England lost their 2nd game in a row in Group J as they were outclassed by Australia at Perth Stadium.
Aussie skipper Michael Clarke won the toss on a pitch that did not look suitable for a 5 day test match and one that many expected to turn very early on. Clarke opted to bat and Australia made 345 in their first innings. Opener Chris Rogers made 127 and was the clear standout as off spinner Graeme Swann took 5 for 71 in helpful conditions. Englands fielding was a cause for concern as the last 2 Aussie wickets added 84 and England dropped 5 catches.
England's batters started poorly, losing their skipper Alastair Cook for 4, but Ian Bell held the innings together making 91. Matt Prior also made 80 as England were all out for 362, taking a narrow lead of 17.
Australia slumped to 84-4 and were all out for 190 in their second innings as the pitch deteriorated further. Swann was brilliant once again, taking 8 for 59 (finishing with 13 in the match). Chris Rogers top scored again with 47 and Australia set England a target of 184 to win.
The pitch was really biting by now and both Steve O'Keefe and part timer Clarke found turn and bounce. A brief 44 from Moeen Ali gave England a little hope, but their brittle batting was exposed once again and they collapsed to 153 all out. O'Keefe ended with 5 for 56 (taking 8 in the match).
Australia won by 20 runs. The spinners dominated this game but man of the match goes to Chris Rogers for 2 very good innings in spite of the pitch.
Englands qualification hopes now lie in tatters. They must win their last 2 games and hope that other results go their way. They must surely feel that the game was lost with their poor catching in the 1st innings and woeful batting. Alastair Cook needs runs and England may need to bolster their batting at the expense of a bowling option. They have a bye next round and then go home to play India before travelling to Bangladesh for their final game with the Rest of the World.
Australia 2010s: PJ Hughes; CJL Rogers; MJ Clarke [c]; AC Voges; SE Marsh; MS Wade [w]; MG Johnson; RJ Harris; PM Siddle; SNJ O'Keefe; DE Bollinger
England 2010s: AN Cook [c]; IR Bell; JE Root; JM Bairstow; MM Ali; MJ Prior [w]; TT Bresnan; GP Swann; JC Archer; JM Anderson; SCJ Broad
Australia 2010s 1st Innings 345-10 (113.4 Ov)
CJL Rogers 127, SNJ O'Keefe 39*, PJ Hughes 38, GP Swann 5-71, JM Anderson 3-74
England 2010s 1st Innings 362-10 (102.2 Ov)
IR Bell 91, MJ Prior 80, JM Bairstow 49, SNJ O'Keefe 3-42, DE Bollinger 3-73, PM Siddle 2-70
Australia 2010s 2nd Innings 190-10 (63.5 Ov)
CJL Rogers 47, MG Johnson 30, SE Marsh 25, GP Swann 8-59
England 2010s 2nd Innings 153-10 (53.4 Ov)
MM Ali 44, IR Bell 37, SNJ O'Keefe 5-56, MJ Clarke 3-42
Australia 2010s win by 20 runs
Man of the Match: CJL Rogers
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