Twitter Reactons: Clinical Australia brush aside England in series opener as Dawid Malan's valiant ton goes in vain

Travis Head and David Warner dazzled for Australia following Malan's trailblazing century in the first innings.

By Chaitanya Prakash

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David Warner and Travis Head
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David Warner and Travis Head (Photo Source: Twitter)

Australia brushed aside England in the first ODI of the series in Adelaide, handing the newly crowned T20 world champions a rude awakening in the 50-over format. Dawid Malan resurrected the England innings with a trailblazing century in the first innings to post a competitive total of 287 runs. However, Australia reached the target without breaking a sweat thanks to a belligerent opening stand between David Warner and Travis Head.

Chasing an above-par total, the Australian openers were watchful in the initial overs, negating the threat of the new ball. But, once David Warner and Travis Head got their eye in, there was nowhere to hide for the English bowlers. 

The hometown hero Travis Head put on a show alongside his senior pro Warner, as the pair of southpaws added a sensational 147-run stand for the opening wicket inside the first 20 overs. Head missed out on a century after smashing 69 runs off just 57 deliveries, while Warner continued with his assault.

Warner, much like his opening partner, fell prey to an innocuous delivery, falling short of a deserving century after a 86-run innings. England tried to wrestle back the momentum with a couple of quick wickets, but the under-fire middle order stalwart Steve Smith stood tall for the Aussies with a fluent half-century. The former Australian skipper guided the hosts to a comfortable victory with 19 deliveries to spare.

Dawid Malan makes up for lost time with a sumptuous century

Earlier in the match, Australia opted to bowl first after winning the toss in the series opener. The recently appointed ODI skipper Pat Cummins, along with his new ball partner Mitchell Starc made the ball talk, dismissing three English batters inside the first powerplay. 

England counterattacked with a brisk partnership between Dawid Malan and Sam Billings, but the latter was dismissed by a peach from Marcus Stoinis. That is when skipper Jos Buttler joined hands with Malan to consolidate for the visitors. However, the explosive wicketkeeper-batter met a tame end, failing to build on his start.

The visitors were reeling at 118/5, staring at a mediocre total in the series opener. But Malan had other ideas as the gritty southpaw made up for missing England's last two games in the T20 WC by smashing a memorable ton. He compiled handy partnerships with Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, and David Willey on his way to a memorable 134 off just 128 deliveries. 

Malan's rescue act propelled England to a competitive total of 287 runs, a tally that seemed impossible at the halfway stage of the innings. Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa were the stars of the show for the Aussies, scalping three wickets each.

Here is how Twitter reacted to Australia's comfortable victory against World Champions England:

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Australia vs England 2022AustraliaEnglandDawid MalanTravis HeadDavid Warner