Australia stand-in captain Josh Hazlewood admitted to being satisfied with the batters scoring 280/8 in 50 overs after he won the toss and chose to bat in the recently concluded second ODI against England in Sydney.
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Much like the first ODI in Adelaide on Thursday, three Australian batters registered individual half-centuries to power the team to a competitive innings total.
While batter Steven Smith (94) continued his with supreme ODI form, he was well-assisted by the likes of Marnus Labuschagne (58) and Mitchell Marsh (50) after both the opening batters fell cheaply. Smith, in particular, earned applause from Hazlewood as the latter predicted a “good summer” for the right-handed batter after warming the bench for most of ICC T20 World Cup 2022.
Josh Hazlewood confirms that Pat Cummins will lead Australia in 3rd ODI vs England at MCG
Hazlewood, who pinned down a trio comprising of David Warner, Smith and Alex Carey (all having led Australia in ODIs in the past) to become Australia’s 28th ODI captain earlier in the day, enjoyed leading for the first time at the highest level.
Confirming regular captain Pat Cummins’ return into the Playing XI for the third ODI in Melbourne on Tuesday, Hazlewood was confident of a spot in the Playing XI. Assuming both Cummins and Hazlewood play that match, one out of all-rounder Ashton Agar or fast bowler Mitchell Starc will be rested on November 22.
“It’s good fun, having captaincy. Will obviously hand it back to Pat [Cummins] for the last game. Will see what Melbourne dishes out,” Hazlewood told Fox Sports during the post-match presentation ceremony.
Putting behind a World Cup debacle earlier this month, Australia have gained an unassailable 2-0 lead in a three-match series. More than just winning an ODI series, winning it against World Champions England is a pleasing start for the Aussies in their preparations for ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India.
