Maxwell and Marsh put up a 126-run stand for the sixth wicket.
Australia had slipped to 123-for-5 at 24 when Glenn Maxwell (77) and Mitchell Marsh (73) teamed up, and their partnership lasted until 44 when they climbed back onto the platform and set Australia up for a good finish. However, good bowling in the deaths of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, who finished three wickets apiece, kept Australia at 294 out of 9, with just 35 runs in the final five overs.
With Australia in deep trouble, Morgan went for the kill when he hired Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer together. But Marsh and Maxwell kept them at bay, with the latter even parrying a short ball off the leg shooter during the first six of innings to help Australia pass 150 in the 30th. Maxwell didn’t let Moeen Ali calm down either, driving and doing a reverse sweep for the limits. Marsh, who was the calmer of the two, scoring four times and focusing on rotating the strike, hit fifty in 75 balls. Maxwell, on the other hand, reached the half-century mark in just 43 deliveries, scoring his second six against Rashid on the road, while Australia reached 218 at the end of the 40.
Having already scored 65 of 56 deliveries, Maxwell shifted into a higher gear when he hit two successive Archer highs. But the pitcher came back well, causing Maxwell to drag a knuckle ball toward the stumps to end an excellent inning. Pat Cummins followed soon after, becoming Archer’s third scalp. Wood pocketed his third by sending Marsh a leg earlier, while Woakes finally hit a wicket on the last over, though Mitchell Starc hit him for a six on the last ball.
Before, with the offer of movement, both in the air and off the court, David Warner’s stay in the area was not comfortable after England chose to go bowling. She played and missed a couple of times before a pitch from Archer, who threw in the middle and walked away late, proved too much for the southpaw, who was thrown for six. With Steve Smith resting as a precaution after taking a hit to the head during practice, Marcus Stoinis came out at No. 3 and started well driving both sides of the wicket and also ran strong among wickets.
Aaron Finch was settling into a partnership with Stoinis when Wood hit his first ball to send back the Australia captain, whose lack of footwork resulted in an advantage for the goalkeeper. However, Finch’s firing didn’t deter Stoinis, who hit three fours off Wood in the 12th, cutting and throwing with authority, and he wasn’t afraid to go airborne against Moeen either. However, his innings were cut short at 43 when he tried to propel Wood up and ended up becoming the pitcher’s second victim.
England’s bowlers had done a good job of avoiding any substantial association from Australia’s first-order hitters, and the trend continued when Rashid caught Marnus Labuschagne with a balloon. Alex Carey also fell to the leg shooter, and the sweep shot led to his downfall, as Australia lost half their team before Maxwell and Marsh resurrected the innings, but England struck back in death.
Quick Scores: Australia 294/9 in 50 overs (Glenn Maxwell 77, Mitchell Marsh 73; Mark Wood 3-54, Jofra Archer 3-57) vs. England.
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