Melbourne: Australia beat England by 6 wickets

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Melbourne: Australia beat England by 6 wickets

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16 January,2011 09:56 pm

A superb solo effort by Shane Watson with the bat enabled Australia to overcome a sloppy fielding effort and beat England in the opening one-day international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday.One of the few Australians to emerge with his reputation intact after the Ashes disaster, Watson's brilliant unbeaten 161 enabled the home side to chase down England's imposing total of 294 from 49.4 overs with five balls to spare. Fittingly, the right-hander hit the winning runs from the first ball of the last over, lofting Ajmal Shahzad over long-on for six to take Australia to 297-4. He and Brad Haddin laid the foundation for the win with a 110-run partnership, although another scratchy innings by captain Michael Clarke, who was jeered by home fans as he struggled for 36 from 57 balls, threatened to derail the chase. However, Watson was not going to let his good work go unrewarded again and held the innings together in the latter overs as the tension rose. He reached his fifth one-day century from 110 balls and went on to post a career-best innings, facing 150 deliveries in total and hitting 12 fours and four sixes.