Smith left to rue lack of spin options

Australia skipper Steve Smith was left with a pocketful of regret after he failed to name a specialist spinner in his XI for the second ODI against England.
Halfway through Australia’s innings it became apparent the Gabba surface was more receptive to spin than is traditional.
England would use two frontline spinners in Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali supplemented by the part-time wiles of Joe Root.
A huge wicket for Joe Root as the @Specsavers DRS can't save Steve Smith: https://t.co/PYwkbIG3B9 #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/toIAFQsFdz
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 19, 2018
It was Root who was the surprise pick of the bowler’s nipping out Smith himself leg before wicket in a moment the Test skipper will surely savour after a tough summer of combat with Smith.
Australia opted to leave out the only frontline spinner in their squad, Adam Zampa and field a pace trio of Mitchell Starc, debutant Jhye Richardson and Andrew Tye.
The part-time spin of Travis Head proved ineffective and he went for 55 from his seven overs while the skipper turned to Aaron Finch for three overs and the military medium of Marcus Stoinis who bowled 4.2 overs as England hunted down Australia’s total of 270 with 34 balls to spare.
Good luck keeping that out! https://t.co/PYwkbIG3B9 #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/ZX2gxTufEa
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) January 19, 2018
Starc was the standout for Australia causing a real flutter when he removed Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali in quick succession before Chris Woakes and Root guided England home.
ALSO READ: Morgan eager to see improvement
Speaking after the match Smith conceded his side weren’t playing their best cricket: “We’re just not playing good enough one-day cricket.
“We were in a pretty good position but we only scored about 60 off the final 11 overs and that’s not good enough against a quality England side. I knew England were capable of this.
“I hope we can get back on the ball in Sydney. We’re just not playing smart enough cricket.”
The vital third ODI will take place in Sydney on Sunday.
Latest
-
News
Jake Libby earns draw as Somerset, Hampshire and Gloucestershire open with wins
Worcestershire opener Libby made the second-longest Championship innings ever and was on the field for every ball of the match.
-
News
Jofra Archer to find out whether he could feature in IPL next week
Archer has already been ruled out of the initial stages of the tournament after undergoing surgery to remove glass from his finger last month.
-
News
Stuart Broad would support social media boycott as racist abuse continues online
Some football teams and players have taken a break from social media.
-
News
Snow hits Glamorgan hopes as Rory Burns and Ben Foakes shine for Surrey
Burns made 74 and England team-mate Foakes an unbeaten 81 for Surrey against Gloucestershire at Bristol.
-
News
ICC Player of the Month nominations for March announced
Winners of the player of the month awards will be announced every second Monday of the month on the ICC’s digital channels.
-
News
Billy Root overshadows brother Joe as England captain suffers against Glamorgan
The visitors closed the second day with the upper hand at Headingley.
-
News
Sadiq Khan hoping to attract future IPL matches to London
London has staged NFL, MLB and NBA matches in London in the past and the London Mayor hopes IPL matches can also be staged in the capital.
-
News
Dan Lawrence shows early touch as Essex start strongly in Championship
There were big hundreds for Sam Robson, Tom Haines and James Vince.
-
News
Sachin Tendulkar thanks medical staff after returning home from hospital
Tendulkar was admitted to hospital last week after revealing he had tested positive for Covid-19 and had been in quarantine at home.
-
News
New Zealand name squad for their Test tour of England
New Zealand have named a 20-player squad for their tour of England, with three uncapped prospects in the group.