 in Sydney. Waiting for the cool change is like waiting for the beat to drop.
23rd over: Australia 142-1 (Warner 78, Smith 0) Of course, after that sigh of relief comes the man who scored a ton from 65 balls against them on Friday: Esteban Smith. Blocks his first ball, leaving 64 to go.
The return of Shami does the trick! The over starts with a powerful whipped pull short to a length ball, hitting it square while the outfielder is backward of square, and adding another boundary. But when Shami bowls fuller, Finch tries to flick off his toes and instead gets a high leading edge, while Kohli backtracks to take after a nervous wait at cover. Finally, India can breathe a first sigh of relief.
22nd over: Australia 136-0 (Warner 78, Finch 54) The way these two have racked up runs together is remarkable. They’re closing on what would be a sixth opening stand of more than 150. They’ve barely looked troubled in doing so. Another six runs harvested comfortably from Jadeja’s over.
21st over: Australia 130-0 (Warner 76, Finch 50) And shift it does. Chahal bowls too close to the leg stump, and Warner sweeps him fine for four. Down on one knee, in the cap, making sure there’s a good photo. As does Finch when he comes on strike, across the line, launching over midwicket for six to raise his fifty.
Could be some Tony Greig cornage to come in the next hour or two.
20th over: Australia 117-0 (Warner 70, Finch 43) Another quiet over to Jadeja, another two singles from it. Ok, something is going to shift in the next one.
19th over: Australia 115-0 (Warner 69, Finch 42) A Chahal over concedes two singles, as the leggie starts to get his length and bowl straight at the stumps, drawing a lot of shots straight back at him. No need for these batsmen to sweat a few quiet overs, they’ve once again set a great platform just like Friday.
18th over: Australia 113-0 (Warner 68, Finch 41) Jadeja races through an over for four singles. That means that Finch-Warner as a combo have now gone past:
MS Dhoni & Suresh Raina – 3585 runs
Herschelle Gibbs & Graeme Smith – 3607
Adam Gilchrist & Ricky Ponting – 3607
17th over: Australia 109-0 (Warner 66, Finch 39) Warner batting in the cap now, with the two spinners operating. In fact Finch is going to do the same. And Warner celebrates his new freedom by hitting Chahal for six! Down the track, bit on-drive, over the fence. Simple as can be.
16th over: Australia 101-0 (Warner 59, Finch 38) Ravindra Jadeja on for the first time today, the left-arm ortho. A few singles, then Warner cuts to deep cover and manages to run back for three, no small feat on a day this hot. That’s a 12th century partnership for Finch and Warner.
15th over: Australia 95-0 (Warner 55, Finch 36) A rare quiet over for Chahal after Warner nearly runs himself out. Took off for a single that wasn’t there, has to go back, and Kohli’s throw was into the gloves rather than into the stumps. Warner gets back by the toe of his bat, diving.
14th over: Australia 93-0 (Warner 54, Finch 35) Top shot from Finch! His best of the day. Short ball from Bumrah and he pulls it along the ground and perfectly splitting the long leg and the deep square leg for four. Drives a couple to cover, then gets a legit half-volley from Bumrah outside off stump and cover-drives another four. A dozen from Bumrah’s over.
13th over: Australia 81-0 (Warner 53, Finch 23) Chahal to Warner, who pulls hard but finds deep midwicket for a single. Finch gives Warner back the strike and the opportunity. But Warner won’t do anything rash now, just using the empty space down the ground to find an easy run.
12th over: Australia 77-0 (Warner 51, Finch 22) Saini finally finds a way to keep a batter quiet: he bowls a beamer that hits Finch in the solar plexus on the full. That hurts. Finch eventually finds the breath to laugh about it with KL Rahul, playfully jabbing at the wicketkeeper’s stomach too. Saini apologises, Finch waves, but he doesn’t settle right away: he misses the free hit, then top-edges a short ball and has the luck for it to land safely behind Rahul. Consistent with the bowler’s luck, it goes for four.
11th over: Australia 71-0 (Warner 50, Finch 18) Warner is in a mood! Chahal comes on for his first over of leg-spin. Finch knocks a single first ball, then Warner doesn’t even take a sighter before slog-sweeping six over midwicket! Pongo. Predictably Chahal bowls shorter, so Warner makes room and cuts him for four. A single raises his minor milestone. This is looking like another ugly day for India coming down the line.
10th over: Australia 59-0 (Warner 39, Finch 17) It’s Finch’s turn to have a shot at Saini, clubbing him over extra cover first ball for four. Warner smacks a cut shot for a couple. Seven more from the Saini over, who’s leaked 28 from three.
9th over: Australia 52-0 (Warner 37, Finch 12) Bumrah returns, and Warner is happy for him to use up another over. Ducks the short ones, defends a couple, the scoring consists of an early Finch single and a wide.
8th over: Australia 50-0 (Warner 37, Finch 11) Shami finally bowls a less-than-perfect ball, marginally short and marginally straight, so Warner goes back and pulls between square and midwicket for four. Along the carpet. Then gets a bit of width, the same length, so Warner deliberately lofts the cut shot for four more! Over the infield. He’s in a mood today. The first team milestone comes up, and a 15th half-century partnership for this pair along with their 11 century stands.
7th over: Australia 41-0 (Warner 29, Finch 10) Yep, Warner wants a big piece of Saini. He plays an old-school Warner shot, dipping the knee a bit and flogging the ball over mid-off with an angled bat for four. Then shuffles away from the line of another and crashes it through the covers. Saini has a big target on his chest today. Has to find a way to respond.
6th over: Australia 29-0 (Warner 19, Finch 9) Shami is doing it again, with an over conceding only a couple of singles as he hits a perfect line and length. The first of those runs takes Warner and Finch past the Boon-Marsh partnership though.
5th over: Australia 27-0 (Warner 18, Finch 8) Navdeep Saini is on early, and Warner wants a piece of him straight away. Barely shorter than a length ball, but Warner cracks the pull shot away behind square for six! Just lands on the rope out there, efficiency to the max. Saini struggled on Friday, he’s inexperienced at this level, and the Australians probably want to target him especially to throw out India’s plans. The batsmen follow up with a few singles and the over costs nine runs.
4th over: Australia 18-0 (Warner 10, Finch 7) Another run behind square for Finch, getting a little nick on Bumrah’s delivery angled at the pads. Warner faces Bumrah for the first time and gets the drop-and-run game going, just straight of midwicket in the ring. That midwicket position is in quite close for Finch, so when Bumrah angles in for a thicker edge, it lobs over Kohli for two runs! The captain frustrated, would have been a regulation catch if he’d been in a regulation position. Finally Finch gets another opportunity at the ball slanted in and gets the full face into it, flicking away behind square for four!
“It’s not hot everywhere,” emails Donna Cianciosi. “It’s a cool 22 degrees here in Perth. And we’re expecting rain tonight.”
3rd over: Australia 10-0 (Warner 9, Finch 1) Runs keep coming for Warner. Two of them safely tucked through midwicket, two more very unsafely off the top edge but the ball carries over square leg into the empty spaces beyond. Then he edges Shami to deep third, allowing Finch to score his first run of the day with a leg glance.
Col has dropped us an email from Surrey over in the Old Dart. “3.30am on a Monday morning and I’m reading the OBO... life sure is weird at times! Hoping Steve Smith has still got those hands he recently found again, until the Ashes anyway. Mostly though I’m just glad this is a sport where you won’t be going on about VAR this, VAR that or VAR the other, it drives me nuts. Right, time to make a bucket of coffee and see how long I last, maybe I’ll make it past sunrise.”
2nd over: Australia 4-0 (Warner 4, Finch 0) Jasprit Bumrah to Finch for the second over. Bumrah with that walk-up approach, the last few jogged steps, the Superman cosplay with the front arm outstretched, then the catapult action that zings the ball in. He’s pinning down Finch around the line of the off stump, four balls in succession before Finch unfurls a crisp drive that hits mid-off direct for no runs. Back of a length to cover point, and Bumrah completes a maiden over.
There are currently three Australian opening partnerships worth more runs than Finch-Warner. Those three are: Boon-Marsh with 3523, Gilchrist-Waugh with 3853, and Gilchrist-Hayden with 5372.
1st over: Australia 4-0 (Warner 4, Finch 0) Here we go. Mohammed Shami with the ball, who bowled so well on Friday when all around him were losing their heads. Warner facing, and the second ball of the match is Warner at his best. Fractional width, and Warner just places his hands through the line of the ball, diverting it through point along the ground for four. Shami has a big lbw shout to follow but it looked outside the line and high. The boundary takes the Finch-Warner partnership in all ODIs to 3500 runs.
Never let it be said that we don’t put ourselves on the line for journalism at this outfit – I just took a 20-minute walk to the ground to assess the atmospheric conditions, and it is absolutely foul out there. It’s not only about to hit 40 degrees but there is a hair-dryer wind blowing, and it’s strong. I staggered into the ground looking like John the Baptist: dessicated, deranged, with a thirst for a thousand years. Inside the air-conditioned buildings everyone still has fat drops of sweat rolling constantly down their faces. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
In cricket terms, that means fielding is going to be a Madras ‘86 sort of experience. The wind is blowing from the west directly across the pitch, so it could cause havoc with run-ups and the flight of the ball for either bowler. Hitting to the O’Reilly Stand will have a big advantage, and hitting aerially towards the Members would be ill-advised.
Australia have made one change to their XI, with Marcus Stoinis missing out due to injury and Moises Henriques coming in. No Cameron Green, then.
Australia
Aaron Finch *
David Warner
Steven Smith
Marnus Labuschagne
Glenn Maxwell
Moises Henriques
Alex Carey +
Pat Cummins
Mitchell Starc
Adam Zampa
Josh Hazlewood
Australia captain Aaron Finch has won the toss and elected to bat first. That is a very big advantage on a stinking hot day.
You know the drill. My email address is in a box somewhere on this page. So is my Twitterphone. STOP THE COUNT!
Game two already! It’s a balmy 39 degrees in Sydney’s early afternoon and presumably getting hotter as the baked earth gives back its heat with a vengeance later in the afternoon. We’re threatening and setting November heat records all over Australia. But don’t worry! Everything’s fine! Let’s burn some gas as a transition fuel!
In short, as far as the cricket goes, you don’t want to be fielding first. Especially because the over rates we saw on Friday mean that you’ll be fielding for four hours.
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