CARDIFF: Australia captain Tim Paine has said his side must deliver a ‘complete package’ if they are to fight their way back into the One-day International series against England.

Saturday’s 38-run loss in the second ODI at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff left Australia 2-0 down in a five-match campaign against England, the world’s number one-ranked side in this format.

It was also world champions Australia’s sixth defeat in seven ODIs against England this year, a sequence that includes a 4-1 series loss Down Under in January.

Overall, it also represented a 13th loss from their last 15 matches at this level that have produced a result.

Australia arrived for this series against 2019 World Cup hosts England without several first-choice players.

Wednesday’s first ODI saw Australia’s batting fail in posting a meagre total of 214 before the bowlers, performing with huge credit, made England scrap their way to a three-wicket win at The Oval.

It was a different story in Cardiff, however.

After Paine had won the toss, an Australia attack missing injured fast bowler Billy Stanlake, who had impressed at The Oval, saw England pile up 342 for eight — their highest ODI total against Australia — thanks to Jason Roy’s 120 and a quickfire 91 not out from stand-in captain Jos Buttler.

This time a batsman gave Australia hope of an improbable win, with Shaun Marsh making 131 — his first ODI century in nearly five years — but receiving little support apart from Ashton Agar’s 46.

Australia had little time to regroup before Tuesday’s third ODI at Trent Bridge in Nottingham, where another defeat would give England an unassailable 3-0 series lead.

But Paine insisted the current Australia squad had the quality to turn the series around.

“I think we can, I really do,” said Paine. “I think our best cricket is good enough to beat these guys, we just haven’t put the complete package together.

“In the first game we didn’t bat well and [in Cardiff] we didn’t bowl as well as we would have liked.”

Paine should be fit to lead the side in Nottingham despite having stitches inserted inside and outside his mouth after a leg-side delivery from Andrew Tye in Cardiff reared up on the second bounce to hit the gloveman flush in the face.

Scoreboard

ENGLAND:

J.J. Roy c Paine b Tye 120
J.M. Bairstow c Paine b K. Richardson 42
A.D. Hales b J. Richardson 26
J.E. Root c Short b Stoinis 22
J.C. Buttler not out 91
S.W. Billings b Tye 11
Moeen Ali c Agar b J. Richardson 8
D.J. Willey c and b K. Richardson 11
L.E. Plunkett run out 1
A.U. Rashid not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-5, W-5) 10
TOTAL (for eight wkts, 50 overs) 342
FALL OF WKTS: 1-63, 2-113, 3-179, 4-239, 5-289, 6-300, 7-325, 8-332.
DID NOT BAT: M.A. Wood.
BOWLING: J.A. Richardson 10-0-64-2 (1w); K.W. Richardson 8-0-56-2 (1w); Agar 9-0-52-0; Stoinis 10-0-60-1; Tye 9-0-81-2 (3w); Short 4-0-24-0.

AUSTRALIA:

T.M. Head c Hales b Wood 19
D.J.M. Short c Root b Moeen 21
S.E. Marsh b Plunkett 131
M.P. Stoinis b Plunkett 9
A.J. Finch lbw b Rashid 0
G.J. Maxwell c Willey b Moeen 31
A.C. Agar st Buttler b Rashid 46
T.D. Paine c Rashid b Plunkett 15
A.J. Tye c Billings b Rashid 10
J.A. Richardson c Roy b Plunkett 2
K.W. Richardson not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-13, W-7) 20
TOTAL (all out, 47.1 overs) 304
FALL OF WKTS: 1-24, 2-77, 3-99, 4-110, 5-164, 6-260, 7-292, 8-293, 9-303.
BOWLING: Willey 7-0-40-0 (1w); Wood 9-1-57-1 (4w); Plunkett 9.1-1-53-4 (1w); Moeen Ali 10-0-47-2; Root 4-0-24-0; Rashid 8-0-70-3 (1w).
RESULT: England won by 38 runs to lead five-match series 2-0.

UMPIRES: A. Wharf (England) and M. Erasmus (South Africa).
TV UMPIRE: H.D.P.K. Dharmasena (Sri Lanka).
MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Jason Roy.
NEXT MATCH: Trent Bridge (D/N), Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, June 19th, 2018