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Together they shared eight wickets, using spin with intelligence, to put a clamp on England’s supply of boundaries, raising frustration among the home side’s batters and bringing about the loss of 8-102 in as many balls. England found themselves being bowled out with two deliveries remaining.
Jofra Archer was revved up for his first ODI spells in 18 months, but found the going harder after looking sharp in the early overs. Mitchell Marsh fell to Matthew Potts for 10, and Head was nearly caught on when he’d made only six: Brydon Carse was in too far from the boundary and could not hold on to a one hander.
That reprieve helped to kick Head into gear, and No.3 Smith showed plenty of aggression in his first meeting with Archer since the 2019 Ashes, hooking one short ball for six albeit with more top edge than middle. His departure for 32 was followed by another useful contribution from Cameron Green, meaning that by the time Labuschagne came to the middle, the Australians were over halfway there.
What followed for England was the same sort of sinking feeling that overcame India in Ahmedabad last November. Once established at the crease, Head’s eye is supreme, and in Labuschagne he had a busy partner who has spent plenty of time batting in England this season.
“Head is a serious player,” said Marcus Trescothick, England’s interim coach. “Sometimes ‘width’ is even middle-and-off stump for him because he creates that room so well.”
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Head’s hundred arrived, a milestone he marked by popping his helmet on top of his bat handle, and he removed almost all doubt about the result by clubbing four boundaries off Carse in the 34th over, leaving 96 runs to get at a run a ball.
Head and Labuschagne would need just 60 of those. The remainder of the chase was gobbled up with plenty of style by two players in the prime of their international journeys, handing Australia a 13th ODI win in succession. England, with new white-ball coach Brendon McCullum looking on from some time at home in New Zealand, have some catching up to do.
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