Wade, Watson star in Australia ODI win

Australia has beaten England by 59 runs in the opening one-day fixture of their five-match series, with Matthew Wade scoring a vital 71.

Australia’s Shane Watson, centre left, is congratulated by teammates.

Australia has beaten England by 59 runs in the opening one-day fixture of their five-match series. (AAP)

When Matthew Wade added a new chapter to Shane Watson's winter of woe with an unfortunate runout, he knew he would have to deliver a match-winning performance to make up for it.

Fortunately for the wicketkeeper, both he and Watson were able to produce the goods in a comfortable 59-run victory in the opening clash of Australia's five-match one-day series with England at the Rose Bowl in Southampton.

Watson has endured a difficult three-month Ashes tour in which he was dropped after the opening Test in Cardiff and had to watch from the stands as Australia handed back the urn.

It seemed to be continuing on Thursday when Wade called him through for a quick single - too quick for Watson, with England's Ben Stokes flinging the ball to keeper Jos Buttler in no time at all.

The burly allrounder was caught more than a metre short of his ground and was forced to trudge off for six, extending Australia's middle-order collapse to 4-29.

Wade wore the blame for the run out and knew its implications.

"When I ran Watto out, I felt the pressure for sure," he said, after smashing a vital, unbeaten 71 to guide Australia to 6-305 which proved too much for England, who were bowled out for 246 with 27 balls remaining.

"For the first 15 minutes you're thinking about (the runout).

"Obviously there was not a run there.

"I was disappointed. But the only thing I really could do then was hang around and contribute to the score we were going to put on the board.

"I was lucky enough to do that.

"It would've been worse if I did get a globe and I'd run Watto out as well - it would've been horrible."

Wade's innovative batting, and record 112-run partnership with allrounder Mitch Marsh (40no), gave Australia a defendable total before it was Watson's turn to again take the spotlight.

For the right reasons, this time.

The oft-maligned Watson delivered the two most telling blows of England's innings, removing James Taylor for 49 and captain Eoin Morgan for 38 at crucial moments.

"I'm glad he got some wickets," said Wade.

"He's been working really hard in the nets and around the team he's been terrific.

"That's all he can do ... but getting run out is not going to help."

England enjoyed a bright start from Jason Roy (67) and Alex Hales (22), and were sailing along in the 27th over when Watson first struck.

He had looked enraged after an inside edge from Taylor evaded the stumps and went for four.

However, the very next ball Watson rattled the young batsman's stumps with a big inswinger to reduce England to 3-152.

He delivered again by bouncing out Morgan, who gloved one down the legside to Wade, before Nathan Coulter-Nile struck with his first two balls of the following over as England lost three wickets in four balls for no runs.

Coulter-Nile's hat-trick ball came to nothing, but amid a collapse of 8-94 from Taylor's exit, the match quickly became a no-contest.

Earlier, Australia's innings was characterised by a number of wasted starts, an all-too-familiar middle-order collapse and crucial late-order hitting from Wade and Marsh which pushed the tourists past 300.

Australia scored 93 from the final ten overs as Wade reached into his bag of tricks, frustrating England's batsmen with cheeky paddles to fine leg for four from outside off stump, while Marsh played the supporting role and finished unbeaten on 40.

Joe Burns took the dominant run-scoring role in the opening partnership, but threw away a second consecutive half-century when, on 44, he thumped a full toss back at Adil Rashid, who gleefully took the catch to chalk up his first of four victims.

It started a trend for the Australian top order, all of whom made starts, and all of whom fell to the 27-year-old Yorkshire legspinner.


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Source: AAP


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