Commonwealth Bank Series:Third O.D.I Player Ratings

ENGLAND

Andrew Strauss(c): The English skipper got off to a good start and played well for his 23 but his untimely dismissal put an end to what might have been a good innings. He pulled well and even came down the track to John Hastings to hoist him for 2 fours. However, a terrible mix up with Jonathan Trott in the eighth over ended his innings and he left the field disgruntled. Strauss gets 5.5 for today’s match.

Matt Prior(wk): The keeper was a surprise inclusion in the World Cup squad and has been given the nod ahead of Steve Davies, whom he replaced after the first ODI. In the second and third ODI, he opened the innings with Strauss and got a duck in both of them, on both occasions falling to Brett Lee. His work behind the stumps was good. He gets a 5 for this game.

Jonathan Trott: Trott has been in good form throughout the Australian summer and today, he again displayed why he’s a class batsman. He came in after the first wicket fell and stayed till the last one got out, remaining unbeaten on 84. Trott was the main culprit for the mix up which led to the dismissal of Strauss but he played with maturity after the incident and ensured England got to a competitive total . For his efforts, Trott gets 8.5.

Ian Bell: Bell scored a century the last time he visited Sydney (in the final Ashes Test). But today was not meant to be his day. He got a leading edge which went straight back to the bowler Shane Watson. Watson put in a full length dive and took an excellent catch to cause Bell’s downfall. For this match, Bell gets a 3.5 for today’s match.

Eoin Morgan: Eoin Morgan came in to when England were in spot of bother at 61/3. He combined with Jonathan Trott to put on a 57 run partnership but threw his wicket away in trying to pull David Hussey. The Australian captain took a good catch at short midwicket to send Morgan back to the pavilion. He made 30 before getting out. Morgan gets a 5.5 for this game.

Paul Collingwood: Collingwood’s disastrous summer with the bat continued today as he fell for just one run. Xavier Doherty bowled him on the second ball he faced. He had a better outing with the ball though, picking up two crucial wickets to get England back into the game. For his efforts, Collingwood gets a 6.

Michael Yardy: Michael Yardy has not impressed with the bat yet in this series and today was no different, as he made only 7 runs. He became the second victim of the day for Xavier Doherty when he hit a ball straight back to Doherty. His bowling was better than his batting but he could not pick up any wickets. He gets 4.5 for today’s game.

Chris Woakes: Chris Woakes, who was not picked in the 15 man squad for the World Cup played as Tim Bresnan sustained a calf injury at Hobart. His vigil at the crease was short and he fell just before the batting power play denting England’s hopes of getting 230 or more. He bowled well, giving away 31 runs in his 7 overs and picked up the wicket of Michael Clarke. Woakes gets 6 for this match.

Luke Wright: Luke Wright came in as replacement for James Tredwell. He batted well for his 32 and importantly strung a 49 run partnership. England could have scored more runs had he stayed at the crease for a longer time but that was not meant to be as he edged one of John Hastings to Brad Haddin. He bowled only 2 overs in the match. For his efforts, Luke Wright gets 6.

Ajmal Shahzad: Shahzad bowled well in the previous match and was expected to perform well today also. He did bowl reasonably well but failed to provide breakthroughs for England. He got the wicket of Shaun Marsh early in the innings but went wicket less after that. For his efforts, Shahzad gets 5.5.

Chris Tremlett: Tremlett also, like Shahzad had a good outing on Friday in Hobart. He continued the good show in Sydney. He picked up the wicket of the in-form Shane Watson in the second over of the innings and then late in the innings, got Steven Smith for 26. For his efforts, he gets 6.5.

AUSTRALIA

Shane Watson: Watson is one of the few Australians who has had a good summer. During England’s innings, he bowled a tight spell, giving away just 17 runs in 6 overs. He also dismissed Ian Bell in the process. He could not provide the usual fireworks with the bat and was done in by Tremlett. He gets 6 for this game.

Brad Haddin(wk): Brad Haddin had a good day with the bat today. He scored quickly too, making 54 of just 59 balls. He held the Australian innings together for 20 overs and made sure Australia would have the last laugh even after losing early wickets. He gets 8.

Shaun Marsh: Marsh was promoted to No.3 after his match winning performance in Hobart. Sadly, he could not repeat his performance In Sydney. He got out plumb to Ajmal Shahzad when batting on 6. He would definitely be disappointed with this performance. His fielding was good. He gets 4 for this game.

Michael Clarke(c): The Australian captain is under immense pressure to deliver and so far there are no signs of him leading by example. His fielding placing was good, especially employing the boundary rider for the pull, which saved a lot of runs. He also used his bowlers well. But his batting is the main cause for concern. He made just 9 runs today when he became Chris Woakes’ first victim in international cricket. Clarke gets 5 for this game.

Cameron White: Cameron White did not have a good day at the SCG today. He managed to score only 7 runs before Collingwood got him out leg before. He struggled to make these 7 runs, consuming 23 balls for them. White gets 4 for this match.

David Hussey: Hussey was the hero for Australia today. He came in when Australia were struggling at 92/4 but played a solid innings of 68 not out to take Australia home. He had a partnership of 63 with Steven Smith initially and then 48 with John Hastings to secure the victory. He was a bit expensive with the ball though, going for 24 runs in 3 overs. However, he picked up the wicket of Eoin Morgan who was batting on 30 which helped in restricting England to 214. He gets 9 for today’s match.

Steven Smith: Smith came in to bat under pressure when Australia were 100/5 and along with David Hussey steadied the ship. He scored 26 runs but more importantly shared a 63 run partnership with David Hussey. He fielded well and saved some crucial runs for his team. He bowled only 3 overs and went for 19 in them. He gets 6.5 for this game.

John Hastings: Hastings, included in the squad for the World Cup, got his first game of the series. He went for 10 runs in his first over but came back well to finish with figures of 10-0-51-1. He chipped in with the bat too, remaining unbeaten on 18 when the match ended. Hastings and Hussey had a partnership of 48 which saw Australia home. For his efforts, Hastings gets 6.5.

Brett Lee: The Australian selectors will be very pleased with themselves for picking Lee for the World Cup. Brett Lee was fast, was accurate and bowled brilliantly. He got the wicket of Prior in the first over and then in the end came back to take 2 more wickets and finish off England’s tail. He also used the slower ball to good effect and ended up with figures of 8-0-27-3. Lee gets 9 for this game.

Doug Bollinger: Bollinger was the star in the bowling department for Australia in Hobart. Today was not his best of days and went wicket less. He bowled in the first spell with the new ball but could not get any wickets. His 8 overs went for 36 runs. Bollinger gets 5 for this game.

Xavier Doherty: Doherty was given the cold shoulder by the selectors when they picked Nathan Hauritz over him for the World Cup. With Hauritz injuring himself in the last game, Doherty came in to the team for this match. He bowled brilliantly today, giving away just 37 runs in his 10 overs. He picked up the wickets of Paul Collingwood and Michael Yardy. Doherty gets 8 for this match.

Note: All the ratings are out of 10.