England vs Australia, Cricket World Cup 2019: Eoin Morgan's men suffer major blow after 64-run defeat
Re-live all the action from Lord's
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Your support makes all the difference.England's faltering World Cup campaign veered further off track as old rivals Australia booked their place in the semi-finals with a 64-run victory at Lord's.
After misadventures against Pakistan and Sri Lanka, England ran aground when chasing for the third time in the tournament, dismissed for an error-strewn 221.
With India and New Zealand still to play, there is now minimal leeway if the world's number one side are to reach the semi-finals of their own competition.
Just before I hop away to grab a spot of lunch and tangential to today's affairs but important nonetheless, I'd like to extend our well wishes and a speedy recovery to cricketing legend Brian Lara, who has been hospitalised in Mumbai with reported chest pains.
Hey you! Yes, you! Like charity? Hate cheating?
Paddy Power have just the initiative for you:
'Last summer, Aussie cricket rebels Steve Smith and Dave Warner were caught red-sanded using tools for cheating, tools for bad. They’ve cried, they’ve been fined, they’ve been banned and now they’re back again…but did they really pay for their mistake?
Paddy Power don’t think so, and have pledged to help them right their wrongs. As England face off against Australia in the Cricket World Cup – the first competitive meeting between the sides since the scandal – the bookie will donate £10,000 each time Smith and Warner are ‘caught out’, donating the money to charity Workaid.
Why Workaid? They use tools the right way – sending sandpaper and other craft equipment to third world countries. So far helping over 9,000 underprivileged people a year get crafty in the right way, unlike Smith and Warner.
As the Aussies look to overcome England in their backyard in the World Cup, the donations are set to encourage a new generation of woodworkers and provide vital equipment to those learning a trade – including sandpaper.
Spokesman Paddy Power said: “Seeing Dave Warner and Steve Smith perform so well in this tournament left a sour taste in our mouths. As England are set to face Australia in their first competitive meet up since the cheating scandal, we felt it was time for a bit of justice.
“By donating £10,000 to Workaid every time the pair are ‘caught out’ by their English opponents, we are allowing the pair to reposition themselves as role models, directly funding the correct use of sandpaper. Before they were using tools to rub balls, now they’re going to fund tools to build walls.”
Fundraising Director of Workaid, Rob Levine said: “Sandpaper is one of the essential materials we use as part of our carpentry kits, along with helping us to refurbish tools and equipment we send to countries like Uganda and Kenya.
"As a cricket fan, I’ll be on the edge of my seat watching Smith and Warner on Tuesday, as the money will be crucial to helping us continue our good work. Each catch will help us to a fund a shipping container full of tools and equipment to countries in need in Africa, delivering sandpaper and other tools to make a veritable difference, rather than making variable swing.”'
Out to the middle stride Jonny Bairstow and James Vince. Australia huddle on the boundary, final urging words from Aaron Finch dining in their ears as they assemble themselves.
Jason Behrendorff is something of a new ball specialist. Tall, left-arm, and more than capable of swinging the ball early on.
286 to get for England. Here we go...
OUT! FULL, SWINGING IN, OFF THE PADS AND INTO MIDDLE STUMP! VINCE IS GONE!
That's come back a mile! A brilliant second ball from Behrendorff, exaggerated wing with the white ball beating Vince's on-drive on the inside and ricocheting off the opener's pads and into the stumps. What a start for Australia! Another failure for Vince...
J Vince b Behrendorff 0 (2b 0x4 0x6), England 0-1 (0.2)
1.0 - England 4-1, Joe Root 4, Jonny Bairstow 0, Jason Behrendorff 1-4 (1)
Joe Root to the crease in the first over. Not what England would have wanted, but he gets underway with a crunching cut past a diving Glenn Maxwell at backward point.
The Behrendorff punt has paid off already for Australia, who is getting the ball to move in to the right-hander prodigiously.
Mitchell Starc. Left-arm pace from both ends. Ball swinging. Tough stuff for right-handers. Bairstow can be vulnerable to the ball coming back in.
Ben Burrows:
File under: not ideal. James Vince plays all round a nasty inducker and England are 0/1 just like that. Finch and Warner showed earlier you have to play yourself in on this surface under these overhead conditions. Joe Root at the crease at almost the earliest possible opportunity.
2.0 - England 11-1, J Root 8, J Bairstow 3, Mitchell Starc 0-7 (1)
A couple of drives from Jonny Bairstow: first controlled, second flashing; middle, edge; two runs , a single. Off the mark.
Root clips a half-volley outside leg stump for four past fine leg. Wayward start from Starc, who looks to be moving freely after his injury scare whilst batting.
3.0 - England 15-1, J Root 8, J Bairstow 7, J Behrendorff 1-8 (2)
Delicious! A controlled on-drive from Bairstow bisects midwicket and mid-on, using the natural shape of Behrendorff's ball and picking the gap.
Just that boundary from the over.
No caption necessary, really. Anyone a hamstring to lend Jason Roy?
OUT! S Ravi raises the finger and Joe Root is out LBW! A beaut from Starc!
Quick, full, swinging, absolutely plumb!
Root is beaten all ends up by a penetrating Starc inswinger, and it is the briefest of discussions with partner Bairstow before Root nods his head and trudges off.
A disaster start for England - two back in the sheds inside four overs.
J Root lbw b Starc 8 (9b 2x4 0x6), Australia 15-2 (3.3)
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