How costly can a no-ball prove to be? All you have to do is ask Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer. Bumrah claimed the wicket of Fakhar Zaman in the 2017 Champions Trophy final but was guilty of over-stepping. Zaman was on 3 at that time and thanks to the lifeline, went on to score a century as Pakistan won that match by 180 runs and lifted the trophy.
Cut to 2020, where Jofra Archer suffered a similar fate. Australia was stuttering at 73 for 5 at one stage in their run chase of a mammoth 303. Things would have gotten worse for them when at 87 for 5 in the 20th over, Carey played a ramp shot straight into the hands of Adil Rashid at third man off the bowling of Archer. But alas, it was called a no-ball by the TV umpire after checking the front foot landing, a process that is now mandatory on every wicket- taking delivery!
Carey was on 9 at that time and he used the lifeline to score his maiden ODI hundred, as he and Maxwell went on to share a record 6th wicket partnership of 212 that swung the match Australia’s way. Maxwell notched up his highest score in ODI’s making a fluent 108 to justify his new role batting at number 7 in the innings. But both “The Big Show” Maxwell and Alex Carey failed to finish the match off as they were dismissed in the 48th and 49th over respectively. It was left to Mitchell Starc to smash a six and a four in the final over to wrap the game and the series up in favor of the Aussies.
It was England’s first loss in a bilateral ODI series at home in the last 5 years. They had gone down 3-2 to Australia in September 2015 and since then, the World Champions had won 9 consecutive ODI
series at home.
It was the first time in 9 matches at Manchester, that the side chasing had won an ODI.
The momentum swung both ways in the entire match. Earlier, England was reeling at 0-2 with Mitchell Starc on a hattrick in the very first over of the match. But a counter-at- tacking performance by Jonny Bairstow who scored his 10th century in ODI’s and the respective half-centuries by Sam Billings and Chris Woakes gave England an above-par total of 302 after batting first at Manchester.
It wasn’t enough though, as Australia defied the odds and chased down 303, making it the first time that a 250 plus total was chased down successfully at Manchester in the 50-over format of the game.
This was the second time in the series that England let Australia off the hook after having them on the ropes. The host had allowed Australia to recover from 123 for 5 in the 1st ODI to post an imposing 294 in a match the visitors won by 19 runs. Then again in the 3rd ODI, it was a familiar tale of Australia staging a spectacular recovery. Interestingly, in both matches, it was Maxwell who swung the game for Australia. He seems to be more at ease in his new role batting at number 7 and that is an ominous sign
for all opposing teams. Adam Zampa had a good series as well, claiming 10 wickets overall and dismissing Eoin Morgan in all three ODI’s, suggesting that the England captain may have his task cut out while facing quality leg spinners.
But full credit to the inventors of the game — England for having hosted four back- to-back tours in the last 3 months during Covid-19 times, starting with the West Indies series, followed by the ODIs against Ireland, the tour by Pakistan, and the Australia series, which brings the curtain down on a busy home season for the host nation’s men’s team.
The author is a sports broadcaster & cricket commentator who has worked on assignments for leading sports networks in India & abroad and was on the Hindi commentary panel for the England versus Australia ODI series.
