180! Record-breaking Roy smashes Aussies
Jason smashes Aussies with record 180 as Ashes are consigned to history
This was the perfect stage for England to complete their transformation from World Cup embarrassments to a team capable of inheriting Australia’s crown.
such was the clinical nature of England’s performance in equalling their record chase overseas that it was hard to believe this was the same core of players who ignominiously exited at the group stage when the best 50-over teams on the planet gathered here a little under three years ago.
Back then 180 was a score England would have killed for as they prodded and poked their way to defeat by runners-up New Zealand. Now they have batsmen capable of taking that many off the world champions at one of their strongholds on their own.
The progress made in limited-overs cricket under coach Trevor Bayliss far outstrips that in five-day cricket and shows no signs of abating. in fact, on this evidence it could be accelerating.
On the eve of this contest, England one-day captain Eoin Morgan reiterated his mantra of all-out attack and challenged a tour squad given impetus by a fresh batch of players to put the 4-0 Ashes defeat behind them.
The next stage in the development of his team, he said, was to win regularly away.
Where better to start the process than in Melbourne, where the two most recent meetings of these fierce cricket rivals had featured Aaron Finch hundreds in landslide Australian successes. Courtesy of Jason Roy’s destructive, record-breaking ton they did so, with five wickets intact and seven balls to spare, after Finch had made it three in three to keep up his personal sequence.
This performance consigned to history the Test woes that dogged England until a week ago. it matched the 305-run target successfully negotiated against Pakistan in Karachi 18 years ago. No team had knocked off so many in an ODi at the MCG before.
On an individual level, the 27-yearold Roy claimed the bragging rights by surpassing the 171 team-mate Alex hales blasted against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in 2016.
shrugging off a barren Big Bash return of 62 runs in six innings, Roy crashed 16 fours and five sixes from 151 balls, turning the pace of Mitchell starc and Pat Cummins that terrorised England’s batsmen during the Ashes to his advantage in a blistering assault against the new ball.
Quite simply, the faster it came down, the quicker it flew to the rope or beyond during a high-octane start in which the England fifty came up in just 4.2 overs.
sure, Roy rode his luck, but there were strokes of high finesse, too, as England showed they are a totally different proposition to the 2015 outfit who exited the World Cup here in such meek fashion. Even when Jonny Bairstow and hales — back from an ECB suspension to bat at three — were dismissed in quick succession there was no sense of panic.
Roy did get twitchy when, after shelling 87 runs in the first powerplay, Australia went 10 overs without conceding a boundary. But Joe Root at the other end acted as the calming influence, stroking a barely-noticed unbeaten half-century after recovering from dehydration and viral gastroenteritis during last week’s fifth Test.
A fortuitous flick to fine leg off Cummins got Roy going again.
After successfully reviewing a legbefore decision awarded to leg-spinner Adam Zampa on 91, he launched the next ball over long on. he completed his 92-ball hundred with a three off debutant seamer Andrew Tye, then went into overdrive.
Roy eventually succumbed to a tired heave at starc with England 24 short of their target. Although Morgan and Jos Buttler fell cheaply, it was far too little, too late for an Australia team who have now won just once in eight matches in this format.
Earlier, the sight of Mark Wood tearing in after England had asked Australia to bat at the start of the five-match Gillette series provoked thoughts of what might have been in the Ashes had he been match fit.
Wood’s opening delivery seared past David Warner’s nose, the third was nearly caught by Morgan at cover point from an unconvincing cut, and the fifth ballooned skywards for Joe Root to complete the dismissal, running in from second slip.
Although Wood set the tone in an opening spell that included a delivery clocked at 93.33mph — the second fastest delivery by an England bowler all tour — Morgan will expect better from the rest of his attack as the series progresses.
Australia captain steve smith, England’s Ashes nemesis, feathered an inside edge from an innocuous delivery in a scruffy opening over from Adil Rashid and there was good fortune about Travis head’s dismissal too, via a chop-on.
The change in tempo suited Moeen Ali, who bowled with great control and broke a century stand between Finch and Mitchell Marsh, forcing a rash shot following six successive dot balls.
When Marsh followed soon after for 50, Australia had to reset their goals, although Marcus stoinis’s 40-ball 60 got them to more than a run a ball.
still, with Roy in this mood it was never going to be enough.