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The players also received one demerit point each for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Sep-2018Pakistan’s Hasan Ali and Afghanistan’s Asghar Afghan and Rashid Khan have all been fined 15% of their match fees for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct in separate incidents during their Super Four clash in the Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi on Friday. One demerit point was subsequently added to their disciplinary records. It took Afghan’s demerit-points count to two, having already received one in February 2017, within a period of two years.Hasan and Asghar were found to have violated Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”, while Rashid breached Article 2.1.7, which relates to “using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batsman upon his/her dismissal during an international match.”Hasan was penalised for threatening to throw the ball towards Hashmatullah Shahidi, after the batsman had driven it back to the bowler, in the 33rd over of Afghanistan’s innings.Afghan was pulled up for brushing shoulders with Hasan, the bowler, while completing a single four overs later.The incident involving Rashid came in the 47th over of Pakistan’s tense 258 chase, when the legspinner gave Asif Ali a send-off, holding his index finger up and staring into the eyes of the batsman.After the game, all the three players admitted to the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by match referee Andy Pycroft.

Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura has been suspended for two ODIs for maintaining a slow over-rate during the first ODI against Pakistan in Lahore

ESPNcricinfo staff27-May-2015Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura has been suspended for two ODIs for maintaining a slow over-rate during the first one-dayer against Pakistan in Lahore. He will now miss Zimbabwe’s final two ODIs against Pakistan in Lahore.Zimbabwe were ruled to be three overs short when time allowances were taken into consideration. ICC remote match referee Roshan Mahanama handed Chigumbura two suspension points while each of his players received a 40 percent fine (10 percent for each of the first two overs and 20 per cent for the third over), according to the ICC Code of Conduct.If the actual over-rate is more than two overs short in an ODI or a T20 international, such an offence is considered a serious over-rate offence under the Code. If Chigumbura is found guilty of a second serious over-rate offence in an ODI over the next 12 months, he will receive a sanction of between two and eight suspension points.Chigumbura pleaded guilty to the charge and there was no formal hearing.

Pace bowler Mark Footitt and opening batsman Billy Godleman guided Derbyshire to a seven-wicket win over Gloucestershire at Bristol.

Press Association29-Apr-2015
ScorecardMark Footitt took six second-innings wickets•PA Photos

Pace bowler Mark Footitt and opening batsman Billy Godleman guided Derbyshire to a seven-wicket win over Gloucestershire at Bristol.Footitt took three of the last four Gloucestershire wickets to fall on the final day to finish with 6 for 94 and a match haul of 9 for 166. Hamish Marshall, with 79, and James Fuller, who made 51, put on 94 for the seventh Gloucestershire wicket, but both were dismissed by Footitt as the hosts were bowled out for 411.Set 142 to win in a minimum of 53 overs, Godelman made 51 as Derbyshire secured their first four-day victory of the summer and handed Gloucestershire their first defeat.Gloucestershire began the day on 253 for 6 and a draw did not look out of the question as Marshall and Fuller took advantage of good batting conditions.

Floodlights approved

Gloucestershire have been granted planning permission to install floodlights at Bristol after the city council approved plans on review.
Floodlights were essential for Bristol to stage World Cup matches in 2019, of which they have been allocated three games, and further international cricket.
“This decision finally allows us to realise our ambitions to bring international cricket to Bristol,” Will Brown, Gloucestershire chief executive said.
“We would like to thank everyone who has helped us develop these plans, particularly our neighbours whom we have continued to work with since February.
“We will continue to work with them and officers to ensure the Floodlight Management Plan is in place before we start using the lights.
“We will now work towards installing the lights ahead of the start of the 2016 season.”

Fuller dominated the stand with nine fours in his 76-ball half-century, most of which were driven through the covers. He was eventually undone by a perfect inswinger from Footitt, which clipped the top of middle and off stumps.Marshall’s four hours of resistance ended two overs later when he fell victim to Martin Guptill’s third brilliant catch of the innings, as the New Zealander snaffled a square drive from Marshall high above his head at backward point.Craig Miles and Liam Norwell added 45 for the ninth wicket before the innings was wrapped up shortly after lunch. Norwell edged a drive to wickeketkeeper Harvey Hosein to give Footitt his sixth wicket, before Matt Taylor fell to another backward point catch by Guptill, this time off Shiv Thakor. Miles was left unbeaten on 31, having struck five fours.Godleman and Ben Slater ensured Derbyshire’s victory chase would be a straightforward one with an opening stand of 81, in which Godleman played much more freely than his fellow left-hander. Slater fell for 25 when he carved a delivery from Norwell to Will Tavare at point. From the next ball, Godelman edged Taylor to Chris Dent at second slip, having struck seven fours in his 62-ball innings.Derbyshire skipper Wayne Madsen joined first-innings double centurion Guptill in the middle and pair upped the tempo with a stand of 52 in six overs. Guptill, who hit 11 sixes in the first innings, struck three more in his unbeaten 31, all of which came in an over from Fuller.Madsen cracked five fours in his 20 before Fuller had him caught at second slip by Dent with nine runs required. But the win was duly completed by Wes Durston.”It was a tough final day and, to be fair, I thought they played really well today and yesterday,” Derbyshire captain Wayne Madsen said. “We had to toil hard and we were a bit disappointing in the first hour. But we came back strongly just before lunch and picked up a couple of wickets, which were crucial. Footie bowled with exceptional pace to get those wickets and then I thought we were quite clinical in the way we went about knocking the runs off.”Gloucestershire head coach Richard Dawson said: “The last two days we showed character, the first two days we didn’t. We needed to get more runs in the first innings. We got into a position where we should have got 300-plus and then we’ve dropped catches again when Derbyshire batted, which didn’t help us, and we didn’t put the ball in the right areas for a long enough time. Those are the bare facts. I can’t fault the last two days, but we need to improve in first innings cricket.”

Justin Langer has been confirmed as Western Australia’s new coach, leaving his role as an assistant with the national team to try to improve the state side’s fortunes

Daniel Brettig14-Nov-2012Justin Langer has been confirmed as Western Australia’s new coach, leaving his role as an assistant with the national team to try to improve the state side’s fortunes after almost a decade without a domestic trophy and widely known cultural problems.The announcement, which also has Langer taking up the job as coach of the Perth Scorchers in the BBL, arrived the day after Australia drew the first Test with South Africa in Brisbane. Langer will be in place as coach of the Warriors in time for Saturday’s domestic limited overs match against South Australia in Perth.He has been contracted until the end of the 2015-16 season, offering Langer the chance to work with and improve the the team’s results over a lengthy term.Noted for his heavy emphasis on team-work and the mental side of the game, Langer has the job ahead of him to build a WA side in his own determined and dedicated image, following a dire start to the season that included widely publicised disciplinary problems at the T20 Champions League in South Africa and three outright losses to start the Sheffield Shield.”I am really thrilled to be taking up the position as Warriors and Scorchers Head Coach and feel that the energy for my work will be doubled now that I am back home around my family, my cricket friends and my personal friends,” Langer said.”I have two main objectives. The first is to bring cricket back to life in Western Australia, and the second is to help these boys become men on and off the cricket field.”I was very fortunate to serve an apprenticeship with the Australian team and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get started on this new challenge at what promises to be an exciting time in WA cricket.”Dennis Lillee, the WACA president, said Langer’s fortunes would be dictated as much by the ability of the players and support staff to work hard with him as it would be the coach’s responsibility alone.”Some issues relating to the underlying culture within the Warriors and Scorchers have been identified recently and Justin’s appointment is the first step we are taking to bring back a strong culture to the WACA,” Lillee said.”We must go forward and no one needs to be reminded of Justin’s outstanding credentials. He is a steely, dedicated man of cricket with a no-nonsense approach and is exactly what we need to turn this talented Western Australian side into a committed team using all of its natural talent.”However it can’t just be the coach that turns things around. We need players to put up their hands to be positive and tough leaders within this group going forward.”Having retired from a decorated international career at the conclusion of the 2006-07 Ashes series in Australia, Langer returned to the national set-up as batting coach in November 2009. Since then he has applied for various coaching jobs, including WA’s, and was also a candidate for the senior Australian coaching job when Mickey Arthur replaced Tim Nielsen in 2011.In replacing Langer, Cricket Australia will employ the Centre of Excellence coach Stuart Law as a batting assistant this summer, and may then look further afield for a longer term replacement. Pat Howard, the team performance manager, described Law’s tenure as a “try before you buy” scenario for the national team.”Stuart was there all week, we obviously knew this a little bit prior [to the announcement], and so he’s had a full week of training with the Test team all last week,” Howard said.”Stuart’s a really solid individual and has made a real impact. The fact he’s got experience not only in Australia but on the subcontinent and England to help deal with players of the future, and he’s got an impact now to work over the next couple of weeks with the players of now.

South Africa, dominant since the start of the second day, secured an innings and 12-run victory at The Oval

The Report by Andrew McGlashan23-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDale Steyn celebrates his fifth wicket as South Africa closed in on victory•Getty Images

South Africa, dominant since the start of the second day, secured an innings and 12-run victory at The Oval as they broke the back of some stubborn England resistance either side of the new ball on the final afternoon. Ian Bell and Matt Prior had given the home side hope, but Imran Tahir broke the stand and Dale Steyn then steamed in to finish with 5 for 56.The result was nothing less than South Africa deserved for a performance that confirmed what a formidable team they are and they achieved it on a ground where they had not won in 13 previous attempts. Indifferent on the first day, they barely put a foot wrong from the moment they rattled England on Friday morning. Showing the benefit of a finely balanced attack including pace, swing, seam, accuracy and spin, they did not fret when resistance was being put up.It was England’s first home defeat since losing to Pakistan, on the same ground, in 2010 and their first innings loss since facing South Africa, at Johannesburg, earlier that same year. For South Africa, it continues their run of taking the series lead each time in England since readmission although it is the first time they have won the opening Test since 1994.As in England’s first innings, when Kevin Pietersen was dismissed, it was wicket moments before the second new ball that undid much of the good work. Prior, having shown impressive judgement, swept Tahir who was bowling around the wicket into the rough and a top edge went to Jacques Kallis at slip. The sweep, which caused England so many problems in the UAE and in Galle, was back to haunt them.Bell, having reached his slowest Test fifty and resisted for 220 deliveries, then played his worst shot for some time when he guided the ball straight to Kallis at second slip as though giving morning catching practice. As in Cape Town in 2010 it was another defiant display from Bell but the weakness of the shot that ended his stay was symptomatic of why England came off second best. You cannot let down your guard for a moment against this South Africa team.A tail, even with England’s pedigree, against a new ball is gift-wrapped for a pumped-up Steyn and it did not take him long. Stuart Broad was given out through the DRS to a glove down the leg side and Graeme Swann drove to cover. Tim Bresnan and James Anderson resisted for 10 overs, delayed tea, and threatened to make South Africa bat again, but Tahir ended the match with a grubber to trap Anderson lbw.Although England had hope shortly after lunch, the major damage had been done the previous evening with the loss of four top-order wickets. Bell and Ravi Bopara resumed with the deficit still 150 and the odds stacked against them.Initially Bopara suggested solidity with a tight defence and a couple of confident shots into the leg side, although he came within a millimetre of losing his off stump when he left a delivery from Steyn which shaped back. Then, in Steyn’s next, his eyes lit up at the offer of some width but instead of the ball finding the cover boundary it took a bottom edge into middle stump. The days between this Test and Headingley will be filled with further debate over his Test place.After the early spells from the quicks, Tahir, who created plenty of problems on the fourth evening especially for Andrew Strauss, was introduced and should have removed Bell for 20 in his first over but AB de Villiers could not take a regulation outside edge. It was de Villiers’ first mistake of the match and ultimately would not prove costly.For the second time in the match, Prior and Bell were nearly involved in a run out when Prior played a ball square to cover and Bell was a little slow responding for the run, but de Villiers could not quite gather JP Duminy’s throw. When Bell elegantly drove the last ball of the session down the ground there was just a thought that a Cardiff-style escape was within England’s grasp. South Africa soon dashed that notion.

Glamorgan’s County Championship Division Two clash with Yorkshire at Colwyn Bay was abandoned as a draw on Saturday with no play possible on any of the final three days.

09-Jun-2012
ScorecardGlamorgan’s County Championship Division Two clash with Yorkshire at Colwyn Bay was abandoned as a draw on Saturday with no play possible on any of the final three days.Umpires Mark Benson and Paul Baldwin called the game off at 9.15am with no prospect of play because of persistent rain which had left pools of water on the outfield. Yorkshire take four points from the contest to three for Glamorgan, who remain firmly rooted to the bottom of the table.There has been so much rain that Sunday’s Clydesdale Bank 40 game between Glamorgan and Durham at the ground must be in doubt unless there is a dramatic change in the weather.

Eoin Morgan has been ruled out of England’s five-match ODI tour of India, which gets underway next month

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2011Eoin Morgan has been ruled out of England’s five-match ODI tour of India, which gets underway next month, after it was confirmed by the ECB that he is to undergo surgery to correct a long-standing shoulder problem.Morgan’s absence will be a big blow to England on the slow and spin-friendly tracks of India, where his unique ability to create and work gaps in the field would have been invaluable. He was withdrawn from the squad for the home series against India ahead of the second ODI at the Rose Bowl earlier this week, after feeling “acute” pain during the Twenty20 international at Old Trafford.”After seeing a specialist today it has been confirmed that Eoin will require surgery to his right shoulder with the likelihood of repairing a chronic SLAP lesion,” said the ECB chief medical officer, Nick Peirce. “We have managed the injury to date with a conservative program but Eoin has now reached the stage where surgery is most appropriate progression of his treatment.”Following the operation Eoin will undertake a rehabilitation programme ruling him out of all cricket for approximately 12 weeks. The recovery period is anticipated to see him return to full fitness ahead of England’s tour of the UAE commencing in January.”Morgan initially developed discomfort in his shoulder during the Ashes tour in the winter, but until the pain flared up during the Twenty20, it had not been a significant hindrance to his batting. The bigger problem areas had been diving and throwing from the outfield.”It’s obviously a massive loss,” said England’s captain, Alastair Cook. “He’s an outstanding player. It’s gutting news for Eoin that he has to have this operation and miss a substantial amount of cricket and an important tour. But as always, it gives someone else an opportunity.”Eoin’s been a hallmark of our batting, a fantastic middle-order finisher,” added Cook. “But someone else now gets the opportunity to do that, and if we can develop more people in that role it can only strengthen our team. We want to keep improving as a team, and need a good squad to do that.”Earlier this year Morgan suffered a finger injury during the one-day series in Australia but continued to play on after suffering the blow. By the time he was sent home two days before the end of the tour, the damage was serious enough to stop him heading to the World Cup. However, he did eventually join the tournament after Kevin Pietersen suffered his hernia.Late last month Morgan made his international captaincy debut when he led England against Ireland in Dublin and has also begun to settle himself in the middle-order of the Test side.

Muyeye fifty before startling collapse, as Roderick leads reply for the hosts

ECB Reporters Network22-Aug-2024Worcestershire all-rounder Joe Leach made a successful return to action after injury with a six-wicket haul on day one of the Vitality County Championship encounter with Kent at Visit Worcestershire New Road.Leach finished with 6 for 52 from 11.5 overs – the second-best figures of his career – as Kent were dismissed for 171 in 49.5 overs after being put into bat.It was his first appearance since the Championship match against Nottinghamshire in late May because of a recurrence of a knee problem and he is hanging up his spikes at the end of the campaign.But Leach’s determination to return for the finale of the season paid off handsomely once he had settled into his rhythm in his second spell from the New Road End after conceding 26 runs in his first four overs.Three wickets in 13 balls undermined Kent’s promising start and they subsided from 73 for 0 and lost 10 wickets for 98 in 32.4 overs.There was also an encouraging debut for New Zealand paceman James Hartshorn who bowled a nagging line and length.But the bowlers were also backed up by some fine catching behind the wicket, most notably by Rob Jones who held onto four chances at second slip.Gareth Roderick continued his fine form with a half century to spearhead Worcestershire’s reply and they closed 34 in arrears with eight wickets in hand.Worcestershire handed an opportunity to Hartshorn after fellow Kiwi Nathan Smith was forced to cut short his spell at New Road through injury.Captain Brett D’Oliveira, Kashif Ali, Leach and Adam Finch all returned after lengthy spells on the side-lines. Kent included new signings in pace duo Alfie Ogborne, on loan from Somerset, and West Indian Akeem Jordan.D’Oliveira put Kent into bat and Tawanda Muyeye adopted an aggressive vein with a succession of boundaries. But he was fortunate to edge Hartshorn just short of second slip and twice flashed hard at Finch as the ball flew over the slip cordon.He completed a 62-ball half-century with his 10th boundary but the game turned on its head after Leach switched to the New Road End.
Muyeye (56) pushed forward to a delivery which left him and Jones held onto a fine catch away to his left at second slip.Kent skipper Daniel Bell-Drummond was undone by a similar ball with Ethan Brookes at third slip making no mistake. Leach had settled into a perfect rhythm and Jack Leaning edged through to keeper Gareth Roderick.Worcestershire continued to apply the pressure in the immediate post lunch session with three more quick wickets.Finch, whose first two overs had cost 27 runs, returned and accounted for Joey Evison who drove hard at a ball which nipped away and was caught behind.Hartshorn picked up his first wicket for the county as Harry Finch cut a delivery which swung away to Jake Libby at backward point.It became 103 for 6 when Finch found the inside-edge of Ben Compton’s bat and Roderick did the rest for his third catch.At that point Kent had lost six wickets for 30 runs in the space of 15.4 overs.There was a deserved first breakthrough for Taylor when Matt Parkinson flashed hard and Jones made no mistake at second slip.Leach collected a fourth scalp when Grant Stewart went for a big hit back down the ground and had his off stump knocked back.He polished off the innings in quickfire fashion with Jones holding onto two more sharp opportunities at second slip to dispose of Alfie Ogborne and George Garrett.Roderick and Libby then provided Worcestershire with an assured start to their innings and the 50 came up in only 11.1 overs.The partnership was worth 89 when Libby (30) pushed forward to Ogborne and was caught behind.New batter Kashif Ali quickly brought up the Worcestershire hundred with a cover drive for four off the same bowler but on 17 he fended a delivery of extra bounce from Jordan to first slip.Roderick completed a 107-ball half-century with seven fours.

Axar avoided it while making 74 crucial runs for India; Jadeja benefited from Australia’s overuse of it to finish with a match haul of ten wickets

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Feb-20233:43

Chappell on the sweep shots: Australia panicked and did something not natural

Australia’s collapse – precipitated by an overuse of the sweep shot – and India’s subsequent romp to victory in the Delhi Test has raised a lot of questions about shot selection on spin-friendly pitches.Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, India’s two left-arm spin-bowling allrounders, said the sweep was the wrong option on pitches with low bounce and that the better strategy was to play with a straight bat in front of the pad as often as possible.Both men used that philosophy to help India get to within one run of Australia’s first-innings of 263 on the second day’s play. Jadeja scored 26, Axar top-scored with 74, and then when it looked like India were on the back foot at the start of the third day, Jadeja ran through the Australian batting order to finish with career-best bowling figures of 7 for 42.”Sweep and reverse sweep are difficult here, so I didn’t try them (laughs),” Axar – who hit nine fours and three sixes in his innings – told Jadeja in a chat for the BCCI website. “Instead I bring the bat in front of the pad and play the ball on its merit.””The last time I batted with you [Jadeja], you had told me that they were trying to aim at my pads, so I was protecting it. My thought was to hit what’s in the slot and respect the good deliveries. That is what I do. This time there was a left-arm spinner [Matthew Kuhnemann] too. ” Jadeja interjected at that point with a good-natured, “and you robbed him for runs.” Axar just laughed and continued. “No I didn’t rob him, but with a left-arm spinner operating instead of an offspinner, you get to play at a delivery turning into you.”Jadeja’s innings of 26 might not look like much but in partnership with Virat Kohli, who scored 44, they produced some of the best batting of the Test match and it was all based on being prepared for the grubber.Only Anil Kumble is in front of Ravindra Jadeja for most POTM awards in India•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“On this pitch, the mindset [with the bat] was that a good ball can come anytime,” Jadeja said. “However the idea was to believe in the defense and play with the bat in front of the pad. Me and Virat were talking about playing straight as much as possible with less bounce on offer.”Then when he had the ball in hand, and saw Australia trying to sweep everything away, he knew all he had to do was bowl straight at the stumps.”In India, if the wickets are like this, then it feels good that a spinner’s role and responsibility increases. The way they were batting, they preferred the sweep and reverse sweep, so I wanted to bowl stump to stump. That would mean if they missed and the ball stayed low then it would hit the stumps.”Related

• Points to ponder – what Australia need to do to revive a flagging campaign

• It's all in the geometry – how Shami and Siraj put the skids under Australia

• India get the better of Australia, one flick at a time

• Cummins on collapse: Australia batters 'overplayed' their shots

• Stats – Jadeja topples records galore

Jadeja’s seven wickets included five bowleds. Australia collapsed from 65 for 1 to 113 all out. And India cruised to a six-wicket victory before tea on day three.Jadeja, who has returned to the international fold for the first series since his knee injury last August that had needed surgical intervention, said that all three spinners in the XI have been contributing, be it big or small.”I missed a lot of cricket…the World Cup, and many other series, but once I’m back, I want to continue this way in the future, and make team India win with you [Axar] and Ashwin. This is a team game and everyone has contributed in different ways. If this happens, India’s victory march will only continue.”India play the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which they have now retained having gone 2-0 ahead, on March 1. They are also in pole position for a spot in the World Test Championship final later in June.

Australia were on track while David Warner and Marcus Stoinis were together, while there was nearly a controversial finish

Tristan Lavalette09-Oct-2022Alex Hales made a statement with a rapid 84, while quicks Mark Wood and Sam Curran thwarted Australia’s bold chase as England stepped up their T20 World Cup preparations with a tight eight-run victory in the series opener in Perth.

Finch gets demerit point for inappropriate language

Australia captain Aaron Finch was reprimanded and handed one demerit point after the first T20I for breaching Article 2.3 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to “use of an audible obscenity”. An ICC statement said the incident occurred during the ninth over of England’s innings, with the stump mic picking up what Finch had said.
Finch accepted the sanction handed out by match referee David Boon, so there was no formal hearing.
Four demerit points within a 24-month period equates to a suspension. This is the only demerit point on Finch’s record at present, and it will stay on his record for the next 24 months.

In a record 132-run opening partnership for England against Australia, Hales and the returning Jos Buttler flattened a weakened attack to power the tourists to a huge total.An aggressive Australia, who had dropped Steven Smith, were on pace with David Warner making his second consecutive half-century but England held their nerve through quality death bowling from Wood and Curran.It was a return of international cricket in Perth since the women’s T20 World Cup in February 2020 after an easing of strict Covid-19 measures. The final two games of the series will be played in Canberra starting on Wednesday.Buttler returns with bang, Hales puts hand upAgainst a second-string Australia attack on a fast Optus Stadium pitch, a golden opportunity loomed for Buttler and Hales, who had been given the nod ahead of Phil Salt.Buttler demonstrated his fitness from a nagging calf injury with a blistering assault in the opening over, smashing four boundaries off Cameron Green whose first international match on his home ground started disastrously.In all-out attack mode, Buttler was at his brilliant best with a slew of destructive shots all around the wicket, including consecutive outrageous scoops in the fifth over against exasperated quick Kane Richardson.Hales started slowly, by comparison, before finding his range as the pair smashed 58 runs in the powerplay. There was no lull immediately after with Buttler launching legspinner Mitchell Swepson for consecutive sixes. They notched a century stand within nine overs before Buttler finally fell in the 12th over to Nathan Ellis.Hales then took over in similar fashion to his dominance in the BBL to almost surely cement a spot in England’s T20 World Cup line-up.Ellis fuels late Australia fightbackResting their frontline attack for the sole match of the series in Perth, Australia were perhaps on a hiding to nothing.Captain Aaron Finch had hoped to take advantage of the overcast conditions and smattering of grass, but his inexperienced attack mostly copped a flogging. Green particularly struggled with a slew of half volleys and his confidence spiralled when he bowled a beamer in the 13th over.Australia were staring down the barrel before a late fightback helped limit the damage just a little. An accurate Ellis emerged relatively unscathed earlier in the innings before bowling a superb 19th over to claim Curran and Moeen Ali.Hitting the pitch hard, bowling a clever mix of slower deliveries, the 28-year-old was the clear standout with 3 for 20 from four overs while his fellow bowlers each conceded more than 9.75 runs per over.It further emphasised Ellis’ unlucky omission from Australia’s T20 World Cup squad having performed reliably when called upon.Aaron Finch was run out by a superb throw from Sam Curran•Getty Images

Warner, Stoinis keep Australia on trackFinch was listed to return as opener, but contentiously Green, who is not in Australia’s World Cup squad, remained at the top. The gamble backfired with Green’s horror match continuing when he fell for 1 to Reece Topley in the second over.Finch entered at No. 4 but he had a short stay at the crease after being run out on 12 through brilliant fielding from Curran.Warner continued where he left off against West Indies to keep Australia on track and he was joined by Marcus Stoinis, who returned after a side strain. Pressure had built on Stoinis after a lean period and the emergence of Green but he was in powerful form with a trio of sixes as Australia suddenly were in the box seat.Wood, Curran thwart Australia at the deathBowling with rapid pace, peaking at 154kph/96mph, Wood swung the match in the 15th over with the wickets of Stoinis and Tim David, who failed to score in his first international in his home town.There was drama in the 17th over when Matthew Wade appeared to have impeded Wood in his attempt for a return catch after top-edging into his helmet. England didn’t appeal and Wade then threatened to once again be the hero at the finish.Needing 16 runs off the final over, Wade started with a boundary to inch Australia closer but holed out two balls later as Curran bowled calmly in the clutch to seal victory for England.