Match reports

England v Australia, 2012

Wisden's review of the second ODI, England v Australia, 2012

Richard Hobson
15-Apr-2012
At The Oval, July 1. England won by six wickets. Toss: Australia.
England needed 81 from 16.3 overs when the Hot Spot cameras detected the faintest of inside edges to spare Morgan a second-ball duck after he had initially been adjudged lbw to Clarke. It proved their final scare, and they finished the game with 26 deliveries in hand; their only disappointment was Bopara's needless dismissal chancing a quick single with two runs needed. But his 82 from 85 balls was an increasingly self-assured effort to back up five overs of medium-pace that had helped strangle the Australian innings. Bailey, in particular, became bogged down against Swann, after Watson had decelerated badly following a run-a-ball fifty: only 24 runs came between the 21st and 30th overs. Bailey eventually raised the tempo, adding 78 with Hussey. Even so, their total of 251 for seven - boosted by four dropped catches of varying difficulty - looked short, and Johnson did not help matters with three no-balls in the first two overs of his recall after more than seven months away, initially with a foot injury. Although he improved in his second spell, an assured innings from Bell all but settled the matter.
Man of the Match: R. S. Bopara.