Australia 271 for 4 (Martyn 101*, Bevan 52) beat England 264 for 7 (Knight 85, Trescothick 82, Hogg 3-55) by 7 runs
Scorecard

If ever proof was needed that it's not over until the fat lady sings, this was it. With 20 overs left, England were cruising on 160 for 0, chasing 272 to beat Australia at Hobart. But with the middle order showing all the composure of a teenage boy during his first sexual experience, they fell seven runs short, having failed to garner the 12 they needed off the final over from Shane Watson. England, as only they can, had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

After all the stick they took from Sri Lanka two days ago, it was richly ironic that Australia's matchwinners were Watson, who may just have come of age as an international cricketer on his home ground, and Brad Hogg.

For England, Nick Knight and Marcus Trescothick both made excellent 80s, but apart from Nasser Hussain (43), nobody else got to 20. Instead, the decisive innings was a cool, classy 101 not out from Damien Martyn, who took Australia to 271 for 4 and then chipped in with a wicket and a fine catch in the field.

On a deviant, slightly corrugated pitch at the Bellerive Oval, Australia recovered well after losing three wickets in the first eleven overs. The impressive James Anderson was the pick of the bowlers with 2 for 40, and the main cause of the Aussies' slide to 53 for 3.

He trapped a piqued Adam Gilchrist lbw for 2 with the last ball of his first over, though replays showed a clear inside-edge, and then had Ricky Ponting caught behind for 15 driving at a lovely outswinger (25 for 2). Ponting had already been dropped in the gully by the usually reliable Paul Collingwood off Anderson; more crucially, Collingwood would put Martyn down on 52, again off Anderson, and again a fairly straightforward chance.

It was Martyn who led Australia's recovery after Matthew Hayden (21) pulled Steve Harmison's second ball straight up in the air. Harmison, suffering from a touch of flu that forced him off the field at one point, was hot and cold throughout. He went for 58 off eight overs and was responsible for half of the 22 runs that England conceded in wides. Australia, by contrast, gave away only two.

Martyn and Michael Bevan settled for liberal use of the jab rather than knockout blows in an old-fashioned one-day partnership of 118 in 24 overs. Though Ian Blackwell (1 for 41) bowled tidily, Ronnie Irani again looked a little out of his depth. His averages for the series are 2 and 191.

Bevan nudged along smoothly to his first fifty in 16 one-day internationals before he was bowled by Blackwell for 52 (171 for 4), and then Jimmy Maher (49 not out) and Martyn really put their foot on the gas with an unbroken partnership of 100 off the last 15 overs, including 69 off the last seven. Martyn went to his century off the final ball with a premeditated paddle off Andy Caddick for four.

A target of 272 seemed too much for England, but their openers made a mockery of that assessment. Trescothick, caning a series of boundaries through the off side, was somewhere near his best again, and Knight rode his luck – he was dropped twice – to dance to a fine 85 off 102 balls.

The pair had added 165 when Knight heaved at Andy Bichel and was bowled. Then, all of a sudden, England mislaid the plot. Trescothick (82) rifled Martyn's gentle medium-pace to point (188 for 2), and then Blackwell, who was promoted to No. 3 but fudged around for an out-of-character 12 off 29 balls, swept Hogg up in the air.

Inexplicably, Hogg was being made to look like a world-beater: Owais Shah flicked him to midwicket, and in the same over Collingwood scuffed a sweep to short fine leg (211 for 5). After a dismal first spell of 0 for 27 off 3 overs, Hogg had taken 3 for 28 off six in his second; with 61 needed off seven overs, England were in trouble.

Yet while Hussain and Alec Stewart were scurrying 41 in five overs, England were slight favourites. Then Ponting, captaining on his home ground for the first time, had the courage to turn to his state teammate Watson – and it paid the ultimate dividend.

Stewart skied him over wide mid-on, where Martyn, running back, took a superbly judged catch. Then, with 10 needed off four balls, Hussain swiped across a straight one and was bowled. Watson, who ended with 2 for 36, was the hero of a sell-out crowd, but brave as his performance was, he didn't win this game. England most definitely lost it.

Rob Smyth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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