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England began an Ashes summer like they rarely have in recent times with a landslide victory over Australia in Southampton. Although it only came in a NatWest Twenty20 contest, the inaugural international in this country, the 100-run winning margin highlighted the supremacy on the day of England, who are now in the strange position of having triumphed in the most recent matches between the sides in three different formats. Victors in the Sydney Test of 2002-03 and in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final at Edgbaston last September, Michael Vaughan's men ruthlessly sliced through the Australian batting with seven wickets in just 20 balls. Veteran Darren Gough narrowly failed to take a hat-trick on the same ground for the second time in three days but his double began an amazing 15-minute spell which rarely had the 15,000 crowd off their feet. New-ball partner Jon Lewis made a dream England debut with four for 24 and only a 36-run stand for the eighth wicket between Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee averted total disaster. Nevertheless, Australia succumbed for just 79, the second lowest Twenty20 score in England, after the hosts piled up a challenging total on a notoriously bowler-friendly Rose Bowl surface. It will be of little significance when the Ashes begins on July 21 but it will be a psychological boost ahead of the NatWest campaigns. As has been the case since his introduction to the top level last winter, Hampshire's Kevin Pietersen refused to exit centre stage, providing the early momentum with a thunderous 34, from only 18 deliveries, and hauling in three smart catches at the head of the reply, two from successive Gough deliveries. Pietersen shared a 51-run stand with Marcus Trescothick, who played intelligently in support, before the under-rated Paul Collingwood rattled off a stunning 46, which occupied only 26 balls. It was Durham's Collingwood who found a breakthrough against the only serious Australian resistance, finishing with two for eight, before county colleague Steve Harmison gave the encounter a fitting last word by rearranging Glenn McGrath's stumps. Prior to the game, captains Vaughan and Ricky Ponting insisted despite it bearing little significance on the one-day encounters ahead this opener was to be taken seriously rather than the slap-happy way the New Zealanders, who sported wigs and retro gear, treated the only previous 20-over international. Twelve sixes flew from Australian bats in their 44-run win that day and when Adam Gilchrist flayed in usual fashion it appeared only a matter of time for a first maximum - it never arrived. One slice off Gough landed inches from the rope at third man but having raced to 23 without loss in the third over, the mayhem began when Gilchrist skied to mid-on. Moments later, 34-year-old Gough, who claimed a hat-trick against a Hampshire XI in a warm-up match on Saturday, had the chance to repeat the feat when Matthew Hayden walked down the wicket and smited a pull which merely looped into the leg-side for Pietersen to complete the dismissal running back from midwicket. Andrew Symonds negated the opportunity for three in three by shouldering a short ball but the remarkable flurry of wickets continued apace with Lewis claiming Michael Clarke, caught behind by wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, standing up to the wicket, and Symonds held by Pietersen at midwicket to make it four wickets in six balls. Faced with the prospect of a repair job, something the Australians are seldom required to do, they folded. Mike Hussey and Damien Martyn edged to solitary slips off Gough and Lewis respectively either side of Ponting's miscue to extra-cover which was gobbled up at the second attempt by Vikram Solanki. When Brett Lee opened up the first of many Anglo-Australian encounters this summer with balls in excess of 90 miles per hour which regularly whistled past the outside edge, a low-scoring game seemed in the offing. England began at snail's pace, scoring just six runs from the opening two overs, two of those from a free hit which Jones spiralled high to midwicket where he was caught by Hussey in the process of running two. The tempo increased considerably thereafter despite the loss of Jones and Andrew Flintoff, the first of England's heavy artillery, who took up only five deliveries. That led to the entrance of 24-year-old Pietersen, whose brute strength resulted in three booming fours while a huge blow from the bowling of Gillespie rattled into the stands at long-on. Ambition accounted for England's newest batting star, however, as he picked out deep extra-cover off Clarke's left-arm spin in the 11th over. England had reached three figures by that point but got stuck in a rut against the Australian slow bowlers as only 10 were collected in three overs for the loss of Trescothick and Vaughan to Symonds. A brilliant diving catch by counterpart Ponting, at mid-on, accounted for Vaughan while Trescothick swept to deep square-leg where Hussey held high above his head. Confronted with a collapse of three wickets for nine runs while spinners Clarke and Symonds operated in tandem, Collingwood played perhaps his canniest innings yet in England's blue and red. He refused to panic, scampering singles and employing an ability to hit the ball into unusual areas to strike five fours as well as thrashed leg-side sixes off Clarke and Gillespie, whose penultimate over cost 17. |
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Australian cricket team loses its lustre - Monday, 20 June , 2005 08:24:00 Reporter: Rafael Epstein PETER CAVE: After suffering humiliation at the hands of Bangladesh the day before, Australia's cricketers have been beaten by those who love to beat them the most – the Poms. Australia had scored nine for 252 off its 50 overs, the home side reached the target in the 48th over for the loss of seven wickets. It's only one-day cricket, not a test, but the English are already talking as though the era of Australian domination is over. Rafael Epstein reports. RAFAEL EPSTEIN: Close your eyes and you could have been in Australia. The thermometer's over 30 degrees, people are in the garden or their local park, and cricket's on the radio, with the ABC's Jim Maxwell joining in the BBC's radio coverage. JIM MAXWELL: So it's the perfect English day here, a full house, a glorious summer's day, and quite a contest that we've been enjoying… RAFAEL EPSTEIN: But the script this summer has changed radically. The once invincible Australians were defeated by Bangladesh on Saturday with newspaper headlines like "arrogant Aussies humbled in the biggest upset in the game's history", and "finally the home team have humiliated the Aussies on English soil" – the team England reveres and had never really hoped to defeat until now. SPORTS COMMENTATOR: And there's a fumble, that rather sums it up. (Sound of cheering) A famous victory, by three wickets they have defeated Australia when Australia looked to be home. RAFAEL EPSTEIN: For the English, who at one stage had taken three Australian wickets for no runs, it's as though the sporting universe has been turned upside down, with thanks due to bowler, Stephen Harmison, who took five for 33, and South African born batsman, Kevin Pietersen, whose handful of one day innings have left him with an average of 162.25. SPORTS COMMENTATOR: He did a pirouette there with his bat raised, Australians giving him the credit, waiting for him to walk off, they're applauding him from the field… as England win an extraordinary game, a remarkable game. RAFAEL EPSTEIN: Australian Captain, Ricky Ponting, who scored one run in two days, was left sounding like his opposition has so many times – struggling for something to salvage out of a loss. RICKY PONTING: Oh, I thought today was a lot better. We uh, we competed a lot better today. We uh, we were in a good position in the game actually with 10 or 12 overs to go and we fell over at the end, but, oh, I think we showed glimpses of how good we are today. We've still got a bit of improvement to come obviously. All we have to do, I guess, is make it to the final of this competition, that's all we have to do, so win a couple of games along the way and we'll see how we go. RAFAEL EPSTEIN: How often does Michael Vaughan get to talk about his players against Australia with terms like best catch he's ever seen and an innings of genius? MICHAEL VAUGHAN: It was, it's a good day, it's good to win. The momentum's (inaudible) and must continue, a good day for England, you know, but it's only one victory, we've got a long summer ahead of us. RAFAEL EPSTEIN: For a feel for how the British view this victory, listen to this exchange on Sky TV. INTERVIEWEE: But the balance of power has shifted in this game today. INTERVIEWER: That cloak of invincibility has been whipped away, hasn't it? INTERVIEWEE: It has, there's no doubt about it. People looking at Australia in a very, very different light, and perhaps more importantly, the Australians are looking at themselves in a different light. They're very demoralised as far as England are concerned. INTERVIEWER: Pete, thanks very much and all England supporters know how the Aussies are feeling right now, but let's enjoy it while we can. RAFAEL EPSTEIN: As Britain's weather heats up, it's getting more and more difficult for any Australian in England to avoid the jeering and cajoling every time someone notices your accent. |