Sunday, September 6, 2009

England suffer second defeat


defeat in three days to leave them with a mountain to climb in the NatWest Series against Australia.
Despite Paul Collingwood's half-century at Lord's, England fell short by 39 runs to leave them needing three wins from five remaining matches to take the series.
The hosts collapsed to 210 all out after moving to 74 without loss in their run chase, with the regular wickets starting to fall after Shane Watson trapped Ravi Bopara lbw in his first over. Then in his next, he had Matt Prior caught behind for a single.
Next to go was captain Andrew Strauss, caught and bowled by Nathan Hauritz three short of his fifty, and Owais Shah was run out when Collingwood called for a single after nudging into the off side.
Eoin Morgan and Tim Bresnan, the two changes from Friday's defeat at The Oval, were dismissed by Mitchell Johnson and Luke Wright departed after a brief cameo, leaving England relying on Collingwood to see them home.
There was brief hope when Graeme Swann was at the crease but Nathan Bracken accounted for him and Ryan Sidebottom in the same over.
England were set 250 to win after an Australian innings that lacked a batsman going on to make a big total, only Callum Ferguson reaching the half-century mark.
It meant back-to-back 50s for the South Australia batsman. But the 24-year-old lacked support from his middle order, after openers Watson and Tim Paine got the tourists off to a solid start.
They went fairly untroubled until Wright helped make the breakthrough with a stunning catch to dismiss Watson before taking the wicket of Paine, who was caught in the deep.
When Wright then had Australia captain Michael Clarke gloving behind down the leg-side, the momentum was with England after a burst of three wickets for 11 runs.
Ferguson and Cameron White steadied Australia with a 69-run partnership before the golden arm of Bopara struck. With his first ball, Bopara had White (42) caught behind by Prior - who was standing up to the medium-pacer.
England were sharing the wickets around, and next to strike was Swann, with a perfectly-pitched off-break which defeated left-hander Michael Hussey and hit off-stump. James Hopes also went cheaply to Swann, this time sweeping to go lbw.
England looked in control when Ferguson was bowled off his pads by James Anderson but Johnson finished the innings off with 43 from 23 balls, including a deft sweep off Anderson and a powerful blow through mid-wicket in the same over.
It was a team effort from England to restrict Australia to 249 for eight, particularly with Stuart Broad ruled out through injury.
Broad, one of England's Ashes heroes, suffered a neck strain while diving in the field in the opening loss to the Australians at The Oval.
The problem has restricted mobility in his right shoulder, although the England medical team are confident he will be available for Wednesday's day-night contest in Southampton.
Bresnan came in for him and took the opening wicket, courtesy of Wright's diving catch at cover, while Sidebottom also picked up one victim.
Morgan, meanwhile, came in for Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid - dropped despite figures of 10-0-37-0 and a valiant, unbeaten 31 in the last clash.
New-ball bowler James Anderson believed he had made the first inroad in the third over when he struck Watson on the pad with one which held its line.
But umpire Ian Gould turned down the confident appeal and Watson, on one at the time, went on to hit 34.
Although it was not until the 15th over that England claimed their initial success, they claimed a second one in eight balls when Paine skied to deep mid-wicket off Luke Wright.
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