Ravi Bopara promoted in Batting order

Ravi Bopara got the chance to bat slightly up in the batting order in the first game of the Carlton Mid One Day International Series against Australia in Sydney today, but, he could not make the most of it as he perished just at the score of 13 to the left arm spinner Xavier Doherty.

Bopara was positive to start with as he played a lofted cover drive and a flick shot to get him going.

He tried to continue the aggression against the spinner too and he cannot be criticized for his choice of shot there on that ball because it was there to be hit.

It was short outside the off stump and thus, the cut shot was definitely on. But, the Sydney pitch can get you fooled as a batsman at times because of its invariable bounce.

The odd balls just rise a bit more than the others and that’s what happened with that delivery there.

It bounced just a little bit more for Bopara’s liking. Since, he had got on to the back foot, he went through with the shot and with that sort of bounce; the shot was never going to be in control.

It went in the air and the backward point did not have to cover any distance towards his right or left to take that catch. The ball fell straight into his hands and Bopara was on his bike.

At that point, England was in danger of getting bundled out in quick time, but, the new captain Eoin Morgan came in rescue as he returned to form with a timely hundred.

Morgan scored 121 and took the team’s score over 230. It was Morgan’s first hundred in 50-over cricket for over a year. In total, it was his 7th three figure score.