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21st over: England 109-3 (target 281; Vince 49, Billings 35) Vince steals a second off Zampa’s last delivery, which makes it five from the over. That’s a decent recovery from England, although last time I said Phil Salt was bowled to the side of the ball.
20th over: England 104-3 (target 281; Vince 46, Billings 33) Agar is back into the attack, so we’ll have spin from both ends. England milked him for seven low-risk runs to continue a good spell – they scored 26 in the last three overs.
19th over: England 97-3 (target 281; Vince 43, Billings 30)
Billing is not out! Yes, he hit it outside the line, so Australia lose their first review.
Review of Australia for LBW! Billings gets his first boundary off his 46th delivery, sweeping Zampa to reverse at third man. He tries again next ball, misses and survives a tight LBW shout. Josh Hazlewood goes to the review. I’m pretty sure he’s hitting, but he could have hit it out of line. It’s very close.
Updated at 08.59 GMT
18th over: England 89-3 (target 281; Vince 42, Billings 23) Vince waves Stoinis high over square leg for his second six. He’s such an alluring player, and I’d love to know how his Test career would have gone if he’d made a hundred in Brisbane in 2017. I’m not saying England would now be Test world champions; we just don’t know.
Updated at 08.57 GMT
17th over: England 78-3 (target 281; Vince 33, Billings 22) Zampa is the key man here. England are trying to milk him, but that’s easier said than done with Zampa’s ingenious variations. Three from the end. Vince has 33 from 39 balls, Billings, 22 from 42.
“Oh dear,” writes Diana. I don’t know if you are referring to England’s start, Gianni Infantino’s speech or my writing, but I certainly agree.
16th over: England 75-3 (target 281; Vince 32, Billings 20) Billings is bowled, and almost bowled, by a short ball from Stoinis that doesn’t rise at all. This is not the most reliable pitch, and the target of 281 feels a long way off for England. They need 206 out of 204 balls, and it’s time to drink.
15th over: England 71-3 (target 281; Vince 30, Billings 18) Adam Zampa comes into the attack. He has had a fantastic year in ODIs, taking 22 wickets at an average of 21, and almost gets his 23rd when Vince is hit outside off stump. Very good start from Zampa, two from the end.
14th over: England 69-3 (target 281; Vince 29, Billings 17) Vince has run out of strike in this partnership but is playing quite well. He slots a short ball from Stoinis through square leg for four more, and three singles make it a decent over for England.
13th over: England 62-3 (target 281; Vince 24, Billings 15) Wake up! James Vince just took the most magnificent shot, leaping down the track to favor the agar at mid-off for a 96m six. This is the first boundary since the fifth over, and it was a beauty.
12th over: England 53-3 (target 281; Vince 17, Billings 13) Billings pulls Stoinis for a couple to bring up England’s fifty. We are in Boring Middle Overs, where boundaries are rare and the potters of the game come together. I’ll wake you up when something happens.
11th over: England 48-3 (target 281; Vince 16, Billings 9) Billings takes a quick single and then gleefully scolds himself for running onto the pitch. “What do I do with it?”
Three singles from another quiet. Australia is right at the top.
10th over: England 45-3 (target 281; Vince 15, Billings 7) Marcus Stoinis replaces Hazelwood (4-1-24-1) and concedes just a couple of good wicket-to-wicket hustle passes. Australia have squeezed England from the port of Salt; the last five overs cost just 11 runs.
9th over: England 43-3 (target 281; Vince 14, Billings 6) Billings, struggling to time it, pokes Agar for a couple. These are the only clues from the last one; Billings has 6 off 18 balls, Vince 14 off 15.
8th over: England 41-3 (target 281; Vince 14, Billings 4) Billings is again hit on the thigh by a Hazlewood nipbacker; then cross the hollow slip cord for a single. Three from the end.
7th over: England 38-3 (target 281; Vince 13, Billings 2) The ball has stopped swinging so Ashton Agar replaces Starc (3-0-13-2). There should be plenty in this field for Agar and Adam Zampa, and his fourth ball spins extravagantly to beat a stunned Vince.
6th over: England 34-3 (target 281; Vince 11, Billings 0) Billings is hit on the thigh by his second ball, a big nipbacker from Hazlewood. The next delivery straightens nicely to beat Billings’ driving attempt. Excellent stuff from Hazlewood, a maiden wicket.
WICKET! England 34-3 (Salt b Hazlewood 23)
Phil Salt dies by the sword. He made room to hit a long ball from Hazlewood on the outside off, missed and cleared. Salt bets for 23 from 16 balls, and England are again in all sorts.
5th over: England 34-2 (target 281; Salt 23, Vince 11) Vince waves Starc through extra cover for four and then slaps a well-stopped cut by Agar at backward point. England have recovered well from that desperate start.
4th over: England 28-2 (target 281; Salt 22, Vince 6) Salt spins Hazlewood sweetly for six, the first of the innings, then nails the next delivery to the cover boundary. He only plays one way, even when the score is 0 for 2, and he has run for 22 from 14 balls.
3rd over: England 14-2 (target 281; Salt 9, Vince 5) Ahead of this series, Vince was the answer to a big question: Which England player scored best in his last Test appearance , ODIs and T20?
Vince hits an inswinger from Starc through square leg for three, then Salt smashes Starc just before cover. high five
2nd over: England 9-2 (target 281; Salt 7, Vince 2) Captain Josh Hazlewood shares the new ball and his second delivery again cuts Phil Salt in half. Salt nicely multiplies the next ball through point for a couple and then hits the first boundary of the innings over square leg. good shot
1st over: England 2-2 (Salt 0, Vince 2) Vince bowls his first ball through middle stump for a couple. The ball swings prodigiously for Starc.
WICKET! England 0-2 (Malan b Starc 0)
Glorious bowling by Mitchell Starc! He beat Dawid Malan with back-to-back swingers and then hooked the stumps with a third. Malan tried to work the leg and was beaten at all ends. This is a spectacular piece of bowling, almost impossible to play, and England are all sorts.
Updated at 07.42 GMT
WICKET! England 0-1 (Roy c Carey b Starc 0)
Jason Roy lasts two balls. He hesitantly pushed a short delivery from Mitchell Starc and gloved it down the leg side to Alex Carey. When luck runs out…
Updated at 0737 GMT
The players are out, the lights are on; it’s time for England’s run.
This is an important innings for Jason Roy, whose apparent loss of form is turning into something more serious. In his last 20 matches, across all white-ball formats, he averages 18.11 with a top score of 43. Not many positives to take from it.
Thanks Jon, afternoon/morning everyone. I agree that Australia’s total feels slightly above par, although I thought the same about India in the semi-final of the World T20. Not that I’m expecting England to win this game by 10 wickets; there is about a 0.06 percent chance of that.
Jonathan Howcroft
If you’ve just woken up in England, here’s what you need to know at the entrance break:
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Both sides have stand-in skippers, Hazlewood for Australia, Moeen for England, and both are in charge of ODIs for the first time.
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The SCG ground is extremely dry, variable bounce, favors spin and is not full of runs.
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280 feels a bit above par, but Australia also left plenty of runs on the ground after a series of conservative partnerships failed to capitalize at the death. Much will depend on England’s aggressiveness in the powerplay and then how Australia’s spinners perform in the middle overs.
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Steve Smith continued his excellent form with 94. Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh played flawless half-centuries.
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England bowled neatly but only Adil Rashid (3/57) looked a consistent wicket-taking threat. Moeen rotated his attack well and adapted to the pitch intelligently during the innings.
Rob Smyth will cut you to the chase, so I’ll leave you in his capable hands.
Australia 280-8
England will need to chase 281 for victory under lights at the SCG.
50th over: Australia 280-8 (Agar 18, Zampa 0) Curran has been uncharacteristically expensive today but must get through the final over. He gets off to a poor start as he bowls over Agar’s pads, allowing a free kick off the bat to send the ball miles over the shorter boundary for six. Adam Zampa runs aggressively to convert every shot into two from the non-attacking wing, increasing his team-mate’s score and adding plenty of furrows to England’s brows.
49th over: Australia 264-8 (Agar 3, Zampa 0) Excellent death bowling from England. Willey finishes with 2/44.
WICKET! Starc c Woakes b Willey 0 (Australia 264-8)
Two in two for England. Starc takes his first ball very well but flicks it straight to Woakes at deep square leg.
Updated at 0658 GMT
WICKET! Marsh c Vince b Willey 50 (Australia 264-7)
Marsh exercises a single to bring up his half-century from 58 balls, but perishes soon after, not getting enough on a straight drive and gifting a boundary catch to James Vince.
48th over: Australia 259-6 (Marsh 49, Agar 1) Woakes follows up his wicket with a couple of points to Agar on the left. A single brings Marsh on strike, who knows he has to hurt in the final over, but Woakes is too good, finding movement in the air away from the right-hander and then fooling him with one that sinks. Excellent death bowling.
WICKET! Stoinis b Woakes 13 (Australia 256-6)
middle of middle Straight, slow floater (and a touch low) from Woakes. Stoinis is over his shot too soon.
Not sure what kind of batsman Stoinis is. It can crush a…