Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke carried his good form from Brisbane to Sydney while Mitchell Johnson’s promotion to No. 4 as a pinch hitter proved to be a masterstroke as the Aussies chased down a record total of 334 and got home with two wickets and four balls to spare.
A flat surface combined with small boundaries meant that this was going to be a high scoring encounter and the teams didn’t disappoint to deliver. Andrew Strauss didn’t hesitate to make first use of the conditions after winning the toss and the visitors got off to a solid start. After losing Prior in the 8th over, Strauss and Prior put on 80 runs for the second wicket in 15 overs as England reached 120/1 in the 22nd over. Strauss departed trying to hit Smith out of the park but not before he had made a valuable 63. Kevin Pietersen once again failed to convert his start into a big score as he perished for 29. Trott began to cut loose and in the company of Ian Bell scored 43 of the batting Powerplay as England looked good for a mammoth score. Trott completed his second century of the series and Bell and Morgan provided England with the final flourish to take England to 333, their highest ever score against Australia.
The Aussies had to get off to a quick start and Watson gave them just the kind of start they would have hoped for. He cracked a half century in 32 balls as Australia raced away to 78/1 by the end of the tenth over. Yardy got rid of Watson soon after but Australia pulled a trick out of their sleeve sending out Mitchell Johnson at No. 4 to capitalize on the quick start and he didn’t fail to disappoint as he put on 79 for the third wicket with Callum Ferguson. Ferguson was run out for 46 and with Johnson dismissed for 57, it was up to the skipper to take them home. White fell with 110 required of the last 15 overs but there was no way Clarke was going to lose this match in front of his home crowd. He put on 90 runs in 70 balls with David Hussey as Australia closed in on a famous victory. Hussey and Smith fell in quick succession and Clarke was run out for 80 but it was too little too late for the Poms as Hastings and Lee hung on to give the Aussies their fifth win of the series and by far the most cherished one.
Tags: Australia, Boos, CA, Cricket, Cricket Australia, Michael Clarke, ODI Match, Peter Young, Sydney Morning Herald
