NICK HOWSON rounds up the major events of the opening one-day international at Emirates Old Trafford as Australia take a 1-0 series lead
Maybe it was just the knowledge that Stuart Broad was in the vicinity at Emirates Old Trafford, but it was an awkward innings from David Warner after Australia were inserted.
It was ended in sensational, yet not totally unfamiliar circumstances as Jofra Archer produced a ripper to take-out the bail sitting on his off-stump.
It was the sixth occasion in all formats the Barbados-born seamer has uprooted the Aussie opener in his short international career. Archer has dismissed Warner on twice as many occasions as any other player.
The concern for Warner, who looked like he was trying to rediscover his white-ball touch at the start of his knock before being flattened, is that Archer's England career is very much in its infancy.
From 73 balls Warner has scored 54 runs off Archer, but on six occasions he's been poached. You can add Old Trafford to Lord's, Headingley, The Oval, and The Ageas Bowl to the list of venues where the 25-year-old has got the better of one of the finest around.
Given how early in the cycle ahead of the next 50-over World Cup this three-match series occurs, it is not lazy to suggest that any blows landed during these exchanges can be crucial ahead of the Ashes. And that goes for both sides. Just ask Mitchell Johnson circa 2013.
India may be in Australia this winter, and a T20 World Cup might follow, but Warner will already be thinking about that first delivery in Brisbane in 14 months' time. Broad, and now Archer, have served notice.
PEACH! 😍#ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/HsGF1PcjBV
— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) September 11, 2020
With more Australia wickets than against any other nation in white-ball cricket before this game (50 at 23.96) there has naturally been plenty of discussion around the threat posed by Adil Rashid. But, publicly at least, Australia have kept their counsel over how to quell him.
Aaron Finch was full of praise of the Yorkshire spinner ahead of the second half of the tour - "Rashid has been a quality performer for a long time" - but did not go into detail over how to improve their record at both picking his variations and ensuring the scoreboard keeps ticking.
If there was a plan of action against the leg-spinner, then it lacked both substance, commitment, and a universal approach.
Marnus Labuschagne and Alex Carey immediately got on the sweep and neither looked at ease. The sweep is not a shot you can just drop into their artillery without a serious amount of practice. It is a risky stroke at the best of times, not least on a surface like the one both sides encountered at Old Trafford. It can end up doing more harm than good.
The cross-batted shot can help manipulate the field and nullify an opponent's best delivery. But if it is not executed with conviction a world of trouble awaits. While Labuschagne succumbed after not reading the googly, stepping forward, and being trapped lbw, Carey went in rather ignominious fashion.
Two for Adil Rashid ☝️#ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/ohKLWuR4IM
— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) September 11, 2020
Matthew Wade's rival for the gloves swept carelessly at a full ball which merely popped up for Sam Billings to race in and grab. A run-a-ball 10 was ended and it was rather forgettable.
It is likely that Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell become the brains trust which works towards trying to conquer Rashid going forward, not that their success was based on anything particularly revolutionary.
Marsh looked light on his feet, getting forward as often as he could and cutting effectively when Rashid got the radar wrong. The out-of-form Maxwell looked equally as comfortable and could of course go to his release shot over deep mid-wicket whenever the pressure started to swell.
Their 126-run partnership was the sixth-highest for any wicket against England in an ODI and is thrust the tourists from a position of peril to one of respectability. Indeed, the manner in which a minor collapse ensued after their departure told its own story.
Nasser Hussain got it spot on before play when he expressed concern over the return of Jason Roy for this opening ODI. The Surrey batsman missed the Pakistan and Australia T20s with a side strain, meaning he hasn't faced a white-ball since August 4 and the end of the Ireland series.
Since the end of those exchanges, Roy has only played two innings in competitive cricket, in the Bob Willis Trophy for his county.
He hasn't recorded an innings of substance in any format since the Pakistan Super League in March. As Hussain eloquently described before play, Roy is not the sort of play who can come out of the cold and start sending the ball to the boundary. The 30-year-old requires time to find form bed himself back in. That indulgence helped win England a World Cup, so it certainly hasn't been without foundation or success.
Not wishing to overlook some superb bowling from Australia first up, it was a rotten innings from Roy. You never want to be searching for form against Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood. England's two 50-over defeats to Australia last summer came when they were looking for momentum; their semi-final success occurred when they already had some.
The manner in which he poked at a beautiful delivery from Hazlewood, desperate for something full enough to unload on, said as much about the quality of the length as it did about his lack of confidence and flow. Perhaps you can't legislate for the catch, which was a cracker to burst open the top-order.
Stunning take from Hazlewood! 👏#ENGvAUSpic.twitter.com/1wuxhg92J7
— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) September 11, 2020
Before this series, Eoin Morgan made a very clear call to ground staff across the country to prepare slow, tired pitches for future white-ball matches in the coming years to help prepare for two World Cups in India in 2021 and 2023.
There is a degree of sense to this idea, particularly given that slow surfaces can typically only be found either in Manchester or Cardiff. Otherwise, England will rack up the runs and the victories without learning of developing.
Due to that desire to test themselves on different pitches, it is like that the world champions will lose their veneer of invincibility they have built-up over the last few years.
The last 50-over World Cup cycle saw them warm-up for the tournament on flat decks which allowed them to pile on the runs. Their top-five team scores in history came between the 2015 and 2019 competitions.
But with the conditions that Morgan is demanding working against their strengths, it is only natural that some teething problems will surface along the way. This will not be a faultless route to either of the tournaments in India, and nights like this one in Manchester are likely to become more regular.
For now, failures are acceptable and understandable. However, should we be standing here in 12 months time and England haven't emerged from their white-ball stupor then it would be appropriate to question whether this batch of players are capable of adding to their world title.
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