England insist lack of bowlers not to blame for loss to Aussies
ENGLAND captain Eoin Morgan last night refused to blame his side’s batting-heavy line-up after suffering an 88-run defeat to Australia in a high-scoring second one-day international at Old Trafford.
The home team needed to call on all-rounder Ravi Bopara and sometime-spinner Joe Root to bowl 12 overs as Michael Clarke’s side made hay, hitting 315-7 – their highest ever ODI score in England.
“We have a lot of bowling options and guys that we can turn to, but again this was a case of not enough guys putting their hands up,” said Morgan, insisting that the balance of his side is not a concern.
Clarke set an example to his team, scoring 105, while George Bailey hit 82. The total was far too much for England despite impressive knocks from Kevin Pietersen (60), Morgan (54) and Jos Buttler (75).
England now trail 1-0 in the best-of-five series after the first match was abandoned. The third ODI takes place on Wednesday at Edgbaston.