Smith"s century pushes Aussies past England

HOBART, Australia (AFP) — Steve Smith’s incredible summer continued when he produced an unbeaten century to guide Australia to a three-wicket victory over England in a tri-series One-Day International in Hobart yesterday.

Promoted to the captaincy with regular skipper George Bailey suspended for a second slow over rate breach in 12 months, Smith’s unbeaten 102 enabled Australia to chase down England’s imposing total of 303 for eight.

Australia, also missing the rested David Warner and Shane Watson, made 304 for seven to win with just one ball to spare and remain undefeated in the competition, guaranteeing themselves a berth in tomorrow’s final.

Ian Bell’s brilliant 141 set up the England total, which appeared to be enough for much of the game.

England were still in pole position when Brad Haddin strode to the wicket for Australia with the home side at 216 for five.

Another 88 runs were needed from 76 balls, but Haddin’s 42 off 29 balls as part of a quickfire 71-run stand turned the game.

Smith, who hit four centuries in Australia’s four-Test series against India that finished earlier in the month, faced 95 balls, hitting six fours and one six.

He paid tribute to the efforts of Haddin and conceded his own confidence was sky-high.

“It’s nice to get a few runs again tonight and get the boys over the line,” Smith said.

“I’ll never forget this summer.

“I’ve really enjoyed it, I’ve just got to try and keep going and score runs while I’m going well.

“I thought Haddin really took the pressure off me in the end today.”

England captain Eoin Morgan said his team didn’t make enough in the latter stages of their innings.

“We played good cricket in stages,” he said.

“Ian Bell was magnificent but the last 10 overs let us down a little bit.

“Credit to Australia for how they bowled at the death.”

When the two sides previously met earlier in the tournament, England were beaten by four wickets with more than 10 overs remaining.

However, England bounced back with an impressive nine-wicket win over India in Brisbane on Tuesday and carried that form into yesterday’s innings.

After being sent in to bat, England got off to a great start through Bell and fellow opener Moeen Ali.

Bell, who was unbeaten on 88 against India, made his fourth One-Day International century before being caught by Starc from the bowling of rookie paceman Gurinder Sandhu, who finished with figures of 2-49.

He faced 125 balls, hitting 15 fours and one six, and passed two significant milestones during the innings.

Bell started the innings just five runs shy of becoming only the second Englishman to pass 5,000 One-Day International runs.

In his 153rd One-Day Iternational, he passed that mark in the third over, and later went on to overtake Paul Collingwood as England’s highest-ever runs scorer in the format as he neared his century.

His opening partnership of 113 with Ali, who scored 46, set up the English innings.

It ended in bizarre fashion, however, with Australia completing a team hat-trick in the last three balls.

Two batsmen, Chris Woakes and Jos Buttler, were run out, while Ravi Bopara was bowled by Mitchell Starc.

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Smith"s century pushes Aussies past England

Smith"s unbeaten 72 puts Australia at 259-5

MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Australia’s Steve Smith played another captain’s knock and Chris Rogers and Shane Watson hit fifties on the opening day of the third Test against India in Melbourne yesterday.

Before a Boxing Day crowd of almost 70,000, Smith joined teammate David Warner in reaching 1,000 Test runs for the calendar year with his unbeaten 72.

At the close, Australia were 259 for five after winning the toss, with Brad Haddin seeking a confidence-boosting innings on 23.

Smith passed 50 for the fourth time in five innings in this series, among them an unconquered 162 in Adelaide and 133 in Brisbane. So far he has amassed 447 runs at 223.5 for the series.

Smith, who won his first Test as skipper in four days in Brisbane last weekend, was well positioned for his third ton of the series after Rogers and Watson missed out on cashing in on solid starts.

“It’s phenomenal to watch and great to be a part of. He is just growing day by day and it’s scary to think how good he can be,” Rogers said of Smith.

“Someone threw a ball back at him today and he had the confidence to say a few words back at him so it looks as if he knows he belongs and he knows he’s one of the better players in the world at the moment.”

Rogers hit his third straight half-century of the series and Watson made 52 in a 115-run stand before they were dismissed five minutes apart in the hour after lunch.

The pair had put on 59 runs off 131 balls for the fourth wicket.

Rogers, who scored 116 in last season’s corresponding Boxing Day Test against England, pushed at paceman Mohammed Shami and was snapped up behind by MS Dhoni for 57.

“I think three scores in the 50s is good in some respects but it’s also very disappointing,” Rogers said.

“As an opener you do the hard work and put yourself in a position where you can get a big score, so to get out like that was disappointing because I felt good today, I felt my feet were going and I had a real desire to get a big score.”

Watson followed six balls later in off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin’s seventh over with an ill-judged sweep shot and was out leg before wicket for 52 in 89 balls.

Watson had a let-off on 37 nearing lunch when Shikhar Dhawan fumbled him at second slip at the third attempt off Shami.

It was Watson’s 23rd half-century in

Tests with just a below-par conversion rate of four centuries in his 55th Test for the senior top-order batsman.

It was the 27th time in 102 Test innings Watson had been dismissed leg before wicket.

Shaun Marsh again failed to go on after a solid start and was caught behind by Dhoni off Shami with no addition to his tea score of 32 off 83 balls.

Debutant Joe Burns was given a rousing welcome as he came out to bat at four wickets down and got a roar with his first scoring shot off Shami for three.

Burns hoisted Ashwin over mid-wicket for four in a positive show of confidence at Test level.

But he lasted 27 balls before he attempted a pull shot on 13 and bottom-edged through to Dhoni off Yadav.

Warner, who scored twin tons in the opening Adelaide Test, was out in the second over of the innings.

He only lasted six balls before he played across Umesh Yadav and edged to Dhawan at third slip for a duck.

Shami and Yadav finished with two wickets each.

India made two changes from the team that lost the second Brisbane Test, with debutant Lokesh Rahul and Mohammed Shami coming into the side.

Rahul, who replaced Rohit Sharma, was selected to bat at number six, while speedster Varun Aaron made way for Shami, who was off the field for injury treatment late in the day.

Team officials said Aaron was flying home for his grandfather’s funeral and would be returning to Australia by the end of the Melbourne Test.

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Smith"s unbeaten 72 puts Australia at 259-5