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| February 12, 2007 | Monday | Muharram 23, 1428 |
England upset Australia again to clinch tri-series
SYDNEY, Feb 11: England capped their miraculous resurrection by claiming the triangular one-day series with an emphatic 34-run win over Australia in the second final at the Sydney Cricket Ground here on Sunday.
It was a fairytale end to their Australian tour, and because the win gave the English an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the best-of-three tri-series finals after their four-wicket victory in Melbourne on Friday, the third game in Adelaide will not be played.
England, led by Paul Collingwood's third successive Man-of-the-Match performance, made 246 for eight after winning the toss and electing to bat, and then emerging swing bowler Liam Plunkett starred with the ball as Australia struggled to 152 from eight from 27 overs in reply.
When rain brought a premature end to the match, an outclassed Australia were well short of the necessary total of 187 under the Duckworth-Lewis system, following earlier rain delays.
It was England's second win in the tri-series and their first since 1986-87.
England started the tri-series as 14-1 rank outsiders, were told by the Australian media they might as well go home after two poor performances in Adelaide, and finished the series without injured quartet Kevin Pietersen, Michael Vaughan, James Anderson and Jon Lewis.
Yet they won their last four games to snatch an unlikely trophy from the wreckage of their previously disastrous Ashes tour, as Australian coach John Buchanan's complaints that the English were not providing enough competition for his side came back to haunt him.
Flintoff praised his side for their resolve during a testing tour.
“It has been unbelievable,” he said.
Australia hadn't been beaten in their home tri-series since 2001-02 and it was the first time the Australians had lost three games in a row on home soil since 2002.
They were outplayed by the English and looked anything but a side heavily favoured to win a third successive World Cup.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting admitted it was a poor end to a summer in which his side declared its intention to remain unbeaten.
“That was a very poor way to finish what has been a tremendous summer for the team,” he said.
“I don't really have any explanations as to why we have played the way that we have the last couple of games.
“I am really angry and disappointed with the way we let the game slip away down in Melbourne on Friday, and even today I thought that total was really gettable.”
After Collingwood made 70 to help England post a total that was always going to be competitive on a ground where teams batting first have an excellent record, Plunkett (3-43) turned the game on its head in the first over after the day's third rain break.
Australia were already in some trouble at 39-2, with Plunkett having claimed the prized wicket of Ponting, when the rain came.
With the first ball after the resumption, things got much worse for the home side when Plunkett went around the wicket and produced a huge inswinger to clean bowl the dangerous Adam Gilchrist.
Plunkett struck again to have Michael Clarke caught behind from the last ball of what was a pivotal over as Australia slumped to 40 for four.
Interim captain Andrew Flintoff, who would have savoured the victory more than most after a draining summer, then snared the normally reliable Mike Hussey for a duck.
Rain forced the players off for a fourth time, with Australia at 79-5 and 3.4 overs still needed in the Australian innings to constitute a match.
When play resumed, all hope of an Australian revival disappeared when James Dalrymple hauled in an incredible one-handed diving catch from the bowling of the irrepressible Collingwood (2-26) to remove Shane Watson for 37.
Earlier, Collingwood's rich vein of form continued when he top-scored and teamed with Flintoff to put on 97 for the fifth wicket to steady an England innings that was not helped by poor running between the wickets.
Collingwood was coming off successive centuries and again batted with great assurance before being caught behind attempting a cheeky reverse sweep off seamer Nathan Bracken (2-38).
Flintoff made 42 before falling to a freak return catch by fast bowler Brett Lee.
The last over of England's innings was fittingly bowled by veteran Australia pace bowler Glenn McGrath, in his last game for his country at his home ground.
McGrath (2-41) sent the crowd into raptures when he claimed a wicket with his last ball, Paul Nixon caught by Brad Hodge on the midwicket boundary for six.
Scoreboard
ENGLAND:
E.C. Joyce c Hodge b McGrath 15
M.L. Loye run out 45
I.R. Bell run out 26
A.J. Strauss c Gilchrist b Bracken 6
P.D. Collingwood c Gilchrist b Bracken 70
A. Flintoff c and b Lee 42
J.W.M. Dalrymple run out 5
P.A. Nixon c Hodge b McGrath 6
L.E. Plunkett not out 8
EXTRAS (B-5, LB-4, W-9, NB-5) 23
TOTAL (for eight wkts, 50 overs) 246
FALL OF WKTS: 1-34, 2-79, 3-86, 4-112, 5-209, 6-231, 7-233, 8-246.
BOWLING: Lee 10-0-53-1 (5nb, 2w); McGrath 10-0-41-2; Bracken 10-1-38-2; Watson 8-0-46-0 (2w); Hussey 2-0-12-0 (2w); Hogg 10-0-47-0 (3w).
AUSTRALIA:
A.C. Gilchrist b Plunkett 20
M.L. Hayden c Collingwood b Mahmood 5
R.T. Ponting c Strauss b Plunkett 7
M.J. Clarke c Nixon b Plunkett 0
M.E.K. Hussey c Strauss b Flintoff 0
B.J. Hodge c Bell b Dalrymple 49
S.R. Watson c Dalrymple b Collingwood 37
G.B. Hogg c Flintoff b Collingwood 10
B. Lee not out 10
N.E. Bracken not out 3
EXTRAS (LB-2, W-6, NB-3) 11
TOTAL (for eight wkts, 27 overs) 152
FALL OF WKTS: 1-25, 2-33, 3-39, 4-40, 5-63, 6-109, 7-132, 8-139.
DID NOT BAT: G.D. McGrath.
BOWLING: Plunkett 6-0-43-3 (2nb, 5w); Mahmood 6-0-31-1’ Flintoff 5-1-10-1 (1nb); Panesar 2-0-15-0; Dalrymple 4-0-25-1 (1w); Collingwood 4-0-26-2.
RESULT: England won by 34 runs after Australia were set revised target of 187 from 27 overs under Duckworth/Lewis Method.
UMPIRES: S.J. Davis (Australia) and I.L. Howell (South Africa).
TV UMPIRE: D.J. Harper (Australia).
MATCH REFEREE: M.J. Procter (South Africa).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Paul Collingwood.
MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Ricky Ponting.—AFP
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