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Aussies overpower hapless England | |
(about 3 hours later) | |
England were left facing an early exit from the Champions Trophy after a six-wicket hammering by Australia. | |
Their batting failed again in Jaipur, as only Ian Bell (43) and Andrew Strauss (56) shone in a total of 169. | |
Damien Martyn (78) then timed the ball superbly to punish some woeful bowling, particularly from Steve Harmison. | |
Sajid Mahmood and James Anderson did reduce Australia to 34-3 but Mike Hussey, who hit a patient 32, saw them home with nearly 13 overs to spare. | |
Even a victory over West Indies is now unlikely to secure England a semi-final place - and few would argue they deserve one after a second successive collapse. | |
They were shot out for 125 by India at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium last Sunday and failed to improve significantly on a better surface. | |
Bell proved he was in the right mood for the Ashes Test series, finding the middle of the bat regularly to punish any error in line from Australia. | |
Only excellent fielding prevented him picking up more than seven boundaries in his 60-ball knock, although Martyn dropped a straightforward chance at long-off off Glenn McGrath when he was on 23. | |
But once the young right-hander drove Shane Watson to Mike Hussey at cover the Aussies called pretty much all the shots. | |
Kevin Pietersen was promoted ahead of skipper Andrew Flintoff but both gave away their wickets to Mitchell Johnson and Watson - who finished with three wickets each - after being softened up by short deliveries. | |
Martyn punished some woeful bowling as Australia cantered home | |
Strauss was never at his fluent best, with opportunities to cut and pull limited, and after reaching his 12th one-day off 78 balls edged Andrew Symonds to wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist. | |
Michael Yardy was unlucky to be given out down the leg-side off Watson but Jamie Dalrymple and Chris Read deserved little sympathy for tame dismissals. | |
England's indiscipline carried over to new-ball pair Anderson and Mahmood, who provided a steady diet of loose deliveries for Gilchrist and Watson to latch on to. | |
It took a floodlight failure to disturb the Australians' concentration and Mahmood profited to knock out Gilchrist's off-stump and induce an edge from Ricky Ponting, who went for a single. | |
When Watson (21) missed an ugly attempted pull and was bowled by Anderson, England sensed the game might still be theirs for the taking. | |
But Martyn doused their collective fire with a high-class innings, studded with wristy strokes and magnificent placement. | |
Harmison's first three deliveries were dispatched for fours as he conceded 26 off two overs and Mahmood also came in for severe punishment. | |
With Hussey content to play a risk-free supporting role, Martyn celebrated his 35th birthday by reaching his fifty off, appropriately enough, 35 balls. | |
He gave one difficult chance to Collingwood at point off Anderson before edging Harmison behind - but the damage had been well and truly done by then. |