14 in a row: Aussie winning streak continues after quicks rattle ...

6 days ago

Australia has secured its 14th consecutive ODI victory after defeating England by 68 runs at Headingley on Saturday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match bilateral series.

Australia vs England - Figure 1
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Chasing a 271-run target for victory, England was bowled out for 202 in 40.2 overs after failing to recover from an early collapse in Leeds.

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Earlier, Australia was bowled out for 270 in 44.4 overs, shooting themselves in the foot with reckless dismissals after being sent in. The visitors lost wickets at regular intervals despite maintaining a healthy scoring rate, with captain Mitchell Marsh cracking a rapid fifty.

However, a 49-run partnership between wicketkeeper Alex Carey and tailender Josh Hazlewood steered the reigning World Cup champions towards a defendable total.

In response, England’s inexperienced batters were utterly outclassed by a near full-strength Australian bowling attack, with Mitchell Starc taking 3-50 during the run chase.

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England's Liam Livingstone. Photo by Darren Staples / AFPSource: AFP

Australian openers Matthew Short and Travis Head combined for a 46-run stand after England captain Harry Brook won the toss and chose to bowl first in overcast conditions.

Head, fresh off a century in Thursday’s series opener, looked in ominous touch before hooking a short ball from Brydon Carse directly towards deep fine leg for 29. Short cracked three consecutive boundaries against quick Ollie Stone before edging a wobble-seam delivery from Matthew Potts through to gloveman Jamie Smith, departing in the 12th over for 29.

In his following over, Potts produced an absolute peach to knock over Steve Smith for 4, bowled through the gate after attempting an extravagant straight drive.

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Marsh and Marnus Labuschagne steadied the ship by combining for a 56-run partnership, with the Australian skipper bringing up his half-century in 47 deliveries after nailing a pull shot for six — he rubbed salt into the wounds by smacking Carse’s following delivery over the mid-wicket boundary for another maximum.

However, England spinners Jacob Bethell (2-33) and Adil Rashid (2-42) ripped through the middle order to leave the tourists in a spot of both at 6-161 in the 28th over.

Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne. Photo by Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Following the soft dismissal of Labuschagne, a lazy hack towards mid-on for 19, Marsh was trapped plumb LBW for 60 after missing a sweep shot, both dismissed by young gun Bethell.

Glenn Maxwell clobbered his first delivery for six but became Rashid’s 200th ODI victim the following over after attempting to replicate the feat, caught at cow corner for 7.

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Carey and all-rounder Aaron Hardie put together a 55-run partnership for the seventh wicket before Carse returned to the attack in the 36th over, removing Hardie and Mitchell Starc in consecutive deliveries. Hardie was beaten for pace, top-edging a bouncer towards mid-wicket for 23 before Starc chipped to square leg for a golden duck.

However, Carey frustrated the English fans by farming the strike from Hazlewood, cracking a counterattacking 74 (67) that included three sixes. Carse finished with 3-75, while Potts was the pick of England’s pace bowlers with 2-30 from seven overs.

Australia’s Alex Carey. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

England’s run chase got off to a horror start, with the hosts losing five wickets during the Powerplay.

Opener Phil Salt, dropped by Short on 8, fell to the metronomic Hazlewood for 12 after feathering a length delivery through to Carey with the gloves. The following over, Will Jacks departed for a golden duck after flashing outside off and edging towards the clips cordon, becoming Starc’s first victim of the afternoon.

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A few minutes later, Starc produced a trademark toe-crushing yorker that trapped Brook LBW for 4, with the England skipper wasting a review before sheepishly trudging back to the sheds.

During the final over of the Poweplay, Hardie dismissed opener Ben Duckett and all-rounder Liam Livingstone in consecutive balls to leave England reeling at 5-65. Duckett toe-ended a return catch back towards Hardie for 32 before Livingstone tickled a delivery down the leg side, with Carey snaring a superb one-handed chance low to his left.

Australia bowler Mitchell Starc. Photo by Stu Forster/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images

Rising stars Smith and Bethell stemmed the flow of wickets with a 55-run partnership before tweaker Maxwell broke the stand in the 22nd over, with Bethell awkwardly top-edging a cut towards backward point.

And when Smith clipped a length delivery from Hazlewood to mid-wicket one run short of a maiden ODI fifty, Australia’s victory was all but secure.

“We bowled really nicely ... but obviously we lost early wickets in the Powerplay, and that killed us really,” Brook said during the post-match presentation.

“We tried to put the pressure back on them, it just didn’t pay off.

“We’re a very young side ... we’re an inexperienced side playing against one of the best teams in the world.

“It just hasn’t gone our way.”

The third ODI between England and Australia gets underway at Chester-le-Street’s Riverside Ground on Tuesday, with the first ball scheduled for 9.30pm AEST.

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