Andrew Strauss,the England captain, did not quite get the centuries he wanted. But he got more out of the newer players than he perhaps expected. Whether it is enough, the next thee hours will tell.
Strauss led the way himself with thirty-five runs before he was overtaken by his opening partner, Joe Denly. Denly’s partnership with Strauss for sixty-one runs was the foundation stone of England’s innings and his forty-five runs gave England fans more hope than there has been in the ODI series thus far.
Denly’s innings was followed by that of Eoin Morgan. Morgan’s starts were finally converted into an innings of merit as he made fifty-eight runs off forty-three balls on a good batting pitch at Trent Bridge.
If England lacked one large innings, they could not be faulted for doing better than they have previously managed. Brett Lee’s being rested may have had something to do with it, perhaps also the 4-0 loss was beginning to hurt.
England are still putting it together in patches and how they pull it on from there in the three games will tell on how they go into the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.
For now there is the small matter of preventing Australia from getting to that target of 300.
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