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SYDNEY, Australia – To prevent England’s Dawid Malan from hitting a six, Ashton Agar of Australia made a show-stopping fielding attempt.
Australia beat the current 50-over and T20I world champions England in the opening ODI in Adelaide, marking Pat Cummins’ debut as the team’s ODI captain. A lot of rather amazing fielding performances were seen during the most recent T20 World Cup, which England won and which was hosted by Australia. These performances ranged from outstanding catches to nearly superhuman leaps and flicks at the boundary to stop batters from hitting sixes.
During the first ODI, Ashton Agar made a similar effort to prevent centurion Dawid Malan from getting a six by going aerial and making every effort. The 45th over’s final ball was bowled by skipper Cummins. After scoring 131 runs by that point, Malan pushed it forcefully over deep midwicket after the bowler dug it in short. Agar leapt at the ropes at full stretch while the ball was moving at a moderate pace, grabbed it with his left hand, and flicked it back while in the air.
He timed every aspect of his jump, catch, and flick such that the hitters could only manage a single.
Malan scored 134 runs without being out, a career high, but it was for naught as England lost the game by six wickets. Four days after winning the T20 World Cup in Melbourne, England lost to Australia by a score of 66-4 in the 14th over as Australia’s pace attack, led by Pat Cummins (3 to 62), poured on the heat with the new ball, supporting their choice to field.
Jason Roy, Sam Billings, and Phil Salt all died in the slips, Jason Roy was bowled through the gate, and James Vince was caught behind. Before holing out in the deep in the 46th over, Malan countered in the middle overs, hitting four sixes, including two off the bowling of Cummins, and 12 fours.
The next-highest score by an England batsman was David Willey’s unbeaten 34 as the visitors went on to register a respectable 287-9 at the Adelaide Oval. Australia’s resounding triumph was largely set up by David Warner’s (86) and Travis Head’s (69) opening partnership of 147 runs.
While Warner and Marnus Labuschagne were removed by Willey in his subsequent overs, Chris Jordan broke the standby removing the wicket of Head. Steve Smith, who struck 80 not out, remained in the game and completed the victory by hitting Malan for a six. The sides will travel to Sydney for the second ODI, with the third and final game taking place in Melbourne on Tuesday.
