England's batting fails as Australia take 2-0 lead

Second T20, Headingley

Australia 270 (44.4 overs): Carey 74 (67); Carse 3-75

England 202 (40.2 overs): Smith 49 (61); Starc 3-50

Australia won by 68 runs; lead series 2-0

Scorecard

England fell 2-0 down in the one-day international series against Australia as their batting wilted in the second match at Headingley.

Having dismissed the tourists for 270, England's top order was blown away by Australia's high-class pace bowling attack in a comprehensive 68-run defeat.

Will Jacks and Liam Livingstone made first-ball ducks and Harry Brook only four in his second match as England's stand-in captain.

Youngsters Jamie Smith and Jacob Bethell attempted a rebuild from 65-5 until Bethell looped a catch to depart for 25.

Smith continued to 49 but clipped Josh Hazlewood, who was superb alongside fellow returning quick Mitchell Starc, to mid-wicket and England were seven down still 112 adrift.

Adil Rashid and Brydon Carse prolonged the game with 27 and 26 respectively, but by the time the hosts were dismissed for 202 many in the stands had already gone home.

Australia were grateful for Alex Carey's 74, which dragged them from 161-6 to what proved a competitive, if chaseable, total.

Carey, having been booed to the crease for his role in last summer's Ashes stumping of Jonny Bairstow, crucially put on 49 with Hazlewood.

Australia can now clinch the five-match series with victory in the third ODI at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday.

Kick-starting a new era of 50-over cricket against the world champions was never going to be easy.

This defeat, on the back of a thrashing in Nottingham, reaffirmed the size of England's challenge.

On Thursday the batters failed to capitalise on a decent platform. This time five were out inside the powerplay with Starc and Hazlewood, who missed the series-opener through illness, once again proving themselves to be world-class operators.

Opener Phil Salt had already been dropped on eight when he was caught behind for 12 trying to slash Hazlewood off a length.

Starc had Jacks caught edging a loose drive to first slip before brilliantly setting up Brook, who was pinned in front by an inswinger yorker after a run of balls pushed across the right-hander.

Softer were the wickets of Ben Duckett, who chipped a catch back to Aaron Hardie, and Livingstone – strangled down the leg side by the seamer’s next ball. It was the second innings in succession Duckett has miscued a half-tracker.

There was some promise in the rebuild from Smith and Bethell. They played sensibly in their stand of 55, with Smith hitting Starc for one picture-perfect on-drive.

Hazlewood dismissed him in the second over of his comeback spell, however, and Australia ultimately proved a class above.

Australia started brightly on a pitch offering early movement before Travis Head, their supreme centurion from the first ODI, picked out deep square leg off Brydon Carse on 29.

Carse conceded 63 runs in his first six overs but otherwise England’s seamers were much improved on their meek showing in Nottingham.

Matthew Potts nicked off Matt Short for 29 and beautifully knocked back Steve Smith’s off stump in consecutive overs, leaving Australia 89-3.

Marnus Labuschagne and Mitchell Marsh put on 56 but Labuschagne miscued Bethell to mid-on and Marsh missed a sweep and was lbw in the left-arm spinner’s next over, having just pulled Carse for six to go to 50 from 47 balls.

Glenn Maxwell then hit Adil Rashid to deep mid-wicket, gifting England’s leg-spinner a 200th ODI wicket. Carse came back well to force Hardie to slice a catch to mid-wicket and have Starc taken a ball later, and England’s fledgling attack was showing real promise.

Crucially, though, Carey farmed the strike while attacking when possible, pumping Will Jacks and Olly Stone for straight sixes before being caught at deep point in the 45th over.

It gave Australia no more than a middling score but one that still proved beyond England.