Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali spin England to win over Australia in first ODI at The Oval

Australia, an inexperienced side, are the ones with the headaches. I thought they got their team selection wrong with the extra bowler, meaning that Agar was too high up the order at seven. He and fellow spinner Maxwell bowled just seven overs between them.

 Next match is Cardiff on Saturday, and it tends to be dry and turn there so, as Stuart Broad says, "England's spinners will be licking their lips." So too will we, and we hope to see you then. Cheers!

"Poor day for Australia all round, they looked out of their depth against the spin and the bowling was a bit one dimensional. They have not worked out how to rotate the strike against spin and they get bogged down."

"I don't mind that the lower order had to make some runs, it's good to experience pressure batting down there and it will stand them in good stead."

They've done it with 36 balls to spare, three wickets the margin. Having had the Aussies 90/5, and indeed bowling them out for 214, you could argue that they made it a bit closer than it should have been but, all things considered, a most satisfactory afternoon's work.

That's it! An exchange of singles, a hard-run two, and now Wiley finishes things off in style with a thumping six. Nice way to do it, and England have won off the last ball of this over.

... the fourth member of the Aussie pace quartet is the one who would really benefit from a beard.

Richardson maiden. That's no use to anyone.

another good beard.

But Plunkett, sensibly, manages to just about get a single first ball. Willey is immune to the wily charms of Tye's slower balls.

Willey slashes the ball down to third man for four. England on the brink of victory. Tye has one more over... Plunkett will be on strike.

That is a maiden from Tye to Plunkey, who is, to be fair, a lucky chap to still be there. He's not reading the changes of pace at all and plops forward mechanically, beaten on more than one occasion.

Unusual shot from David Willey to a short ball outside off. He bunny-hops into the air and cross bats it down the ground for four.

Mo has done it again! A chance to get England home and he has fallen, again. Short ball, pulled to midwicket. Really good work in the deep from the sub, who had to move his feet with a dancer's precision to stay inside the rope. FOW 197/7

Every time in this match you think England have done it enough, they let the opposition back into it. Some would say that was a bit brainless from Moeen Ali, no need to take on that big shot.

Neser enjoyed it. Some good beards in this Aussie side.

Willey shows how to read the slower ball: picking Tye here and walloping him for four. Well played.

Willey, who plays some attractive shots with real power, has banged Neser through point here for four. Shot. Just 28 runs needed

Crikey, England really do want to keep this as interesting as possible. Moeen goes for a hook off Richardson and top-edges. Four.

Now Richardson has dropped the ball in his delivery stride. Heh.

Moeen wants this over and done with. Drives on the up for two, then pulls for four. Ten runs, just what the doctor ordered.

Tye to Willey. Nice cut shot, carves that behind point for four. Next ball, he takes the pace off, and Willey nearly spoons it. Lucky. Interesting bowler, Tye. Tres moderne.

43 runs required from 15 overs

Richardson in. Good honest fare. Four dot balls to Moeen, a single, a dot to Willey.

England have plenty of time, but I do rather fear that they could get bowled out here.  Willey heaves a ball for two.

Stanlake has done a good job, and takes his cap with two-fer, coming at a cost of 44 off his ten overs. Decent.

Another one! Oh England! This is a ball outside off stump, leavably outside off stump, but Joe has attempted a muddled, fiddly attempt to run it down to third man. He's edged it behind. FOW 163/6

Two quick wickets have made this more exciting than it should have been...

That is the knuckle ball! Beautifully bowled. Jos has blundered into that trap, no question. He smears it to mid off, where Richardson - who looks very like Jason Gillespie from behind - gathers. FOW 163/5

Root donks a single, and brings up his fifty.

Buttler gets off the mark with a glorious, freewheeling four on the up through off. And now, even more gloriously, Aussie captain Tim 'in a world of' Paine has dropped him! Buttler goes for the pull, top edges it, Paine makes good ground running back to where shortish fine leg would be, but then fails to cling on. Having got there, he would have expected to catch it.

That off the last ball of the over.

Well, the Aussies badly needed a wicket and, not to be a jerk about it... but... Morgan has delivered. Round the wicket, short and wide, Morgan waves at it and has contrived to edge behind. Shame. He has left a ton out there today. FOW 153/4

My fave shot of the day, I think, as Stanlake comes back. Hot and heavy stuff, but Root leans back and helps the ball up and over to third man. Jujutsu style, using his own aggression against him.

Better over from Richardson yields three runs.

Root pulls Agar for two, bringing up the 100 stand.

Morgan enjoying Richardson. Short outside off, smashed to cover fence. Short outside leg, helped on its way. Bit of a needless risk here though when they run two and Morgan has to dive to make his ground. In by der vhisker.

Agar back, he's no threat either. Morgan cuts him for four and raises his bat to celebrate a fifty. A much-needed fifty, you might call it. Actually, a somewhat-needed fifty is probably closer.

He has had 12 innings in 2018, with five single figure scores, and only one fifty prior to today. 

Kane Richardson. Morgan hooks at a bouncer, doesn't connect and Tim Paine goes wild behind the stumps for the caught behind. Given not out, and suddenly Paine is not as sure as he thought he was. No review. Oh I see. Like that, is it?

Anyhow, Morgan now drives one, uppish, through the covers.

Stanlake two runs off the over but both men riding his bounce well and he's not looking the threat he was at the start of the innings.

Maxwell causing precisely zero problems for Morgan, who sweeps him for four.

Yes. Stanlake back. Good move from the Aussies I think. Rapid stuff, his first ball beats Root. But the fielders don't back up their gun bowler, Head making a muff of some fielding on the rope and allowing two. 

Glenn Maxwell on for an over of his right-arm whatnot, four runs come off it. England coasting here, and I think the Aussies need to throw everything at trying to break this stand in the next 15 minutes or so because these two both have plenty more gears.

Warning signs were very much signing warnings at 38/8 but the brilliance and experience of Root and Morgan has settled things down.

Cute little flicked shot from Root over the keeper's head for four! Agar scratches his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps he's getting his first whiskers. Drinks

Morgan enjoying the bowling of Tye, who has dished him up two hit-me deliveries down the legside. Morgan does indeed hit them, for a brace o' fours. Sharp single leads to a direct hit from Maxwell, but Root was home okay.

A much-needed partnership moves into its fifties.

England knock Agar around for five singles. Quiet period in the game as this experienced pair look to guide England slow and steady.

Morgan slashes Tye to point, it lands just short of the fielder. Very slow knuckler in there from Tye, 63 mph, but the ump calls it a wide as it flubbles just wide of leg. Oh noes!

It's time for spin, time for Ashton Agar, and time for Eoin Morgan to try and reverse sweep the first ball of the over. No dice.... that is the first of five dot balls. But now Morgan has nailed one! Reverse sweep, four.

Tye, who is known for his variations, comes on. I didn't see his knuckleball in that over. What I DID see, though, was Root plop it to cover and set off for a crazy single. Maxwell swoops, and luckily for England, fumbles. Big run out chance. Maxwell furious.

Stanlake. Morgan shovels to midwicket for four. Now Root has his H in his M when he tries to swivel pull, cloths it, and watches the ball flop down just a few inches from his stumps.

A close, intriguing contest has broken out here! 

Change of ends for Richardson too. Root with a lovely drive for four. Now looking for the Morgan outside edge, angling across.

One powerplay over left, and it is Stanlake. Stuart Broad, on commentary, says "he looks the sort of bowler who has got a bit of theatre about him." Well, Stuart should know, and he's right too. Nicely put. Morgan guides the last ball of the over through point.

Change of ends there. Broad thinks the Aussies are over-rotating, he says he'd rather get in a rhythm from one end rather than mix it up as much as you would in a T20.

Quiet over as Neser tries to work Root out, Joe connects a couple of times, but picks out the fielders.

England doing their level best to make a game of this. Their two classiest players at the crease right now. They need a stand from Morgs and Rooteh.Richardson, perhaps emboldened by the Bairstow dismissal, tries another powderpuff wannabe bouncer. Morgan butchers it.

Oh no! One of those dismissals that happens to you when you're in incredible form, picking this up early, hitting it very hard, timing the pants of it... into the hands of deep backward square. Bummer! FOW 38/3

Root has got his innings ticking now, he and his County colleague trade singles, and now he has driven Neser attractively down the ground.

Kane Richardson on, and Bairstow has mullered two more magnificent shots through the offside. Two back foot shots through point, the first of them off Kane's tame, 79mph loosener. Joe Root in stealth mode at the other end. He has faced six balls sans score, which is not a problem.

Very impressed with Stanlake, 90mph, just back of a length and seaming it back in. Dangerous customer. Bairstow is lucky here that an inside edge does not cannon into his stumps.

Wicket maiden for Neser.

Michael Neser, and his lovely beard, have their first international wicket because Ales Hales has played a shocking shot. 83 mph, trapped on the crease and just flapping pointlessly across the line, he is pinned bang in front. FOW 23/2

England are pumped! Carrying the fight to the Aussies with some biff and bosh. Hales pounces on a short ball, pulling it for four. Bairstow's timing right now is all that and a bag of chips, he has just CREAMED two balls through point for boundaries.

Michael Neser comes on, and his first over goes for ten. Bairstow works through square for two. Now crunches through point for four. Neser deserves better now, though, as Bairstow slashes the ball wide of second slip for four.

This Stanlake is rapid! Nothing a lot Hales can do with most of this, just very quick and very accurate. Quality maiden over, and that 214 is looking a pretty good score right now.

That's what the Aussies needed! Second ball of the innings, decent cherry outside off, nips back and Jason Roy, defending a little loosely, has played on! FOW 0/1 Looking at it again, he was quite late on the ball, and I cannot say I blame him, because that was rapid! 90mph. Horrible one to get early.

Aussies resplendent in yellow, the English opening pair of Bairstow and Roy in their blues.Billy Stanlake, who looks a little like Brett Lee with his long, thin face and short spiky hair, is running up to bowl his right-arm over. Jason Roy takes strike

"In Australia it is almost a term of endearment. I play cards with my 11-year-old daughter and we sledge each other.

There is always fun and banter and chat on a cricket field, that is what it is all about. I would hate cricket to be silence."

is sitting at slip to the new skipper.

And go 1-0 up in this five-match series.

Very moderate batting effort. The Aussies slumped to 90/5. Moeen and Rashers bowled very well, sharing five wickets. Liam Plunkett came back to clean up the lower order. A fifty from Glenn Maxwell and 40 from Ashton Agar the only contributions to speak of. Nothing terrifying in the pitch as far as one can tell, just a poor day with the bat. Still, 215, could have been worse I suppose from 90/5.

That off the last ball of the over as I said, three whole overs unused. Handy cameo from Tye I guess. Stanlake left undefeated, thinking about the fruity wife of the local greengrocer.

Tye hooks at the ball from Plunkett and has managed to top-edge the ball INTO HIS OWN FACE. Lucky for him that he's got a grille. Anyway, after a bit of a delay, he's okay. In fact, he's better than that, he's walloped his next ball for six!

But then, ah but then, alas poor Tye. Smears at a wide one, last ball of the over, edge through to the keeper and that is all she wrote. FOW 214/10

Billy Stanlake who is not, as the name would suggest a drayman with dreams of something bigger in an Angry Young Man novel, but in fact the Australian number 11, comes in. He does well to survive three waspish yorkers from Mark Wood.

Mark Wood comes on from the Vauxhall End and his third ball is slapped into the hands of Root at mid-off. Ball was too full to get the requisite elevation. Dolly for Root and the Aussies are not going to use their overs here. FOW 208/9

Plunky with some admirable stuff, there's no liberties to be taken here. Aussies have gone with the extra bowler and it shows. This is a long tail. Ashton Agar, one of my favourites, but I mean he is like a place or a place and a half too high at seven.

Richardson heaves across the line, thick edge balloons uncatchably over slip.

That's the end of Adil Rashid's overs, he has bowled ten thereof, taking two wickets for 36.

Tye, however, certainly seems to have that straight drive down the ground working well. He's carted Plunkett for four, straight. The Aussies limp past 200.

Kane Richardson comes to the crease.

Liam Plunkett comes on. Neser plants the front foot and tries to swing through the line of the ball but this is too short, Plunkett is too tall, and I think there might be a little bit of cut off the seam as well. Anyhow, Neser strikes it far too high up the bat and has spooned up the simplest of catches to mid off. FOW 197/8

Andrew Tye comes in and has soon muscled Rashers down the ground for four.

They do not get more our than that! Rashers with a quicker leg-spinner, very full, and it yorks Agar as he slogs across the line. Hit the left-hander on the back pad bang in front. FOW 197/7

Much better line from Willey. Just two off the over.

Good over from Rashers, he's got Neser pinned down for four dot balls, the debutant keeps picking out extra cover. Two and a one. Neser facing every ball of that over.

Michael Gertges Neser, born Pretoria, is 28 and an all-rounder. He is making his dayboo. Bowls right, bats right, unclear as yet which hand, if any, he sandpapers the ball with.  He stands admiringly at the other end as David Willey's first ball of a new spell is stroked to the extra cover boundary by Agar, as well it should have been, because that was wide rubbish. Similar poor ball later in the over gets the same treatment. 10 runs off a poor over, and the tourists' hopes of something resembling a total grow a little stronger.

Rashid comes on for a bowl. A flat, bustling sort of an over, a useful slider out of the front of the hand, and three runs scored all told. Michael Neser got off the mark first ball, guiding the aforementioned slider to point for one.

Thanks very much to Ben and Ali and, to our Australian friends, may I just say, HA HA HA. Five wickets down for not many, but then a decent rally from The Big Show and Young Ashton Agar, who strikes me as one of those sportspeople whose name will be prefixed with 'Young' until well into his forties.

Just as I was about to take over, the silver hammer came down on Maxwell, and here we are with Michael Neser coming to the crease.

One ball left in the over then which Agar clips away for one.

Here comes the main man, Alan Tyers, to guide you through the rest of today's play. Enjoy!

Agar's supporting act working well here. Singles for both, two for Maxwell. 200 creeping into view.

Clipped high by Maxwell and that's going to be short of the rope out at deep square leg... into the bucket for Bairstow! Good hands. Maxwell departs. FOW 174/6

Partnership moves past 80 in that over. A proper ship-steadier. Bit of spice from Willey, scooping up a short block and chucking it towards Maxwell's stumps (he gets out the way).

Agar needs to get going a bit here. Strike rate currently 52.2 and England clearly prefer bowling at him. One wide, Agar chucks in a single before Maxwell steers one up to around deep square for four. Two more for Maxwell to long leg. Eight from the over.

Big shout off Wood's first ball but England won't have another look, height the issue.

Single from Maxwell to deep square leg. Agar then goes for the pull off a bouncer and it comes at him quick, doing enough to reach safety (and add two). Single to round off the over.

There's Maxwell's 50, into midwicket with a single. That's come off 52 balls. Agar boundary-less so far and then two come along at once! The second four beats the cover at third man.

This is going quite well now for Australia have been 90/5.

Nice from Wood, just a single for Maxwell as he closes in on 50. Some short, some full, some wide of the crease. Mixing things up.

Half shout of a catch to conclude Plunkett's over but it's well safe. Five runs off the over, run rate is back down to 4.64.

And Wood is back too, replacing Root. Keeps it short, Agar hanging in there. Two from that over.

Plunkett on to replace Ali and he's slowed everything down for Australia. Runs only off the last, clipped off the legs by Maxwell to the boundary.

Single for Agar, keen to keep the hot hand of Maxwell on strike. And he's in the moooood. Six off Root way over long off. Fetch that one. Adds a single to move to 21 runs off seven deliveries.

Wide from Root, then a Maxwell single to retain the strike.

Ali's last over and he starts on 3-29. Maxwell chops one just about over mid off to get four. Then he pulls four more through square! Told you I was waiting for him to get going.

Pitched up by Ali, a step down the ground and Maxwell adds six. Beautiful. Excellent over for him and Australia.

Runs trickling in, four from that over all through singles. Waiting for Maxwell to hit out a bit to be honest. 

Ali on at the other end, just the one for Maxwell. Agar eventually gets a single to end a run of dots. Australia halfway through and with a lot to do still.

Hello! Well look who's having a bowl: it's only the England skipper. Australia pass 100 thanks to Maxwell quickly adding five, two 2s and a single. Agar's less comfortable.

Moeen again, looking like he'll complete his 10 overs in one spell. Just a few singles from this over.

And with that it's time for me to hand over Ben Coles. Hopefully he sees as much in the way of England dominance as me!

Stoinis' six did not make Morgan blink: he has stuck by his spinners and England are in full control. Rashid carries on. Maxwell swings wildly but skews it to deep square leg.

Ashton Agar is the new man in, and Australia need a big innings from him.

Ali continues and pins Maxwell back for a maiden.

Rashid continues, and he tempts Stoinis with a wide googly. Stoinis doesn't look sure of what to do, of how to deal with it, and decides at a little, late flick of the wrists towards third man.

But all he manages is an edge through to Buttler. Another one down. Fow 88/5

 And there's that blankest of blank looks. The most deadpan man alive.

Australia have their first boundary since the 11th over and it is a huge six from Stoinis. He skips down the track and a smacks it well over the man in the deep at long on. Five more runs scored on top of that. Better from Australia.

Rashid again. And again not a lot in the way of wicket opportunities, or even a hint of an opportunity, but Australia are still struggling to score many runs.

Glenn Maxwell is the new man in. 

 Why, why, why did he do that?

What on earth is Tim Paine doing there? He tries to reverse nudge around the corner but only succeeds in spooning it up in the air, and straight to Wood, who takes his second catch of the game, and an even easier one that the first. A third wicket for Moeen. Fow 70/4

Better from Australia. The batsmen keep the strike ticking over with a few singles, before Stoinis hits the first double in a while to end the over.

England's spinners are rattling through the overs and Australia are struggling to get a foothold. Just a single off the over.

Rashid again. A lovely googly beats Pain all ends up, turning in towards him, beating his inside edge completely but just missing top of the bails.

Another cheap over from Moeen. England are turning the screw here.

Spin is working, and Morgan brings Rashid on. Just two off his first over.

Captain Paine is the new man in and he picks up an early four as Willey slides in on the rope but can't quite keep it from going the distance. 

Lovely stuff from Ali, it's a straight one that turns away from Marsh slightly (though not enough for him to completely miss it - he looks to have just lifted his head too early and taken his eye off the ball) and it beats the outside edge, taking out off stump. Australia are reeling. Fow 52/3

Willey continues. Three off the over. The first powerplay is over. England are edging it so far.

Marcus Stoinis is the new man in. In case you didn't know, he has the most expressionless face in cricket. This is how he celebrated reaching 100 against Sussex last week. I've never seen him pull any other face. Just blank. Always blank.

It's probably also worth mentioning his game. He is a very dangerous player with both bat and ball, so England should be wary.

A big change from England, as Moeen Ali comes into the attack.

Marsh manages a single but Finch goes after a big shot when he clearly just should have been getting used to the change of bowler. He manoeuvres himself to his left, then swipes at a ball well just off but it kicks up and finds a thick outside edge. Mark Wood at short third man takes an easy catch. Fow 47/2

Ricky Ponting, who is going to be combining his punditry duties with helping out the Australia team in this series, is now in the commentary box, and he provides a little insight into things in the Australia camp:

"The vibe is really good", he says. "It's nice and calm. Everything I've seen so far has been really positive."

Willey concedes four singles.

Absolutely beautiful shot from Marsh, who leans back slightly and swats away for four, too straight for mid-off to stop it.

Then a straighter ball is clipped away off his pads for another boundary.

Another decent straight drive from Finch, but Hales dives hard and fast to keep it to one run when four threatened. Only two off the last two overs so things certainly improving for England.

Mark Wood is finding his stride, and he pegs Marsh back in crease, keeps his length pretty consistent while also mixing things up slightly. Six dot balls and a maiden over.

Willey is getting a really encouraging amount of swing early on here and is thus looking the far more dangerous... but both batsmen are both looking in good nick so far. Finch's perfectly-timed cover drive is the highlight here.

Seven more off the over as Finch straight-drives one and clips another off his legs, from which the boundary is saved right on the rope by Willey. 

Shaun Marsh is the next man in and he deals with Willey trying to tempt him outside off by smacking him away for two beautifully timed boundaries. 

Great start to this game at the Oval.

What a start for David Willey! He dangles a wide one well outside off for Travis Head to have a go at and the Aussie opener willingly obliges. He swats hopelessly at it as the ball moves away off the surface, and he edges through to Jonny Bairstow at first slip. Fow 7/1

A mixed start for Wood: he'll be encouraged by a bit of very early movement as one ball nips back at Head and finds something approaching an inside edge, but this is not an inexpensive start. Seven runs conceded, including a wide, though with his final two balls he looks to have found better line and length.

Aaron Finch and Travis Head will open for Australia. Mark Wood has ball in hand.

England lost to Scotland while Australia scraped pretty unimpressively past Sussex. What that means for today is anybody's guess. Maybe they'll cancel each other out and we'll get a well-contested, even affair. Maybe I'm being hopeful...

England: 1 Jonny Bairstow, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Alex Hales, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 David Willey, 9 Liam Plunkett, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Mark Wood

Australia: 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Travis Head, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Tim Paine (capt & wk), 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Michael Neser, 9 Andrew Tye, 10 Kane Richardson, 11 Billy Stanlake

Australia win the toss and choose to bat first.

Australia will kick-start their post ball-tampering charm offensive today with handshakes all-round against England at The Oval.

The tourists will bid to heal wounds from March's ball-tampering scandal by employing the football-style ritual of both set of players shaking hands before play.

Morgan has agreed to the request, but the practice will only happen for today's opening encounter of the five-match series.

"They don't have to do it but it's something we want to bring in at the start of a series, not before every game," said Paine, of the handshake idea.

Captain Steve Smith and deputy David Warner were banned for a year over the ball-tampering incident in March's third Test against South Africa that shamed Australian cricket.

Cameron Bancroft - who doctored a ball with sandpaper amid South Africa's 322-run win in Cape Town - was also banned for nine months by Cricket Australia, with head coach Darren Lehmann resigning soon after despite being cleared of any involvement.

Morgan confirmed England will agree to Australia's request, the hosts ready to help advance a positive view of the sport.

"I'm absolutely happy with that, it doesn't bother me," said Morgan. "They are trying to turn around the image of the game in their country, and we're all for that. We want cricket to be as popular as ever."

Australia know they must build bridges across the cricketing world to repair reputations and trust.

New Australia boss Justin Langer has vowed his team will respect the line between banter and abuse in the series against England.

Morgan insists England will not use the ball-tampering scandal as ammunition for sledging, however.

Asked if England would use the ball-tampering in sledging, Morgan replied: "No. If you look at it in that, it probably could be ammunition.

"It will be service as usual. We play our cricket pretty hard, positively, aggressively, so we'll continue to do that.

"I'm expecting a tough series. Every time we've played against Australia, the side we've come up against has played hard, tough cricket, so we'll expect that as well."