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28 March 2024

Australia vs England 2nd T20 in Melbourne: Australia rout England to clinch series

Australia's Cameron White (left) and George Bailey celebrate victory over England during the second T20 international cricket match in Melbourne on January 31, 2014. (AFP)

Published
By Cricket Correspondent

Australia continued England's miserable tour with an emphatic eight-wicket victory to claim the Twenty20 series with a match to spare at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

England only posted 130 for nine after winning the toss and the home side coasted to victory with 5.1 overs left at 131 for two.

Skipper George Bailey clubbed an unbeaten 60 off just 28 balls with three sixes and seven fours, while opener Cameron White continued his magnificent series with 57 not out off 45 balls.

England will finish their troubled tour of Australia in Sydney on Sunday in the final dead rubber T20 game after losing the Ashes 5-0 and the one-day series 4-1.

Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was named man-of-the-match with career-best T20 figures of four for 30 in England's innings, including two wickets with his last two balls.

"Australia outplayed us fantastically today. They held length pretty well and we didn't react to that and the two needless run-outs hurt us in the middle which cost us getting a decent score," England skipper Stuart Broad said.

"We need to get some momentum from somewhere. It's been a long tour, it's been a long 100 days in Australia and it would be nice to finish with a win.

"We have not (win) a series over here which is heart-breaking for Team England, but we can finish on a high before we fly two hours later."
Australian captain Bailey said his side's bowlers had set up the win.

Bailey paid credit to Hazlewood and also 20-year-old leg-spinner James Muirhead (1-17 off 4 overs).

"James Muirhead bowled absolutely beautifully," Bailey said.

White posted his second successive half-century in his first T20 International series since October 2012 in a follow-up to his 75 in Wednesday's opening T20 match in Hobart.

England won the toss and batted but struggled on a slow-paced pitch, with wicketkeeper Jos Buttler topscoring with 22 off 27 balls.

Opener Michael Lumb was out for 18 in the fourth over, caught at mid-on, and Luke Wright fell for a duck in the following over after recalled veteran Brad Hodge took a great catch at cover.

Left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc held a difficult chance at third man to remove Alex Hales for 16, as Hazlewood claimed his second victim.

England lost four wickets in four overs when the 39-year-old Hodge threw the stumps down from cover to beat the dive of Eoin Morgan (six).

Australia's fielding was at its athletic best when Glenn Maxwell at mid-wicket threw to the bowler's end to run out Joe Root for 18 at 63 for five.

Muirhead enticed Ravi Bopara (six) to slog/sweep a catch to the leg-side boundary, and Nathan Coulter-Nile trapped Buttler leg before wicket 96 for seven.

Muirhead and Starc (1-19), in his first international game for the summer, were economical.

Tailenders Tim Bresnan (18) and Broad (18 not out) added a 34-run partnership for the eighth wicket.

Hazlewood bowled Bresnan and James Tredwell (0) with the last two deliveries of the innings.

AUSTRALIA INNINGS

Half centuries from Cameron White and George Bailey helped Australia rout England by eight wickets at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to clinch the T20 international series on Friday.

White hit a blistering 57 from 45 balls which had nine bondaries, but Bailey took the match away from England with a strokeful 60 from just 28 balls. His knock had three maximums and seven hits which cleared the ropes.

Their unbroken 78-run partnership for the third wicket came of just 48 balls.

England's only success came when they got Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell out cheaply but with White firing from one end and later Bailey throwing his bat at the other end, it was only agony for the visitors.

White gets to his second successive 50 from just 38 balls with eight fours.

George Bailey puts Jade Dernbach to the sword hitting him for a six and three fours. Australia 100 for 2 after 12 overs.

Australia going well after 10 over having scored 76 for 2. England were 70 for 5 at this stage. 

Maxwell goes for a lofted shot only to find Bresnan at deep backward square. 

Glenn Maxwell c Bresnan b Tredwell 2 (5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 40.00

Finch looking a bit uncomfortable is trapped by Bresnan although the ball looked to have hit him high on the thigh pad.

Aaron Finch lbw b Bresnan 10 (11b 2x4 0x6) SR: 90.90

White seems in a hurry here to finish the match as he comes up with his eighth boundary,

Time for Aaron Finch to pick Broad for more punishment, hitting him for two fours.

Australia are already in the driver's seat after just 2 overs with White scoring 24 off the 25 runs.

Captain Stuart Broad is meted out some harsh treatment by Cameron White as he is whacked for three boundaries in the first over.

England innings:

Josh Hazlewood bagged four wickets as Australia restricted England to 130 for 9 in the second T20 international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.

Hazlewood claimed openers Alex Hales and Michael Lumb and later came back to clean bowl Tim Bresnan and James Tredwell off successive balls to finish with impressive figures of 4-0-30-4.

England put up a miserable performance with the bat save for a rearguard fightback from captain Stuart Broad (18) and Tim Bresnan (18). Their 36-run partnership for the eighth wickets somewhat revived the England innings which at one stage was 96 for 7.

Tredwell can't do much about this straight one from Hazlewood and is rocked putting the bowler on  hat-trick which he could get in the third T20.

James Tredwell b Hazlewood 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

A yorker-length ball and Bresnan fails to did it out losing his stumps.

Tim Bresnan b Hazlewood 18 (19b 1x4 0x6) SR: 94.73

Starc keeps it tight, conceding only three runs in his fourth over to finish with 1 for 19.

Stuart Broad throws his bat around but runs are hard to come by. Eng 115 for 7 after 18 overs. 

Buttler is rapped on the pads and is plumb LBW as England struggle at 96 for 7 after 15.1 overs.

Jos Buttler lbw b Coulter-Nile 22 (28b 2x4 0x6) SR: 78.57

Bopara frustrated at being beaten twice by Muirhead tries a sweep shot only to find Maxwell deep at mid-wicket. 

Ravi Bopara c Maxwell b Muirhead 6 (11b 0x4 0x6) SR: 54.54

An unnecessary run-out as Root tries to go for a second run which wasn't there as Maxwell covered a lot of ground and threw to White who removed the bails.

After 10 overs England are 70 for 5.

Joe Root run out 18 (14b 3x4 0x6) SR: 128.57

Hodge is loving it and so is the crowd. He is already in the thick of action with a catch and a run-out. Eng 60-4 after 8 overs.

Morgan is a bit unlucky here as his bat looked grounded but the third umpire thought otherwise. However it's Brad Hodge who has to be credited for hitting the target at one go. 

Eoin Morgan run out 6 (3b 1x4 0x6) SR: 200.00

Hazlewood strikes again, getting Hales to top-edge a wild swing to third man Starc who takes it comfortably.

Alex Hales c Starc b Hazlewood 16 (13b 3x4 0x6) SR: 123.07

Joe Root hammers Starc for back-to-back boundaries, making his intentions clear.

Starc strikes and England in trouble as Wright is brilliantly caught by Hodge.

Luke Wright c Hodge b Starc 0 (2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00

Lumb goes for a big hit only to sky it high into the safe hands of Coulter-Nile. 

Michael Lumb c Coulter-Nile b Hazlewood 18 (15b 4x4 0x6) SR: 120.00

Alex Hales is dropped by Glenn Maxwell, a sitter, off Mitchell Starc.

Nathan Coulter-Nile gets similar treatment from Lumb who is on fire with another two boundaries.

Australia captain Bailey throws the ball to Hodge in the first over and Lumb treats him with disdain hitting him for two fours.

England skipper Stuart Broad calls it right and opts to bat first in the second Twenty20 international against Australia at Melbourne cricket Ground on Friday.

England are looking to end their tour on a high and prevent Australia from sweeping all three series, having lost the first match by 13 runs.

The tourists have made one change with James Tredwell replacing Danny Briggs.

Australia have recalled 39-year-old Brad Hodge who will be playing his first match for Australia in nearly six years.

Hodge is Twenty20 cricket's leading run scorer of all time, with 5,844 at an average of 36.98 from his 209 matches.

PLAYING XI

Australia - Aaron Finch, Cameron White, Brad Hodge, Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey, Chris Lynn, Matthew Wade, Mitchell Starc, Ben Cutting, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Muirhead.

England - Michael Lumb, Alex Hales, Luke Wright, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Jade Dernbach, James Tredwell.