Aussies fight back to save face at Oval
ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss lamented his team’s complacency after suffering a 78-run defeat to Australia in the fourth one-day international that ruined hopes of a series whitewash.
A 155-run stand between Michael Clarke (99 not out) and Ricky Ponting (92) propelled Australia towards a commanding total of 290-5 at The Oval.
And England failed to shine with the bat, the tourists dismissing them for 212 in only 42.4 overs, despite Michael Yardy’s maiden half-century at this level.
The hosts’ loss brought them back down to earth, after victories in the first three ODIs had earned them an unassailable lead.
And Strauss blamed a poor start to their innings that saw them slip to 151-6.
“It was not so good today. We got off to a good start with the ball but fair play to Clarke
and Ponting,” said the Middlesex man.
“We thought that 290 was chasable and if not par then only just above a par score.
“But with our batting we reverted to old habits. We lost too many wickets too early and then a few in the middle to leave us with too much to do.
“Even at the halfway mark we thought we had a chance. It was a fairly flat wicket, but we didn’t take advantage of the first 15 overs and lost wickets.
“It was a disappointing day, but you have to put it in the context of the series and we have had a lot of good days so far.”
Fast-bowler Ryan Harris did the damage for Australia, taking the first two wickets of Craig Kieswetter (12) and Kevin Pietersen (8) in the space of six balls and finishing with figures of 5-32.
Aussie captain Ponting, who became only the third man to pass 13,000 runs in this format, toasted his team’s welcome return to form.
“At long last,” he said. “We played a lot better today. Our batting was back to the level it needs to be. We controlled the game right through today I thought.”