NO RUSHING THEM
After 64 days, and 4,263 runs conceded, England manage to beat Australia
IT HAS been a long time coming, but following months of unmitigated misery England finally had s o methi n g to celebrate yesterday. Alastair Cook’s side ended a run of nine defeats against Australia with their f i rst i nternational victory of this miserable tour.
Cook started the day by saying he was ‘desperate’ to carry on captaining England in Test and one-day cricket, then saw his team save him from becoming the captain who led them to a recordequalling number of successive defeats by the old enemy.
This may mean l i ttle i n the context of a 5-0 Ashes thrashing and a 50-over series defeat but it meant the world to England to win this fourth one-day international by 57 runs, even against an Australia team without Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, David Warner and Shane Watson.
England could argue that they too were without several firstchoice players as they triumphed at the same WACA ground where they relinquished the Ashes.
At the heart of this victory were two young players who will be central to England’s rebuilding plans.
If they can take nothing else from this tour, England can be encouraged by the development of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes, who led the way here as the tourists for once produced a near perfect oneday performance.
Stokes followed his breakthrough hundred in the third Test at the WACA with another display of power and judgment on the same gr ound. Then t he Durham all-rounder, who suffered more than anyone at the hands of James Faulkner in the heartbreaking defeat at the Gabba, showed his character by taking four wickets in Australia’s vain chase of England’s 316 for eight.
Cook got England off to an impressive start, threatening at l ast t o make a s ubstantial contribution by smashing eight fours in an opening stand of 87 with the equally fluent Ian Bell that came off just 74 balls.
Yet Cook tried to slog- sweep Glenn Maxwell, who was again treated with far too much respect, and was bowled.
England’s one- day game plan relies heavily on at least one batsman anchoring the innings and making a century but it was in danger of backfiring again when Bell and Stokes fell short.
Eoin Morgan and Buttler had taken England to 300 at the Gabba and the pair of brilliant shot-making innovators again provided the rescue act.
Buttler, surely a candidate for England’s Test team, played the leading role in a stand of 71 off 45 balls. His 71 came off 43 balls and included four sixes as 69 runs came off the last six overs.
He then showed he is becoming a more than capable keeper with five catches, including the skyer that gave England victory.
‘They are the guys gy who will take this side f orward,’ said Cook. ‘They will have tough times but t there’s a lot of f talent there.
‘Stokesey had da tough l ast t over in Brisbane e but there was s no stopping him m wanting to bowl l in those last 10. . He i mproved d from Brisbane, , and if he keeps s on that curve e and is able to o dust himself off f when i t goes wrong he’s going to be a hell of a cricketer.
‘I’ve seen Jos do that a huge a mount for Somerset. He’ll be the first to o admit he took k his time to find d his feet in inter--national cricket, , but he’s worked d hard and he’s adapted his shots to make sure he can do the damage at the end.’
Mitchell Johnson conceded 72 runs from 10 wicketless overs, and Australia needed to emulate their record one-day run chase in Bris- b bane i f England were to equal their worst sequence of losses, in 1993 and 2 2001. While opener Aaron Finch was scoring his second century of this series, Australia had hope. But Tim Bresnan had Finch caught at third man and Stokes confirmed England’s superiority by dismissing Faulkner before giv- ing him a send-off that earned a rebuke from the umpires.
Cook will excuse him that. This victory, which knocks Australia off the top of the world rankings after a reign of just two days, means he will go to Adelaide for tomorrow’s final 50-over match in much better heart.