Match Report

Nearly three inches of rain in Sydney over the last few days have given the Australian Cricket Board Authorites huge rescheduling headaches as Australia and England prepare for the First Final of the Carlton & United Series scheduled to start at 2:30pm today.

Both teams were restricted to indoor practice at the SCG yesterday as the rain pounded down outside causing the chances of any play today being unlikely.

The current drainage at the Sydney Cricket Ground stops around 30m away from the wicket block with the outer part of the ground having little or no drainage.

The latest play can start is at 7:20pm as a 25 overs per side match, but that would be probably a more satisfactory result given that if play were abandoned today and the reserve day (Thursday) were used, the teams would be required to fly out of Sydney early Friday morning for a 2:30pm start in Melbourne.

If today is abandoned a simple solution would be to play in Sydney on Thursday and reschedule the Friday game in Melbourne to Saturday and play a third final on Sunday if necessary.

Likely Teams:

• AUSTRALIA: *SK Warne, ME Waugh, +AC Gilchrist, RT Ponting, DS Lehmann, DR Martyn, MG Bevan, BP Julian, S Lee, AC Dale, GD McGrath.
• ENGLAND: *+AJ Stewart, NV Knight, GA Hick, N Hussain, NH Fairbrother, AJ Hollioake, MA Ealham, VJ Wells, RDB Croft, D Gough, AD Mullally

Gilchrist fires Australia early

Despite predictions to the contrary, play started on time in the first final at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with Shane Warne winning the toss and electing to bat.

After ten overs Australia are 1/48, with Mark Waugh on 13 and Ricky Ponting is on 4.

Adam Gilchrist after a slice of luck was the man out bowled by Darren Gough for a bright 29 off 30 balls, which included three fours. He attempted to charge Gough and lost his off stump via an inside edge.

Gilchrist was particularly harsh on Mullally as the left armer went for 33 off his first five overs.

Waugh has had his fair share of early problems with Gough who was getting good bounce early, hitting him twice on the gloves in the first over.

Then Gilchrist had an extroadinary piece of luck in Mullally's first over as he top edged a pull shot high into the air towards square leg, where Adam Hollioake put down the chance when the left hander was on 5.

Even steven in early stages of first final

On a slow pitch and outfield, Australia and England are involved in a tight struggle after twenty overs at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

The Aussies are 3/98 with Darren Lehmann not out on 15 and new batsman Damien Martyn not out on nought.

Ricky Ponting went in the 14th over, tickling a leg glance off Vince Wells into the gloves of Alec Stewart for ten.

Waugh then went in the 20th over edging Wells to Stewart for a well made 42 off 56 deliveries.

Wells now has 2/19 from five steady overs from the Brewongle Stand end.

Following Ponting's dismissal it was interesting to note that Lehmann, omitted from the West Indies touring party, passed the outgoing Ponting well onto the arena, indicating that he was more than keen to show that he was more than ready to take on the English attack.

On the normally off spinner friendly Sydney pitch, Robert Croft was introduced into the attack in the 19th over and speared his first ball into the pads of Waugh and was sweeped brilliantly to the long leg fence.

Wells the destroyer!!

A fine spell of bowling by Vince Wells has seen this first Carlton and United Series take an intruiging turn at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

After 30 overs, Australia are 4/138, Damien Martyn is on 21 and Michael Bevan has 15, with Wells finishing with 3/30 from his ten overs.

His third victim was Darren Lehmann, who holed out to mid on to his Leicestershire team mate Alan Mullally for 19 in the 26th over.

Once again this summer, the third umpire was called to judge a very close run out decision as in the 29th over, Martyn pushed to backward point, Nasser Hussain charged in and threw down the stumps with Bevan in his own mind short of his ground.

The replay indicated that Bevan was home by the narrowest of margins.

Bevan guiding middle order

A sensible innings by Michael Bevan is steering Australia to a competent total in the first final of the Carlton and United Series at the Sydney Cricket Ground

Bevan is on 38 as Australia have progressed to 5/176 after 40 overs, Shane Lee is also not out on 12 as the pair have added 37 in nine overs for the sixth wicket.

Apart from an on driven six over long on, Damien Martyn struggled in his innings of 21 (from 38 balls) before he was taken behind by Alec Stewart of Mark Ealham at 5/139 in the 31st over.

Vince Wells has been the pick of the bowlers, finishing with 3/30 from ten overs, a spell which included two maidens.

Bevan steers Australia to 8/232

A fine unbeaten innings of 69 from 74 balls by left hander Michael Bevan has steered Australia to 8/232 at the conclusion of its fifty overs in the first final at the SCG.

Bevan hit six fours in his knock after Australia won the toss and elected to bat in very humid conditions.

The England bowling heroes were Vince Wells who picked up 3/30 from ten overs and Mark Ealham who snared 3/45 from his ten. Darren Gough picked up the wickets of Adam Gilchrist (29) and Shane Warne (9) and finished with 2/43.

Earlier Australia got off to their customary quick start going at five runs per over from the opening fifteen overs with Gilchrist and Mark Waugh getting things moving early.

But after the fall of Waugh (42) in the 19th over, Australia lost some momentum and slumped to 5/139 in the 31st over.

But partnerships with Bevan of 37 for the sixth wicket with Shane Lee (12), 23 in four overs with Brendan Julian (12) and 23 in four overs with Shane Warne (9) saw Australia to its eventual total of 4.64 runs per over.

England were a little slow with the over rate in the field and may have to chase their target in 49 overs.

England aggressive early in chase

England, in pursuit of Australia's 8/232 have started aggressively and after ten overs are 1/53 with Nick Knight on 12 and Graeme Hick on 14.

There was some controversy surrounding Alec Stewart's dismissal for 27 in the sixth over as he played Adam Dale to short mid wicket where Mark Waugh took a low catch. Stewart stayed at the crease clearly not convinced that the catch had been fairly taken. However after a short delay umpire Darrel Hair gave the England skipper out.

In the previous over from Glenn McGrath, Stewart had been very severe on the tall fast bowler, hit four consecutive fours, the first forward of square leg off the back foot, the second a pull shot that was dropped at mid wicket by Michael Bevan, the third all run to mid wicket and finally a top edge over the 'keepers head from an attempted pull shot.

The final boundary caused an verbal duel between the England skipper and McGrath, with neither player emerging with much credit from the incident.

The drop by Bevan, sadly has resulted in finger damage and he immediately called for assistance and left the arena.

It was later revealed that Bevan had suffered a dislocation of the finger which will result in his unavailablity for the remainder of the finals series.

Tight struggle in the first final

Game one of the Carlton and United Finals Series is in for a close finish as we head for the final quarter of the match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Chasing Australia's 8/232, England are 2/86 after 20 overs with Graeme Hick on 26 and Nasser Hussain on 10.

Hussain has struggled early in his innings and broke his own shackles in the 19th over by hitting Shane Warne back over his head for four. However for the remainder of the over, Warne had Hussain flummoxed with his big spinning leg break causing all sorts of problems.

Nick Knight went in the 14th over, being bowled attempting to hit Dale over the infield for 22 at 2/67.

Again Adam Dale has proved to be hard to get away finishing his ten overs with the figures of 2/33.

Australia have nose just in front

With twenty overs left England are 4/137 with Nasser Hussain on 28 and Vince Wells on 4.

They now require 96 from 20 overs for victory in the first of the best of three finals series.

Brilliant fielding by Ricky Ponting saw the demise of Graeme Hick (42) in the 26th over as Hussain defended Brendan Julian on the off side, Hick charged down from the non strikers end then had to turn around as Ponting picked off the stumps, finding Hick a metre short.

It was Ponting's fourth run out of the series - a pretty mean feat considering he missed three matches through suspension.

Then three overs later Neil Fairbrother (8) attempted to nudge Glenn McGrath to third man only to edge to Adam Gilchrist to make it 4/131 in the 29th over.

Wells then received a bouncer first up from McGrath, which was duly called a "no-ball".

In the 30th over, Damien Martyn returned to the bowling crease and almost had him caught and bowled from a leading edge. The following delivery, Wells took a boundary off his pads to ease the tension.

England set to go one up

With ten overs remaining England are 4/186 requiring 47 for victory.

The pair of Nasser Hussain (53*) and Vince Wells (27*) have now added 55 for the fifth wicket in eleven overs and seemed to have steered England into a position where they should win the match.

Hussain brought up his half century during the 38th over in 107 minutes off 84 balls with four boundaries.

Hussain has had an interesting duel with Shane Warne, with the two engaging in a verbal duel during Warne's most recent spell

Sensational collapse sees Australia clinch victory

In a see sawing game of limited over international cricket Australia have gone one up in the best of three finals after defeating England by ten runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

This was after England appeared set for victory at 4/186 after 40 overs, with Nasser Hussain and Vince Wells well entrenched at the crease.

Shane Lee bowled a maiden in the 41st over to Hussain and then in the next over Vince Wells put England to within just 43 after sweeping Darren Lehmann into the Bill O'Reilly stand for six.

Shane Warne returned to bowl the 43rd over and picked up Hussain as he missed a head in the air slog and was stumped for 58 - England 5/198. One found it hard to work out why Hussain played such a shot at a stage where England seemed set to cruise to victory.

The following delivery saw Adam Hollioake given out lbw by umpire Steve Davis as he attempted to sweep. The decision didn't appear to be a good one given the distance that Warne had been spinning his leg breaks during the evening and the fact that Hollioake was struck on the front pad nearly a metre down the track.

In the next over Wells attempted to hit Lee out of the ground and was brilliantly caught at straight hit by Brendan Julian who had to run some 30m around from wide long off. Suddenly England had lost 3/0 in seven balls to be 7/198.

England brought up its 200 in the 45th over, but further trouble occurred in the 46th as Mark Ealham edged the third ball of Glenn McGrath's new spell to 'keeper Gilchrist and England were 8/204 with 29 needed from 27 balls. Gough went two balls later, yorked by McGrath for a duck and England had lost 5/6 in an extroadinary collapse.

Alan Mullally inside edged the last ball of the over for four and England needed 25 off 24 balls.

Lee conceded just two runs from the 47th over and then McGrath gave away just a single and a leg bye off the 48th and England needed 21 off the last two.

Nine came off the penultimate over leaving 12 needed off the last, and with his second delivery McGrath bowled Mullally to clinch the win.

McGrath finished with 4/45 picking up his last 3/6 off just 12 balls. Adam Dale was tight early with 2/33 from ten consecutive overs and Shane Warne bowled well at the death finishing with 2/40 from his ten.

Earlier Australia could thank Michael Bevan (69* off 74 balls) for its score of 8/232 which could have been more but for the constant flow of wickets which fell. The biggest partnership of the innings was the opening stand of 40 in nine overs between Adam Gilchrist (29) who succumbed to Gough. Mark Waugh seemed set for a big score before he went in the 20th over for 42, to be third out at 98.

Darren Lehmann, with the disappointment of missing the West Indies tour not far from his mind, holed out to mid on for just 19, which brought Bevan to the crease who steered Australia to its eventual total.

The bowling of Vince Wells was the catalyst for the loss of three wickets in a row as he bowled tightly to have figures of 3/30 from ten overs.

Man of the Match Bevan's innings included six fours as he and the lower order steered Australia to what proved to be a winning tally.

Sadly in the field, Bevan severely dislocated his finger attempting to catch Alec Stewart in the fifth over and will miss the remainder of the finals matches

England must now regroup as it heads to Melbourne for its do or die clash with Australia in game two on Friday.

Man of the Match: MG Bevan, Attendance: 32,640.

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