England v Australia First ODI
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(Match report by Rash Mahmood)
The picturesque Littleborough CC near Rochdale was the venue for the first match in the highly anticipated ‘Grey Ashes’ series between England and Australia. This being the first match of a five-match series, the ‘Grey Ashes’ would not be won or lost after this first game, but both sides would be keen to set their stall out to go 1-0 up in the series.
Australia, on their last visit to England, lost the ‘Grey Ashes’ 3-2 but gained revenge and regained the urn in December last year, as they beat England 3-2 in a wonderfully entertaining and hard-fought series.
On a beautiful sunny morning, both teams arrived full of confidence. England had started the summer in very convincing fashion, with victories over Scotland and Wales, and then a series sweep over the West Indies, winning that series 3-0.
Australia had also been in good form, playing three matches in three days to start their tour, with easy victories against a Midlands XI and a Northern XI, before just getting home last Friday at Cheadle Hulme CC against a very tenacious and committed England Lions side.
The pitch at Littleborough was a superb one, a batter’s dream, evenly coloured and wonderfully prepared; there was very little evidence from the visual inspection that the bowlers would derive any lateral movement, and the overhead conditions meant that movement in the air would be minimal. It was anticipated that the pitch, which had been played on twice during the previous weekend, would be even-paced, with consistent bounce, but would heavily favour the batters.
Australia made three changes to the side that played at Cheadle Hulme on Friday, with Stuart Ridge, Geoff Patterson and Alan Muggleton making way, but a late injury to Glenn Pearce during the warmup necessitated a further change, so the players coming in were Terry Beks, Stephen Butler, Paul Matthews and John Adamson.
England also had to make a late change to their published lineup, with Nick Newman suffering a knee injury, and he was replaced by Kevin Watson.
| England | Australia |
| Edward Gordon Lennox (C) | Peter Judd (C) |
| Steve Aston (WK) | Claude Orlando (WK) |
| Razi Ahmed | John Adamson |
| Phil Deakin | Terry Beks |
| Nick Gaywood | Bill Blair |
| Mel Hussain | Stephen Butler |
| Mike Palmer | Paul Matthews |
| Paul Radage | Doug Murphy |
| Graham Shaw | Peter O’Reilly |
| Steve Small | Tony Panecasio |
| Kevin Watson | Graeme Pavey |
| Mark Wilson | Darren Smith |
| Paul Bradley (Manager) | Keith Bridgen (Manager) |
| David Lees (Umpire) | Noel Ford (Umpire) |
| Allen Murray (Scorer) | Roger Bryce (Scorer) |
Australian skipper Peter Judd won the toss and elected to bat, and it was Doug Murphy and Peter O’Reilly, who as they did last Friday, opened the batting for Australia, the pair no doubt hoping not to repeat the calamitous run out after a mix-up between them against the Lions.
Mark Wilson and Mike Palmer opened the bowling for England, and right from the start, you could see that the Australian batters were far happier batting on this pitch than the one at Cheadle Hulme last Friday. The early exchanges saw the Australian opening pair, playing confidently off the front foot, striking the ball well, and an indication of how well the pitch was playing was evident in the fourthover of the game, as Murphy had all the time in the world to set himself and pull a Palmer delivery to backward square leg for the first boundary off the bat. Five overs in, Australia had reached 20-0.
The first bowling change of the innings took place in the 14th over, with Razi Ahmed replacing Palmer from the far end, but his first over was not the best, Murphy advancing down the pitch to hit a lofted drive back over his head for four runs, which brought up the Australia 50. Two more boundaries in the over followed.
O’Reilly was slightly fortunate in the next over from Wilson, hitting the ball in the air, and just evading the outstretched hand of Edward Gordon Lennox at mid-wicket, and at the drinks break after 15 overs, Australia had reached 64-0.
Following the drinks break, Ahmed continued from the far end and bowled a much better over, and Phil Deakin, playing at his home ground replaced Wilson at the scoreboard end and after bowling a maiden over to start with, got the breakthrough for England in his next over, clean bowling O’Reilly for 21, as he advanced down the pitch. Australia losing their first wicket with the score on 73. O’Reilly dismissal
Darren Smith, after his fine innings last Friday, made his way out to the middle to join Murphy, and Murphy reached a very fine 50 from the next Ahmed over, advancing down the pitch to club him over extra cover for four.
Deakin, England’s leading wicket-taker during the summer so far, struck again in his next over, this time removing Smith, who was trying to guide the ball towards the gully region, only to get a thick inside edge, which saw the ball crash into his leg stump. Smith out for two, Australia 81-2. Smith dismissal
Stephen Butler was the next batter in for Australia, looking to continue his fine run of form on the tour so far, and right from the off, he showed his intent, with some excellent running between the wickets. Mel Hussain replaced Ahmed at the far end, and Australia reached their 100 at the end of the 25th over.
Murphy, having reached his half century, looked to press on, hitting Hussain for three consecutive boundaries in the 28th over, but he was the next Australian batter to fall, and it was that man Deakin who struck again for England, getting Murphy to reach for a delivery outside the off stump. All the England players went up as the England keeper Steve Aston gathered the ball; however, Noel Ford, the Australian umpire, shook his head, but Murphy had already started walking, showing great sportsmanship. Murphy out for 74 off 67 deliveries, Australia 123-3 after 28.4 overs. Murphy dismissal
Graeme Pavey was the next man in to join Butler, and Australia had out in the middle, two of the fastest runners between the wicket in Seniors cricket, and the pair demonstrated this fantastically well, guiding Australia past the 150-run mark in the 33rd over and scoring 38 runs from the five overs they were together. But they didn’t stop there, mixing the excellent running with some fine shots for boundaries, and the 50-run partnership between the pair was reached in the 36th over, as was Butler’s half century.
England were starting to look a bit weary in the field, and with the sun still continuing to beat down, and with the Australian batters looking well set, England desperately needed a breakthrough. The score had progressed to 196-3 when Pavey slapped a Watson delivery down the ground towards long-on and set off running. Paul Radage moved quickly to the ball and, with a slight hesitation between the batters as they thought about a second run, threw the ball to the bowler’s end, where Watson gathered cleanly and removed the bails, with Butler well out of his ground. A much-needed wicket for England, but a fine innings from Butler came to an end, as he was out for 56 off just 61 deliveries. Bill Blair, the Australian vice-captain, joined Pavey, who brought up the Australia 200 with the final ball of Watson’s over with a boundary.
The score had moved onto 205-4 in the 41st over, when England struck again. Pavey cut powerfully off Watson towards point, where Nick Gaywood was fielding, the ball arcing away from him as he took a couple of steps to his left and, with a full-length dive, took a spectacular catch. Pavey out for 35 off 31 deliveries, Australia now 205-5. Pavey dismissal
Terry Beks was the new batsman in for Australia and got off the mark with a single off his first ball, but three balls later, he was making his way back to the pavilion. If the catch by Gaywood was right out of the top drawer, then Watson’s dismissal of Beks was even better. Beks hit Watson straight back down the pitch, the ball travelling really quickly, no more than a couple of inches off the ground, but Watson somehow managed to dive forward in his follow-through to take a simply stunning catch. Beks out for 1, Australia now 211-6 after 40.5 overs. Beks dismissal
England fighting back, and fighting back well, Australia having lost three wickets for 15 runs, but England knew that Australia normally finish the innings strongly, as they did last Friday against the Lions, plundering 46 off the final five overs, so there was still work to be done to try and restrict the Australian scoring.
Claude Orlando joined Blair at the crease, which was the cue for Blair to go onto the attack, and attack he did, scoring 13 runs off Watson in the 43rd over, before England managed to get another Australian wicket. This time, in the penultimate over, Orlando hit a Graham Shaw delivery straight to Gordon Lennox at mid-wicket and set off running. Gordon Lennox gathered the ball cleanly and threw to Aston behind the stumps, who removed the bails, Blair a few yards out of his ground. Blair out for a swashbuckling 30 off 15 deliveries, which included an enormous six which went out of the ground, Australia 242-7.
Adamson came in for Australia, and he and Orlando completed the Australia innings, getting them to 250-7 from their 45 overs, Orlando 11 not out and Adamson unbeaten on five.
So, at the halfway point, both teams would have been relatively pleased, Australia posting 250, which was probably a par score for the pitch, and England taking those three quick wickets as Australia neared 200, just checking their progress slightly, to chase a score that was well within their reach.
England opened their innings with the left/right-hand combination of Steve Small and Paul Radage, and it was Blair and Beks opening the bowling for Australia.
The England innings started much the same way as the Australian one did, with both batters looking comfortable, although the Australian ground fielding was restricting the run rate. However, the England openers made steady progress, with Small in particular looking in fine touch, scoring three boundaries off nine balls between the eighth and ninth over. 10 overs in, England had reached a largely untroubled 39-0.
Judd, the Australian skipper, made a double bowling change, with Smith replacing Blair and Paul Matthews replacing Beks. England brought their 50 up in Matthews’ first over with a boundary from Radage, who then cleared the boundary with an impressive six off the final ball of the over, 15 runs coming from it, and Radage again went after Matthews in his next over, scoring 11 runs from it. At the first drinks break at 15 overs, England were going along very nicely indeed, sitting at 73-0.
After drinks, England continued in the same form, with Radage striking back-to-back boundaries off Smith in the 19th over to bring up both his half century and the England 100. It was the Australian skipper Judd, who made the first breakthrough for Australia, with the firstdelivery of the 20th over, with England 106-0, Small coming down the pitch attempting to play an expansive shot through mid-wicket, only to get a top edge that Orlando, the Australian keeper, claimed, running towards square-leg. Small out for 44 after 19.1 overs, but England still firmly in the driving seat. Small dismissal
It could have been even worse for England as Radage was dropped later in the over. Mel Hussain came in for England and got off the mark in trademark fashion, flicking Judd off his hips for a couple of runs.
However, what took place in the next 20 minutes or so was baffling to say the least. Judd, knowing that Australia had to take wickets, turned to the man he almost invariably calls upon in these situations, Tony Panecasio, and with just six runs being added since the dismissal of Small, Radage was clean bowled by Panecasio with his first delivery. Radage out for 56, England 112-2 after 20.1 overs. Radage dismissal
The England keeper, Aston, was the next man in for England, and calm heads were required just to get England back on track after those two quick wickets, but Australia were buoyed, and Aston was the next England man out a couple of overs later, when he holed out to Murphy on the deep square-leg boundary off the bowling of Panecasio. Aston out without troubling the scorers, England now 120-3.
So, just as when Australia batted and lost three quick wickets to somewhat check their scoring, England had suffered the same fate, but this was nothing to what was about to befall them. Gordon Lennox joined Hussain, knowing that England, despite losing those quick wickets, were still in a good position, and with the pitch still offering no assistance whatsoever to the bowlers, sensible batting would surely get England to their target of 251, on a big ground where runs were available with judicious running and intelligent shot selection.
However, the England batter’s nerves were well and truly frayed, and just a couple of runs had been added to the total, when Hussain was run out for 11, after an almighty mix-up with Gordon Lennox. Gordon Lennox chopped the ball into the offside straight to Judd, and Gordon Lennox set off running. Gordon Lennox then stopped and returned to his crease as Hussain reached his end. Judd threw to Orlando, who calmly threw to Panecasio, who removed the bails at the bowler’s end. A calamitous dismissal for England, who were now reeling at 122-4 after 24.3 overs. Hussain dismissal
Gaywood, dropping down the order as he had done in Australia to great effect, was the next batter in, but after striking Judd for two boundaries in his over, somehow managed to chip the final ball of the over straight back to Judd, who took a very simple return catch. Gaywood out for eight, England 130-5 after 26 overs. Gaywood dismissal
Shaw, so often a match winner for England, was the next batter in, hoping to steady what was becoming a leaky, creaky England ship. The large crowd that were present, who less than 30 minutes ago were all smiles, were now looking on in utter disbelief, and the situation went from calamitous to downright farce as just three balls later Gordon Lennox played what in the circumstances was a very ill advised shot, attempting to hit Panecasio straight down the ground, only to hole out to Blair stationed at the long-on boundary, Blair taking the catch that went straight to him. The England skipper out for 2, England 130-6 after 26.4 overs. Gordon Lennox dismissal
Deakin, walking out to great applause from his local supporters, joined Shaw in the middle, but the Australians were in no mood to let up, and the fielding, which had been very good prior to England losing those six wickets, became even tighter.
England, from being in a position of total control, had lost six wickets for 24 runs in 7.3 overs and knew they would have an uphill battle from here on in to register the victory.
Deakin struggled to get the ball away, and although Shaw played some fine shots and hit some lusty blows, the run rate was climbing ever higher. England passed the 150 mark in the 34th over. The boundaries were few and far between, and to be perfectly honest, the match as a contest was over. Smith bowled the 40th over, and Deakin smashed the ball towards wide mid-off, only to look on in absolute astonishment as the Australian skipper Judd dived full length to his left to somehow catch the ball as it appeared to be behind him. England took two fantastic catches during the Australian innings, but this one by Judd was right up there in terms of quality and athleticism. Deakin out for a laboured 15 off 46 deliveries, England reduced to 179-7. Deakin dismissal
Ahmed was the next batter in for England, knowing he really had to get on with things, and he hit the first ball he faced from Smith, straight to Stephen Butler at long-on, who took a very well-judged catch diving forward. Ahmed out for nought, England 179-8. Ahmed dismissal
Palmer joined Shaw, and the pair took England past the 200 run mark in the penultimate over, before Shaw was clean bowled by the returning Blair in the final over, Shaw making 45 off 45 deliveries. Shaw dismissal
Watson took a single from his first delivery faced, and Palmer played out the final two deliveries of the innings to leave England after their 45 overs on 206-9, Palmer 10 not out and Watson one not out.
In the end, the margin of victory for Australia was 44 runs, and congratulations to Judd and his team as they go 1-0 up in the series.
Tony Panecasio was adjudged to be the Australian player of the match with bowling figures of 9-3-11-3.
Phil Deakin was recognised by the Australian team as England’s player of the match for his bowling performance of 9-3-21-3.
On behalf of both teams, our thanks go to all at Littleborough CC for all their efforts.
View from the sidelines
Watching England over the past 18 months or so has mostly been a real joy, with some terrific performances; however, the batting frailties that plagued them throughout the ‘Grey Ashes’ series down under last winter came back to haunt them once again.
England did well to restrict Australia to 250 runs, taking three quick wickets at a crucial time, but allowed 40-plus runs from the final five overs. Deakin was the standout bowler for England with his three wickets, backed up with good fielding and two superb catches from Gaywood and Watson, and at the innings interval, the England team must have harboured high hopes of reaching their target of 251.
On a wonderful batting track and with the talented batting lineup England had put out, sensible batting would get them over the line. The pitch seemingly held no terrors, so any thoughts about movement in the air or off the seam would have been to the back of the batsmen’s minds.
A century stand between Small and Radage had England well on top, but as mentioned earlier in this report, England found a way once again to simply implode, handing the initiative and ultimately the game to Australia. Much was made of England losing wickets in clumps on that Australia tour, but the wickets lost during this game owed little to any skill or guile Australia showed, more to the mental frailty that seems to go through the side when put under pressure.
England were still well in the game and ahead even allowing for the loss of Small, but instead of recognising that there were singles and twos to be had by playing sensible cricket shots on a big pitch with long boundaries, batter after batter simply failed to recognise the need for calmness, playing expansive shots when there was no real need to. Add a completely unnecessary run out, and England went from heavy favourites to win, and win comfortably, to underdogs in the space of just over seven overs.
Cricket, whilst played on the pitch, is as much a game played between the ears, and England seemed to ‘fog up’ during that disastrous seven-over spell that saw them lose six wickets.
England have much to ponder before the second ODI takes place next Monday at Fairburn CC, but they should at least take heart that they have demonstrated that they can get in and amongst the Australian batting line-up and cause them problems. The fielding needs to remain at a high level, which was demonstrated for most of the game, and with a bit more care, thought and attention in the batting department, I’m sure England will be able to level up the series.
