England vs Australia 2018, 1st ODI: Five Talking Points

Eoin Morgan and Co. have taken a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series against Australia after clinching victory by a margin of three wickets at the Oval in London on Thursday (June 13).

It was a topsy-turvy chase for the hosts, who did manage to restrict Australia to 214/10 in the first innings, but made a meal out of the target in the second. However, composed efforts from a couple of batsmen ensured that England crossed the finish line in the 44th over of the chase.

Here are five talking points from the game:

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#5 The English skippers step up

The pair of skippers in the England dressing room, one of which handles the longest format of the game while the other leads in the shorter formats, stepped up big time in the series opener against Australia.

Joe Root and Eoin Morgan put up an extremely important partnership in the middle overs of the second innings after England lost three quick wickets in the batting powerplay. Joe Root exuded class in his 50 off 71 deliveries, while Morgan led from the front with a score of 69 under his belt.

Their crucial stand of 115 runs is what pulled the home side out of dangerous waters and steered their ship to stability in the chase.

#4 Glenn Maxwell finds form

The right-hander found some precious form against England after a disastrous IPL with DD this year

The Australian all-rounder had a rueful IPL season with the Delhi Daredevils this year, as he failed to deliver for the underachieving side throughout the tournament. However, he seems to have found form in the aftermath of the tournament, stepping up against England in the very first match of the ODI series.

He was the silver lining in the otherwise bland Australian batting effort on the day, scoring 62 off just 64 deliveries in a knock that consisted of four boundaries and two massive sixes. He batted at a healthy strike rate of 96.88 and built some important partnerships in the middle to help his team reach a fighting total.

Maxwell's effort with the ball was decent too, as he bowled two overs and gave away just 9 runs in the same.

#3 David Willey's finishing touch

It was a strong batting performance from the left-hander

The composure from this 28-year-old cricketer is what saw England through at the end of it all. David Willey remained calm through the cacophony of the last few overs, managed to keep his wits about himself while wickets tumbled consistently and ultimately, took his team to victory with a strong effort with the willow.

The 35* off 41 deliveries that he scored on the day is the highest batting score for the left-hander in international and boy, did it come at the right time.

The hosts needed this victory after the shocker against Ireland a few days ago and it was Willey who managed to hand it to them and that too, in a precise and perfect manner.

#2 Strong response from the Australian bowling attack

The seam bowlers, in particular, were brilliant on the day

Though the visitors fell to a defeat on the day, they have plenty of positives to take to the second game of the series. Their bowling attack showed vigour and vigilance on the day, making a small total look tricky and treacherous to the English batsmen.

The seamers, in particular, took advantage of the swinging conditions and were responsible for all the England wickets that fell on the day.

Billy Stanlake came back from injury in a roaring fashion and picked up right where he had left off for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. Michael Nesser and Andrew Tye scalped a brace each as well, while Kane Richardson claimed the sole wicket of Johny Bairstow in the 8th over of the game.

#1 Moeen Ali impresses

The off-spinner was right on the money in the first ODI against Australia

It was the spinners that separated the winners from the losers on the day. While the Australian spinners could not extract a lot from the wicket, the home spinners scalped five wickets between them and broke the spine of the visitors' batting line-up.

Moeen Ali, in particular, was at his best with the ball, picking up three wickets in his quota of ten overs, while giving away just 43 runs. He was adjudged the Man of the Match for his terrific bowling on the day, as he bowled in tandem with Adil Rashid to cause a plethora of problems for the opposition.