Days after winning the T20 World Cup in Australia, England has suffered fresh defeat after being beaten by Australia in the first ODI on Thursday. Australia won by six wickets with massive help from David Warner, 86 from 84, Steve Smith, 80 from 78, and Travis Head, 69 from 57, with a total score of 291-4. 

England played the match with just three players from their T20 World Cup final squad – Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, and Chris Jordan. But the squad they used had some exceptionally good players like Dawid Malan, whose century (134 from 128) helped England finish with 287-9 and also earned him Player of the Match. 

Still, England’s effort was not enough to prevent their host from claiming victory on the first day of the three-ODI series. With two more games to go, England still has the chance to turn the tide and win the series, but this would demand much more serious work than they put into the first ODI. 

Maybe in the next game, holding on Saturday, players like Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, and Sam Curran would be back on the squad and help steer the team toward victory. But it is expected that Australia would do a lot to prevent that; at least they would try to win one of the remaining games in the series to prevent an England win. 

Speaking after the game, England’s captain, Buttler, revealed that he was not bothered bout the loss as long as the team showed the right intent and character. He said: “Not fussed about the result at all; it’s all about the character we showed. Wanted to play with intent. Dawid Malan, fantastic innings. To get to that score from the position we were in was brilliant.

“In the field, we took risks, and everyone responded. I’m sure we’ll make a few changes throughout the series, keep deepening that talent pool.”

Leon Osamor