WATSON MAULS MEEK ENGLAND

Aussie veteran gives hosts reality check

ENGLAND’S oneday revolution was rudely interrupted by an Australian counter- insurgency on a topsy-turvy evening on the south coast.

The tourists recovered twice en route to a 59-run win which underlined their status as world champions and left Eoin Morgan’s side needing to win at Lord’s on Saturday to avoid going 2- 0 down in this five-match series.

First wicketkeeper Matthew Wade cracked an impish 71 not out from 50 balls to lift Australia from a perilous 193 for six to a challenging 305.

Then, with England well placed at 152 for two after Jason Roy’s best innings at this level, Australia’s seamers induced a string of misjudgments. Almost before England knew what was going on, they were all out for 246 — not so much a brave new era as an unwelcome stumble down memory lane.

Morgan has repeatedly insisted that his young side had progressed more quickly during the thrilling 3-2 win over New Zealand in June than he had dared hope. The implication was clear: don’t get too excited. Not yet, anyway.

As if to prove his point, a line-up that badly missed the class of Joe Root, who is being rested, crumbled under the Southampton lights.

‘I said before the series that we’d have to play really well to beat them and we didn’t do enough today,’ said Morgan. ‘This will be a big part of our learning curve. In a year’s time we’d be expecting to chase that down more often than not.

‘Australia put us under the pump, but I think we’re a better side than that.’

The rot set in when James Taylor, in his first international since captaining England in Dublin in May, charged at Shane Watson and was bowled for an enterprising 49.

A scratchy innings from Ben Stokes was ended on 13 when he flicked Mitchell Starc to midwicket, before Morgan was caught behind down the leg side for 38, flapping at a short ball from Watson.

That left England 194 for five. Three balls later, they were 194 for seven. Jos Buttler, after a miserable Ashes, chipped Nathan Coulter-Nile to midoff, and Chris Woakes, a surprise inclusion ahead of David Willey, went for a golden duck. For a capacity crowd of almost 22,000, there was little left to cheer.

Earlier, the Australian innings had promised plenty, then stumbled, before recovering to a total that was just about par in this summer of run- laden one-day cricket. During the series against New Zealand, the average score batting first had been 348. So there didn’t seem to be anything too daunting about Australia’s total — even taking into account the new fielding restrictions aimed at helping the bowlers.

From 133 for one in the 28th over, they might have managed more, only for a clever spell of leg-spin bowling from Adil Rashid to peg them back. While the Yorkshireman waits for what feels like an inevitable Test debut in Abu Dhabi in October, he continues to make useful contributions in England’s one-day blue.

Having already ended Australia’s opening stand of 76 with a return catch from a low full-toss to dismiss Joe Burns, he out-thought David Warner, on 59, with a googly that was skewed to Woakes at backward point.

Rashid burgled the crucial wicket of Steve Smith, who mowed a full-toss to Stokes at deep midwicket for 44, then skilfully trapped George Bailey leg before.

He now had 15 balls left to become the first English leg- spinner to claim an international five- for since Tommy Greenhough in 1959 — but had to settle for figures of four for 59, the best by a slow bowler in a one-day international at the Ageas Bowl.

Briefly, Australia threatened to fall apart. Mark Wood had Glenn Maxwell strangled down leg for 15, and when Watson was sold down the river by Wade’s call for a single, they had slipped to 193 for six with 13 overs to go.

Wade then set about atoning for his error, hustling well in an unbroken stand of 112 with Mitchell Marsh as England’s outfielding began to creak.

Alex Hales and Roy (left) began with a quick 70, and Roy was doing a passable impression of his idol Kevin Pietersen until he wristed a drive to point and fell for 67.

But the ball was starting to zip around, and Australia were soon reminding everyone why they, and not England, are top of the one- day rankings. Nobody said revolutions were straightforward.