Toughest day at the office

NEW Australian captain Tim Paine called it his toughest day ever in cricket but said the record 242- run loss to England could be the harsh cricketing lesson which shapes the team’s way forward.

Shock reverberated through the Aussie dressing room at Trent Bridge after the home team obliterated the bowling attack in racking up a new world record score of 6- 481 less than 12 months out from the next World Cup.

Australia used eight bowlers but none could curb the incredible power of centurymakers Jonny Bairstow ( 139) and Alex Hales ( 147) or the brute force of English captain Eoin Morgan who swatted six sixes in his 30- ball innings of 67.

The four frontline Australian bowlers all went for more than 70 runs. AJ Tye, who hit a $ 1.4 million payday in the recent IPL auction, was dealt with the most savagely. His return of 0- 100, off only nine overs, was just the second instance of an Australia bowler going for three figures, behind Mick Lewis who conceded 113 in Johannesburg in 2006.

Australia now join a list that includes Bermuda, Namibia and Hong Kong, who have all lost one- day internationals by more than 240 runs and the defeat, Australia’s biggest in 47 years of one- day cricket, was the 12th biggest of all time.

“I’ve been playing cricket since I was a kid and that is the hardest day’s cricket I have ever had in my life,” Paine said after the match.

“Everything we tried didn’t work, everything they tried came off. Normally that hap- pens for an hour or two then you get a couple of wickets.

“But for it to happen as long as it did, you have to take your hat off. They struck the ball as well as I have ever seen.”

Paine said he did his best to keep the strike bowlers, who only have between three and eight games of international one- day experience, as calm as possible but conceded there was little they could do to stop the onslaught.

“When we are out there it’s all about staying as calm and as clear as possible and that can be really difficult for a bowler when you are getting smacked around the ground and the crowd is going berserk, it can be hard to stay on track. Even the simplest plans can be forgotten,” Paine said.

Coach Justin Langer really has nowhere to turn from a bowling perspective, and the attack, which has now conceded 824 runs in two games, will have to front up again in Durban.

Spinner Nathan Lyon, who is yet to play in the series, could come in to help steady the ship now the series is lost.