The Hindu : Sport : England and Australia to fight it out in final

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jun 28, 2005

Sport

Sport

England and Australia to fight it out in final

Ted Corbett

LEEDS: : England not only ensured its place in the NatWest one-day final when it defeated Bangladesh by five wickets at Headingley on Sunday but dragged Australia into the final as well. Frankly, Bangladesh is fortunate to finish third in any tri-series.

It makes the England-Australia clash on Tuesday of interest only to cricket anoraks, statistical nerds and the fanatically committed and the match between Australia and Bangladesh only pertinent to those who bought tickets in advance.

Bangladesh could score only 208 for seven in its 50 overs and its opening batsman Javed Omar needed 150 balls for 81.

There is a difference in class that ICC must address. It is far more important than the question of substitutes in one-day games.

Andrew Strauss led the England reply with 98 — he was out slogging for his hundred — and he might have been caught in the deep twice before he reached fifty.

Marcus Trescothick had just got into his stride when he was out and Vikram Solanki and Andrew Flintoff were again dismissed for fewer runs than they promised. Kevin Pietersen survived a stumping chance, struck two sweet fours and a six like a tennis lob before he was caught on the mid-on boundary.

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