Australia Embarrassed in 243-run Thrashing by India
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India 308-6; Australia 65. India win by 243 runs
• Australia slump to their lowest ever one-day score
- The Guardian UK, Tuesday 4 June 2013
Australia's Shane Watson is bowled by India's Ishant Sharma. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images
On the 20th anniversary of Shane Warne's spectacular entry into Ashes cricket at Old Trafford the vulnerability of the current Australia team was starkly illustrated as they were skittled for 65 in a Champions Trophy warm-up game against India in Cardiff after the withdrawal of their captain, Michael Clarke, with a recurrence of his back problems.
Clarke will have treatment in London on Wednesday in the hope of being fit to lead Australia in the first of their many encounters with England over the next seven months, a Champions Trophy group match at Edgbaston on Saturday. But the 32-year-old's inability to take part in either of their warm-up fixtures must raise worrying questions – for Australia, at least – about their captain's capacity to survive the gruelling schedule ahead, with 10 Ashes Tests in back-to-back series between July and January.
He was forced to withdraw from the last match of the 4-0 whitewash they suffered in a Test series in India earlier this year and the assurances that Clarke and Australia's physio, Alex Kountouris, provided last month before the squad left Sydney for England are already ringing a little hollow.
So the batting collapse in Cardiff was especially badly timed, as it provided further confirmation of how much Australia now rely on their captain for runs, following the retirement from internationals of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey during the winter.
David Warner went for a duck and the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and George Bailey, who took over from Clarke as captain, also fell for single figures as Australia slipped to nine for three. They were 28 for five when Umesh Yadav also fired out Phil Hughes and Mitchell Marsh, the son of the former Test opener Geoff going first ball. There was not much more resistance from the lower order, none of whom made double figures, as Australia fell five short of their lowest ODI total of 70 – although this will not set a record as the game did not have official ODI status, with both teams allowed to use all 15 members of their Champions Trophy squads.
"All in all, it was a pretty disappointing day," said Bailey, with considerable understatement – although he described Clarke's withdrawal as "precautionary" and said Australia are still "working towards" their captain returning in Birmingham on Saturday.
Topically, one of the two occasions on which Australia were dismissed for 70 came in June 1977 against England at Edgbaston. Alastair Cook's one-day team, who have been struggling for form and fitness themselves in recent weeks and face New Zealand at Trent Bridge on Wednesday aiming to avoid a 3-0 series whitewash, will have the chance to remind Australia of that this weekend. Warne's Ball of the Century to Mike Gatting really does seem a long time ago.
India Embarrasses Australia
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