England has left the horrors of Ashes defeat behind to begin the One-Day International series on high by beating Australia by 5 wickets in Melbourne’s series opener on Sunday. England has turned out to be a powerhouse in this format and didn’t disappoint their fans by registering the highest successful chase at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Opted to bowl after winning the toss, England went off to a good start as Mark Wood removed David Warner with a beauty. However, his partner Aaron Finch was in some mood today and kept the innings while wickets were tumbling at the other end. Finch found a good partner in Mitchell Marsh, who stretched his good form of Ashes here as well to notch up his personal fifty.
Finch’s 9th ODI hundred and Marcus Stoinis’ power-hitting took Australia to 304 at the end of their 50 overs. England had a big challenge in front to achieve, but boy they did it very comfortably.
Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow took their team off to a flier by a flurry of boundaries before latter threw his wicket away with a poor shot. Comeback man Alex Hales’ stay was last for three balls, where he faced a dot, a four and gave his wicket. Outcomes Joe Root in the middle and he shared a record 221-run stand for the third wicket.
Australia found three wickets towards the end of this chase but that was way too late for them as Roy’s 180 snatched the game away from their reach.
