AUS vs ENG, 2nd ODI: Australia 280 for 8 (Smith 94, Labuschagne 58, Marsh 50, Rashid 3-57) beat England 208 all out (Billings 71, Zampa 4-45, Starc 4-47)

In Australia’s 72-run victory in Sydney on Josh Hazlewood’s captaincy debut, Steven Smith continued his prolific ODI form, Mitchell Starc demonstrated his first-over prowess, and Adam Zampa scuttled England’s middle order. Smith’s 94 off 114 balls was the most important part of Australia’s innings, along with Marnus Labuschagne’s fluent half-century and Mitchell Marsh’s more laborious effort. England never totally let go completely with the ball, generally because of Adil Rashid’s three wickets, yet a total of 280 felt exceptionally cutthroat on a surface that was not totally simple for scoring. 

After just five balls of England’s chase, when Starc had two wickets to his name, the target appeared much more intimidating. 

Starc produced a quick outswing to firstly beat Dawid Malan twice and then take out the off stump with an unplayable delivery after Jason Roy gloved down the leg side second ball. Malan intended to play with an open face to the leg side, but the ball shaped late and at a rapid pace to beat the edge after he had scored a fine century two days earlier. Another strong response to Roy’s absence late in the T20 World Cup came in the form of Starc’s wicked delivery to bowl him out in Adelaide. At the point when Phil Salt was tidied up by Hazlewood for a counterpunching 23, England were 34 for 3 in the 6th over and at risk of falling endlessly. 

However, in a fourth-wicket stand of 122 in 22 overs that put England back in a position where the target was attainable, James Vince and Sam Billings, who took Ashton Agar for consecutive sixes, constructed excellent fifties. When Hazlewood won the toss before the game, it came as a surprise that Pat Cummins was rested one match into his captaincy tenure.With Moeen Ali also leading England for the first time in ODIs and Jos Buttler taking a well-deserved break, it was a case of change on every level. After Rashid brought Australia back with two wickets in two balls, Smith and Labuschagne added 101 for the third wicket in 19 overs, and Smith and Marsh added 90 for the fifth wicket. 

Smith moved into the 90s with a flick for six over backward square leg against Sam Curran, but he was not as fluent as he was two days ago in Adelaide, when he said it was the best he had felt at the crease in six years. Notwithstanding, endeavoring to arrive at his 100 years with one more six he selected long-off against Rashid in the 44th over.Australia’s openers had made a lively beginning before Moeen hit with his second ball when David Warner cleared to square leg. 

Three overs later, Travis Head failed to hit a pull shot to midwicket against Chris Woakes, leaving Australia 43 for 2. Compared to Smith, who scored his first boundary off the 14th ball but did not add another until the 65th when he clubbed David Willey over the leg side, Labuschagne got off to a good start by skipping down the field to Moeen and lifting him over wide mid-on. When Labuschagne toe-ended a sweep that looped to mid-off against Rashid, he was furious with himself and hit a perfect fifty off 47 balls, which proved to be the most fluent batting of the innings. 

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When Alex Carey played over the top of a sweep on the next ball, Rashid struck once more, and Billings removed the bails quickly with Carey’s foot on the line. The hat-trick delivery was misdirected into Marsh’s pads, and the pair, along with Smith, rebuilt to provide Australia with a foundation for the final ten overs, but they were unable to fully capitalize. Marsh, in place of the rested Cameron Green who had returned to Perth prior to the Test summer, brought up a 58-ball fifty, but he was unable to quite move through the gears. Marcus Stoinis couldn’t get going in a 14-ball 13 before missing a swing at Woakes. But in the end, Australia’s most recent ODI captains won their first series with more than enough.