James Hopes stars as Australia warm-up for England ODIs
James Hopes’ five-wicket haul ensured Australia wrapped up a comfortable 39-run victory over Ireland in a one-off ODI in Dublin, but Ricky Ponting’s side will still be looking for some improvement as they embark on a five-match ODI series against England.
While the efforts of Hopes, and Tim Paine with the bat, were highlights of today’s match if Australia are to gain a valuable psychological edge over the old enemy ahead of the 2010/11 Ashes series, other key batsmen will need to step up and the relatively inexperienced pace attack, who proved expensive in the early overs of Ireland’s chase, will need to tighten up against what will no doubt be a confident England outfit.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, the Australians lost Shane Watson (13) early in the piece, which brought the skipper, playing his first match for his country since Australia’s tour of New Zealand concluded in March, to the middle, where he stayed for 54 balls and 33 runs.
It was Tim Paine though who was the standout batsman for Australia. The Tasmanian replaced injured wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin for the ODIs against Ireland and England, and his 81-run innings can do no harm to his future selection chances, either in the dual wicketkeeper-batsman role or as a batting specialist.
Paine’s knock and Cameron White’s 42 from 46 balls ensured Australia set the Irish a reasonable total to chase, with Nathan Hauritz (19) and James Hopes (12) adding valuable runs at the end.
For Ireland, Kevin O'Brien was the best of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 3-43, his victims including Paine and Australia’s World Twenty20 semi-final hero Michael Hussey, who contributed just eight runs in Dublin.
William Porterfield’s side set about chasing down the 232-run target with aplomb, reaching 50 without loss in the seventh over as the skipper and opening partner Paul Stirling attacked the Australian pacemen in the early overs.
Indeed, Ireland made it to 80 before their first wicket fell, with Ryan Harris making the breakthrough at the end of the 11th over when he cleaned up Stirling’s stumps to dismiss the teenager for 36. In his next over, the 30-year-old took his second scalp when he trapped Gary Wilson in front for four.
Nathan Hauritz wasted little time in getting amongst the wickets when he was introduced to the attack, the off-spinner turning the ball into Porterfield’s off-stump to dismiss the Ireland captain for as Ireland collapsed to 86-3 in the blink of an eye.
With the home side threatening to fall to pieces against more experienced and talented opposition, Alex Cusack (30) and Niall O’Brien (15) came together for a 51 run partnership before the former was dismissed lbw off the bowling of James Hopes at the midway point of the innings. O’Brien joined him back in the pavilion the next over as Hauritz struck for his second wicket – which surely did no harm to his chances of keeping his nose in front of Steven Smith as Australia’s first-choice ODI spinner for the matches against England.
Hopes’ second scalp, that of Andrew White for just four, marked the second occasion Ireland lost three wickets for less than 10 runs in the match.
The Queenslander was far from finished, however, as he went on to wreak havoc with the Irish tail, his fifth wicket setting up a hat trick ball leaving Ireland languishing at 156-9. Hopes may have been denied that achievement, but the all-rounder still finished with career-best bowling figures 5-14 off nine overs.
Snaring that final wicket, however, proved easier said than done as John Mooney and Boyd Rankin mounted a stubborn ninth wicket stand, with the former collecting 38 runs before Watson delivered the knockout blow to dismiss Ireland for 192 in the 42nd over.
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