Smith, Starc, and Zampa help Australia win the series by 72 runs

• Steve Smith led a batting supershow 
• Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa each claimed four wickets
• Starc grabbed two wickets for zero runs

In the second One-Day International at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Steve Smith led a batting supershow before Mitchell Starc and Adam Zampa each claimed four wickets to help Australia defeat England by a whopping 72 runs and win the series.

Australia posted 280/8 in 50 overs because to Smith’s 94 off 114 balls, 58 from Marnus Labuschagne, and 50 from Mitchell Marsh as pacer Josh Hazlewood made his ODI captaincy debut.

Starc grabbed two wickets for zero runs as they chased 281 to tie the series. After that, England was reduced to 34/3 in 5.1 overs. A 122-run partnership between Sam Billings (71) and James Vince (60) for the fourth wicket rekindled England’s pursuit.

However, Hazlewood bowled Vince leg before in the 28th over, starting a collapse that saw England dismissed for 208 in 38.5 overs. While Zampa recorded 4/45 in 9.5 overs and Hazlewood claimed two wickets for 33 runs in 7 overs, Starc had 4/47 in 8 overs.

David Warner and Travis Head chose to bat first on a ground that proved difficult for strokeplay, and they put up 33 runs off 32 balls for the first wicket. However, Warner’s sweep to square leg off of Moeen Ali’s second delivery of the day gave England a breakthrough.

Three overs later, Head quickly followed as he pulled off a short ball from Chris Woakes straight to midwicket. In 112 balls, Smith and Labuschagne put on a third-wicket standoff that saw 101 runs scored. The more aggressive of the two, Labuschagne reached his fifty off 47 balls. However, he was unable to get a significant score because he misplayed a chip to mid-off on a delivery from leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

The very next delivery, Alex Carey attempted a sweep but instead dragged his back foot out of the crease and was easily stumped. Rashid had another wicket. However, Smith was exceedingly difficult to remove. He and Marsh put up a fifth-wicket partnership of 90 runs off of 95 balls.

Prior to holing out in the deep off Rashid and falling at 94, he was just a few runs away from scoring a century at his home ground. Marsh, Starc, and Marcus Stoinis all fell shortly after Smith. However, Ashton Agar’s unbroken cameo of 18, which saw him steal 16 runs off Sam Curran’s penultimate over, made sure Australia reached 280/8.

Brilliant four-wicket hauls from Adam Zampa and Mitchell Starc powered Australia’s win in the second #AUSvENG ODI 🙌

📝: Scorecard: https://t.co/C3d30LsSHa pic.twitter.com/M60srVhQtH

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— ICC (@ICC) November 19, 2022

In response, Starc dismissed first ODI centurion Dawid Malan and Jason Roy within the first five balls of the innings and was destroying the hitters with pace and swing, making for an exciting spectacle. Also falling during the powerplay was Phil Salt, who was bowled by Hazlewood.

The 2019 ODI World Cup champions were reinstated into the game for England thanks to Vince and Billings’ heroic revival effort. However, Hazlewood’s lbw trapping of Vince let Australia through.

The dismissals of Billings, Curran, and Ali by Zampa in a five-ball stretch brought England from 156/3 to 169/7. Starc retaliated by eliminating Chris Woakes and David Willey before Zampa sent Liam Dawson out for a single in the 39th over to secure the victory.

Brief results: Australia beat England by 72 runs, scoring 280/8 in 50 overs (Steve Smith scored 94, Marnus Labuschagne scored 58; Adil Rashid took 357, Chris Woakes took 242) (Sam Billings scored 71, James Vince scored 60; Adam Zampa took 4/45, Mitchell Starc took 4/47)

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