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Shaun Marsh ton inspires Australia to victory in ODI

Second one-day international, Hobart:
Australia 230 (48.2 overs) beat England 184 (45 overs) by 46 runs
Match scorecard

Shaun Marsh celebrates reaching three figures
Marsh struck his second one-day international century for Australia

By Jonathan Stevenson

Recalled Shaun Marsh struck a superb century as Australia won the second one-day international against England by 46 runs to go 2-0 up in the series.

The hosts recovered from 33-4 and then 142-8 as Marsh, who was last man out for 110, helped them reach 230 all out.

He shared an Australian ninth-wicket record of 88 with Doug Bollinger (32), who then dismissed Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen in successive balls.

Jonathan Trott (32) and Ian Bell (32) got starts, but England made only 184.

Their highest partnership was a paltry 47 between Trott and Bell and they lost wickets at regular intervals as Australia cruised to victory in the first ODI day-nighter to be played in Hobart.

After winning their third game in a row against England (two ODIs and one Twenty20 match), Michael Clarke's team have now taken control of the seven-match series ahead of the third meeting in Sydney on Sunday.

Having won the toss and put Australia in, dominating early on and then blowing away their middle order, England will wonder how they ended up on the receiving end of such an ignominious defeat.

For much of the home side's innings England would have been expecting to chase far less than 231, but they simply never got going under the lights and never looked like getting close to their target, a worrying indictment of their top order with a World Cup looming next month.

Wicketkeeper Matt Prior, recalled in place of Steven Davies, found his berth at the top of the order too much to handle as he edged to Shane Watson off Brett Lee for a duck as the Australians made the perfect start.

Buoyed by his batting heroics, Bollinger (4-28) then had a decisive say with the ball as he trapped Strauss plumb lbw for 19 and then forced Pietersen to play on first ball as England stumbled to 36-3.

Trott and Bell dug in and gave a glimmer of hope, but when Trott pulled a woeful long-hop from Steve Smith straight to David Hussey at midwicket and then Bell cut Lee to Smith in the gully, that hope was extinguished.

Eoin Morgan, Michael Yardy and Tim Bresnan all tried to salvage England's innings, but they had been left with too much to do and Ajmal Shahzad was last man out as England were dismissed in the 45th over.

That Australia even had a reasonable target to defend was largely down to the herculean effort of Marsh, the 27-year-old winning a recall to the side thanks to Michael Hussey's hamstring problems.

Marsh, who is not in the Aussies' 15-man World Cup squad, came to the crease with his side in all kinds of trouble at 33-4, England's pace attack having done the early damage.

Shahzad (3-43) found a beautiful line and length outside off stump from the first ball of the innings and he soon accounted for the hero of Melbourne as Watson, who struck a stunning unbeaten 161 at the MCG, played on for five in the third over.

Doug Bollinger celebrates the wicket of Kevin Pietersen
Bollinger celebrates the crucial golden ball wicket of Pietersen

Shahzad, Chris Tremlett and Bresnan were not giving anything away and the former's impressive consistency brought another wicket when Brad Haddin also got an inside edge on to his stumps for five.

When the out-of-sorts Michael Clarke slapped Bresnan straight to Bell at cover for 10 and then Hussey was superbly caught in the gully by Strauss off Tremlett the hosts were staring down the barrel at 33-4.

But Marsh and Cameron White (45) dropped anchor and gradually hauled their team towards respectability in putting on exactly 100, though boundaries were at a premium as England's bowlers - with spinners Yardy and James Tredwell to the fore - continued to exert control.

Marsh survived a desperately tight appeal for a stumping by Prior off Tredwell on 23, but he made the most of his good fortune and brought up his fifty in the 32nd over, clipping Shahzad off his pads.

As Australia seemed to be setting themselves up for a flourishing finish to their innings England struck in devastating fashion, taking four wickets for nine runs in five overs as the game once more swung their way.

After gloriously caressing Yardy over extra-cover for four, from the next ball White offered the bowler a return chance he snaffled away to his left, before Smith became Shahzad's third inside edge victim as his bat wafted suicidally miles away from his body.

Nathan Hauritz and Lee came and went but Bollinger, who had a previous highest ODI score of three, was determined to hang around and give Marsh a platform to try to get the Aussies to a decent total.

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An Australian ninth-wicket record exceeded all expectations but there was nothing fortuitous about the stand, Bollinger more than playing his part as he rocked on to the back foot and drove the spinners sumptuously through the covers for four.

Marsh hit one seamless six to the midwicket boundary before teeing off in the 45th over, clubbing Yardy for two fours before drilling him over mid-on for a maximum to bring up his second ODI century.

Both men departed in successive balls in the 49th over as Tremlett struck, but by then Australia had enough runs in the bank to secure a second successive triumph.

The only blemish on the day for Australia was a nasty looking injury to the recalled Nathan Hauritz after he fell on his shoulder while fielding, the spinner being immediately sent to hospital for X-rays.



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see also
Hauritz faces surgery on shoulder
23 Jan 11 |  Australia
Strauss urges England improvement
21 Jan 11 |  England
Australia v England 2nd ODI photos
21 Jan 11 |  England
World Cup call-up surprises Prior
20 Jan 11 |  England
Aussies gamble on Hussey fitness
20 Jan 11 |  Australia
Prior in England World Cup squad
19 Jan 11 |  England
Injured Swann out of ODI series
25 Jan 11 |  England
Watson ton too good for England
16 Jan 11 |  England
Cricket World Cup 2011
09 Mar 11 |  Cricket
England in Australia 2010-11
08 Oct 09 |  Cricket


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FROM OTHER SPORT SITES
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