Alex Carey (74) top-scored as Australia were 270 all out; Jamie Smith (49) fell one short of a half-century in England's chase; Australia go 2-0 up in five-match series; watch the third ODI live on Sky Sports Cricket from 12pm on Tuesday September 24 (first ball, 12.30pm)
Saturday 21 September 2024 21:59, UK
Australia sealed a comprehensive 68-run victory over England in the second ODI at Headingley to go 2-0 up in the five-match series.
Chasing 271 for victory, England's top-order collapsed to 65-5 against a rampant Australian attack as Ben Duckett (32) and Liam Livingstone (0) were removed in successive deliveries.
Jamie Smith (49) led a recovery but fell agonisingly short of his half-century and while Adil Rashid added 27, Australia romped to victory bowling England out for 202 in 41 overs.
England had made the most of winning the toss by dismissing the dangerous Travis Head (29) early and then initiated a middle-order collapse which saw the visitors bowled out for 270 inside 45 overs.
Rashid (2-42) claimed his 200th ODI wicket - the third-fastest spinner to reach that feat - by removing Glenn Maxwell cheaply (7) with Steve Smith (4) also unable to make an impact.
However, captain Mitchell Marsh added 60 runs to the tally and a late cameo from Alex Carey (74) helped Australia post a defendable total, boosting their hopes late in their innings.
Brydon Carse (3-75) finished with a three-wicket haul while 20-year-old Jacob Bethell (2-33) and 25-year-old Matthew Potts (2-30) took two wickets apiece.
Australia's win means they will have their first chance to wrap up a series win at Durham on Tuesday, live on Sky Sports.
Chasing a modest target of 271, England started aggressively with opener Phil Salt (12) collecting back-to-back boundaries off Mitchell Starc (3-50) who returned to a strengthened Australian attack.
Salt was dropped on eight by Matt Short at first slip but nicked Hazlewood behind to Carey costing the tourists only four runs for the mistake before Starc found the outside edge of Will Jacks' (0) bat, dismissing him for a golden duck.
Harry Brook was unable to play a captain’s knock on his home turf after a yorker from Starc trapped him leg-before leaving the hosts three down by the seventh over.
In the final over of the powerplay, Aaron Hardie (2-26) removed opener Duckett (32) and Livingstone (0) in consecutive deliveries. The England opener toe-ended a slower ball back to Hardie who completed a brilliant one-handed grab before having Livingstone caught behind with England on 65-5.
Smith (49) and Bethell (25) added 55 runs in a recovering partnership that took England to 120-5 but the latter caught a leading edge of Maxwell that ballooned into Starc’s safe hands at backward square.
Smith was the next to go after he flicked Hazlewood to mid-wicket where substitute fielder Jake Fraser-McGurk completed the catch, while Carse was caught at long-off by Hardie.
Rashid (27) and Potts (7no) frustrated Australia’s bowlers with their 25-run partnership but Maxwell and Starc combined to mop up the tail.
Earlier, Short (29) and Head (29) made a sedate start to Australia’s innings sharing a 46-run opening partnership but England’s bowlers took advantage of the cloudy skies and reduced the tourists to 89-3 within 14 overs.
Carse (3-75) was the first to strike earning the prized scalp of Head (29) who failed to build on his deadly 154no in the first ODI, after pulling the pace bowler to deep backward square.
Short (29) briefly fought back, peppering Olly Stone (1-46) for three consecutive boundaries before edging a wide ball from Potts (2-30) to Smith.
Potts struck again in his following over with a brilliant full in-swinger that flattened Steve Smith’s (4) off-stump.
Marsh (60) and Marnus Labuschagne (19) added stability to the innings with their 56-run partnership with the Australian captain bringing up a 47-ball fifty with a maximum.
Bethell (2-33) broke the stand with a half-tracker that Labuschagne clubbed straight to mid-on and, in his following over, trapped the captain lbw to leave the opposition on a precarious 151-5.
Maxwell (7) was brought into the side to add some impetus to the batting line-up, but only managed seven runs before he carelessly picked out Bethell at deep mid-wicket off Rashid.
Carse was initially expensive going for 16 runs in the 13th over but made up for it when he removed Hardie for 23 and Starc for a golden duck, leaving Australia faltering on 216-7 on a batting-friendly wicket.
Zampa (3) was removed by his counterpart Rashid in the following over when he cracked a back-of-a-length delivery to Stone.
Carey (74) arrived at the crease to the sound of the Western Terrace chanting ‘same old Aussies, always cheating’, after his key role in the infamous stumping of Jonny Bairstow during last year's Ashes, with the mission of recusing his side from 221-9.
Ironically, the Australian wicketkeeper played a very Ben Stokes-like knock, hitting eight boundaries and three sixes during his late onslaught, dragging the tourists to 270 before he was caught at deep cover off Stone.
Watch England vs Australia in the third ODI live on Sky Sports Cricket from 12pm on Tuesday September 24 (first ball, 12.30pm) and stream contract-free with NOW.
