3rd ODI: Rain stops England slump against Australia

England slumped to 59 for three inside 16 overs before rain washed out the day/night third one-day international against Australia at Edgbaston on Wednesday.

Mitchell Johnson again proved a thorn in England's side, the left-arm paceman taking one wicket for 20 runs in five overs and twice seeing close lbw decisions against Jonathan Trott overturned in the batsman's favour.

When the umpires took the players off the field at 3:34pm local time (1434GMT), Trott was 28 not out on his Warwickshire home ground and stand-in England captain Eoin Morgan five not out.

A minimum of 20 overs per side were needed for a result to be declared under the Duckworth/Lewis method but, with the rain coming down ever harder, the umpires abandoned the match at 7:05pm (1805GMT).

The no result left Australia, who won the second ODI by a crushing 88 runs at Old Trafford on Sunday, 1-0 up with two play and knowing victory in the fourth match at Cardiff on Saturday would see them win the series.

"We started really pretty well today again with Mitch and Clint (McKay), so it was disappointing that the rain came in like it did," Australia wicketkeeper Matthew Wade told reporters.

"The positive is we're 1-0 up. We've lost two games (to the weather) with two to play so it'd be nice to get a win there (Cardiff) and wrap up the series."

Meanwhile Morgan said England needed to improve.

"It's a semi-final and final for us. That's the way we're going to treat it. We need to come out and up our game, our intensity and play well."

Earlier, Australia captain Michael Clarke won the toss and elected to field.

Ashes-holders England, criticised by former captain Michael Vaughan for resting five senior players - regular skipper Alastair Cook, batsman Ian Bell and bowlers James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann - this series, were unchanged from the side beaten so heavily in Manchester.

But the overcast conditions led Australia to select seamer Josh Hazlewood in place of leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed.

Kevin Pietersen, opening alongside Michael Carberry in the absence of Cook and Bell, whipped the fourth ball of the innings, from McKay, for a boundary through midwicket.

However, two balls later, England lost their first wicket.

Carberry, desperate for runs after making just 10 against Ireland and four at Old Trafford following his international recall, was run out by yards when Pietersen set off for a needlessly tight single only for McKay to gather the ball and run in to demolish the stumps.

Pietersen then fell for six when he failed to get over the top of a Johnson bouncer and pulled a gentle catch straight to George Bailey at square leg.

Trott was on 13 when he was given out lbw to Johnson after aiming across the line. But he reviewed English umpire Michael Gough's verdict and was reprieved when the Decision Review System (DRS) indicated the ball had just pitched outside leg stump.

Johnson then challenged Gough's decision when Trott, now on 20, was given not out in response to the Australian's lbw appeal only for an 'umpire's call' ruling to rescue the South Africa-born batsman.

Trott was then hit on the grille of his helmet when he missed an attempted pull off a Johnson bouncer under the glare of the floodlights.

Joe Root on-drove Hazlewood for a textbook four but had made just 12 when he chipped a simple return catch to Adam Voges as the left-arm spinner struck with his third ball.

The fourth match is scheduled for Cardiff on Saturday and the fifth will be played at the Rose Bowl in Southampton two days later.

The rain once again comes to the rescue of England forcing the match to be abandoned after Australia get off to a flying start in the 3rd ODI at Birmingham on Wednesday.

Autralia skipper Clarke read well this game with the ongoing rains threatening the pitch to put England into bat with the Aussie bowlers striking hard in the earlier overs of the game

Carberry was sent back taking a cheeky single. Pietersen looked to keep strike, but Carberry did not read his move at the non-striker's end and when he did, Pietersen was almost down. McKay had plenty of time to make his way to the stumps.

Australia delivered the second blow with Johnson dismissing Pietersen who pulled hard to square leg with Balley making no mistake to cling on to the all important catch.

Voges was next to strike a lethal blow getting Root caught and bowled in a rather tame fashion to send England reeling in the 14th over of the game.

As Australia piled misery onto England huge drops of rain came down heavily forcing the match to be abandoned after both teams waited patiently for the match officials verdict.

Morgan pushes for a single run off Voges delivery with the rains stalling play again. The players walk off the field with the covers being pulled over the pitch. Eng 59-3 in 15.1 overs

Trott and Morgan contributed one run each with Voges bowling a good line and lenght conceding two runs of that over to put the England on the defensive.Eng 54-3 in 15 overs.

Trott and Morgan add one run each with Voges bowling a good line and lenght conceding two runs of that over to pile misery on England  Eng 54-3 in 14 overs.

Root manages to squeeze just one run off Hazlewood at the backward point in the 13th over. But Voges gets Root rather tamely in the very next over to put England in a spot at this point of time.
JE Root c & b Voges 12 (24b 1x4 0x6)

After 10 overs  England are struggling to get back their composure with 8 runs coming off the over. Root punishes Hazlewood with a long drive to the boundary to bring cheer to the England camp. Eng 43-2 in 10 overs.

Trott goes for Johnson smashing him for a boundary. The Australians keep up the pressure with Johnson getting on top of his bowling with Trott surving a close call.

England are in deep trouble with both the opening batsmen out. Jonathan Trott and Joe Root face a fierce Aussie bowling attack.

Johnson gets the key wicket of Pietersen who went for the ball too quickly to slam the ball straight to square leg onto Bailey. Eng 26-2

Kevin Pietersen c Bailey b Johnson 6 (17b 1x4 0x6)

MA Carberry run out 1 (3b 0x4 0x6)

Michael Carberry and Kevin Pietersen open for England.

Australia win the toss with Clarke opting to field keeping the weather conditions in mind .

Team News:

England squad remains unchanged, so  Chris Jordan or Jamie Overton will not be seen in action. Australia make one change.
 

England Playing XI:

Michael Carberry, Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott, Joe Root,  Eoin Morgan (capt),  Ravi Bopara,  Jos Buttler,  Ben Stokes, James Tredwell,  Steven Finn, Boyd Rankin

Australia Playing XI:

Shaun Marsh, Aaron Finch, Shane Watson,  Michael Clarke (capt),  George Bailey,  Adam Voges,  Matthew Wade (wk),  James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson,  Clint McKay,  Josh Hazlewood

PREVIEW

England one-day coach Ashley Giles believes his side have the right balance ahead of Wednesday's third one-day international against Australia at Edgbaston.

Following Sunday's 88-run defeat, England trail 1-0 in the five-match series after the first one-dayer at Headingley was washed out.

Defeat at Old Trafford also raised questions over England's decision to rest a number of key players and field only three recognised bowlers.

"I've heard a lot about the balance of the side," Giles told reporters on Tuesday. "Ben (Stokes) is playing as a third seamer and is an improving bowler, has good skills, can bowl mid 80s (miles per hour) upwards and has that potential to do that job on its own.

"Otherwise the balance is what we played at the Champions Trophy when we were very successful."

England reached the final of the Champions Trophy in June, where they lost to India.

"Before the Champions Trophy against New Zealand (in a group match) we played five specialist bowlers and that didn't really work and that's when we brought Ravi (Bopara) back and since that time he's had a fantastic run in the side so I don't think we're just fiddling overs," Giles added.

The coach, who took 55 ODI wickets during his career, remains confident his new-look side can rise to the challenge posed by Australia.

"When you've got inexperience in the side you're going to have to suffer some pain occasionally to get some gain and that's what we're getting," the former England spinner added.

"Saying that, there's no reason why this team can't win these games of cricket.

"It was an exceptional batting performance by Australia the other day (at Old Trafford), we didn't get a wicket for about 22 overs and they played (James) Tredwell extremely well in the middle. There were a lot of reasons why we lost that game, not just inexperience."
 

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