Australia v England, Champions Trophy, 1st semi-final, Centurion
Cricinfo staff
02-Oct-2009
The dismissal of Paul Collingwood for 34 sparked a mini collapse for England as they slipped from 71 for 2 to 101 for 6. Collingwood made a sound start with some free flowing boundaries, progressed to 34 off 30 balls before an ambitious pull of Mitchell Johnson ended his cameo. Australia had found an opening and from then on, England had to play catch-up.
The 107-run partnership between Tim Bresnan and Luke Wright for the seventh wicket. England were heading towards an embarrassing collapse at 101 for 6, but the pair steadied the ship with some positive batting. Bresnan hit 80 while Wright managed 48. Their contribution pushed England to a total which appeared, at that time, above average.
The 252-run stand between Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson which sealed the annihilation. They came together at 6 for 1 and didn't allow any openings for England after that. The hitting was flawless and the pair exploited what was an excellent batting wicket.