Ponting master class makes it 5-0 for Aussies

By Rahul Bajaj
for Cricketain.com

Published: September 16, 2009

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Nottingham: Ricky Ponting scored a sublime century to power his team to a four-wicket win over England as Australia took a 5-0 lead in the seven match series.

Australia have already lost the No.1 test spot after losing the Ashes series and nothing short of a 7-0 whitewash will get them their No.1 ODI spot back and they are well on their way for that. Chasing a challenging target of 300 to win, Ponting scored 126 — his highest ODI score against England — and took Australia to a comfortable position before he was dismissed with the score at 261 in the 44^th over.

Ponting got the able support of his deputy, Michael Clarke, as the two put together 133 runs for the 3^rd wicket after the tourists had lost openers Tim Paine (16) and Shane Watson (36) in the first 15 overs. Clarke (52) was dismissed as he couldn’t clear the man at square-leg and was caught by Owais Shah off the bowling of Adil Rashid.

England then had a chance to come back into the game as Michael Hussey (6) also fell soon but Australia’s find of the series, Callum Ferguson (17), along with Ponting, took the team within striking distance with a 29-run partnership. Both Ponting and Ferguson fell to Broad in the 44^th over but it was a little too late by then with Australia needing just 39 runs in the last six overs with the batting power play still available.

Cameron White (24 not out) and Mitchell Johnson (18 not out) finished up the game without any more hiccups as Australia reached home comfortably with 10 balls to spare.

Earlier, England skipper Andrew Strauss won the toss and elected to bat first. England’s batting has been their biggest worry throughout the series but they managed to put up a very competitive 299 on the board this time around thanks to the former Irish batsmen Eoin Morgan who made 58 off just 41 balls with four boundaries and three maximum’s.

England were yet again given a very good start by Strauss and Denly as the two put together 61 for the first wicket in just 13.1 overs before Strauss (35) was dismissed lbw to Hauritz. Ravi Bopara’s struggle against Australia continued when, on 18, he hoisted Bracken straight to Hauritz at deep square leg.

England then saw 95 for two become 105 for three when Joe Denly, who’d been batting well, tried to manufacture a shot off Johnson and holed out for 45. Matt Prior and Owais Shah’s stand of 67 in 60 deliveries provided some stability to the England innings before Prior was stumped for 37 by opposing wicketkeeper Tim Paine off the under-rated Hauritz, whose two for 54 made him Australia’s leading bowler of the innings.

England were 165 for four and yet again in danger of failing to make a decent score when Morgan came to the crease. But Eoin Morgan’s maiden One-day international fifty powered England to a score of 299 but even that didn’t prove to be enough.

England’s middle-order resurgence may not have come in time to save the series for the hosts, but it will provide the team management with a sense of optimism ahead of the Champions Trophy starting later this month in South Africa.

Brief Scores:

Australia 302 for 6 (Ponting 126, Clarke 52, Broad 2-57) beat England 299 (Morgan 58, Hauritz 2-54) by four wickets

Man of the Match: Ricky Ponting

Tagged with: Adil Rashid, Andrew Strauss, Australia, Callum Ferguson, Cameron White, England, Eoin Morgan, Joe Denly, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Nottingham, Ravi Bopara, Ricky Ponting, Shane Watson, Stuart Broad, Tim Paine, Trent Bridge

Ponting master class makes it 5-0 for Aussies

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