England v Australia: Cricket World Cup 2019 – live!

45th over: Australia 248-5 (Smith 38, Carey 8) Wood again, fast again, singles again. England loving this again. Neither batsman can get a full swing at Wood. Carey hares back for a second run after driving wide of long-off, and that’s the productive stroke of the over.

44th over: Australia 242-5 (Smith 36, Carey 4) That’s better for Australia. Five singles from Woakes, just dropping and nudging the ball into the manifold gaps in the field. Everything in the ring is a gap, really. Then Woakes bowls too short to finish the over, and Smith clobbers him for four.

“Someone on the radio just said a batsman has ‘an average of X against pace and Y against spin’” emails Simon Gates. “What does that mean? The batsman would face both pace and spin in an innings, so what does an average against one of them mean?”

Well, you can still count the runs scored against a certain kind of bowling, divided by the dismissals. Same theory as general averages.

43rd over: Australia 233-5 (Smith 30, Carey 1) England will be loving this. A wicket here and a wicket there, and Wood’s over goes for only five. The projected score is being revised down as we speak. Where are all those English pessimists who were emailing me earlier? Reveal thyself!

42nd over: Australia 228-5 (Smith 27, Carey 0) Alex Carey in then, who has been a good dasher at the close. Mind you, Matthew Wade just hit the fastest ever List A hundred by an Australian during the Australia A tour a couple of days ago.

Ridiculous stuff! Smith works a single to Bairstow at long leg. Stoinis turns and starts sprinting back for a second. Smith not only doesn’t want it, he’s not even thinking about it. He has his back to Stoinis, bat down, not wanting to know. Stoinis would be able to see Smith not moving, surely, but keeps running anyway. And even runs his bat in at the non-striker’s end, next to his teammate, before continuing to walk straight off without looking back. Buttler clips the bails off with Stonis about 30 yards away and growing.

41st over: Australia 222-4 (Smith 22, Stoinis 7) Australia have struggled in this World Cup to turn some big starts into big finishes. Can they go big through the last ten, or can England haul them back? Stoinis gets a very crisp drive away from Wood to the cover boundary. Seven from the over.

40th over: Australia 213-4 (Smith 21, Stoinis 1) Slow starter is Stoinis. Can be explosive, but can also leave his team in deficit after gobbling up a lot of deliveries. He takes his time against Rashid to begin with here, before nudging off the mark. Ten overs to come.

“I would have thought that the slope benefits the top spinners,” writes Hugh Swanborough. “Being able to maximize zip off the pitch and get a bit of movement is a nice surprise delivery to have up your sleeve.”

39th over: Australia 213-4 (Smith 20, Stoinis 0) Marcus Stoinis to the middle now, to face Wood with his tail up. 94 miles an hour is the reading on one delivery, as Wood pitches full. Then back of a length to have Stoinis pulling away from the ball, startled. That’s some over.

Ouch. Maxwellball was short and furious today. Wood bowls short outside off, Maxwell tries to uppercut, and feathers it through to the keeper. Here comes the frustration at not watching an entertainer at work. We should have an exhibition game one day: Maxwell, 10 overs, unlimited wickets.

38th over: Australia 212-3 (Smith 19, Maxwell 12) Archer steaming in to Maxwell, and… that is absolutely creamed by Maxwell! What a shot! Length ball with pace aplenty, but Maxwell just launches through the line of it and hits it almost 100 metres over the leg side and into the crowd. Next ball? Same shot, one bounce in front of the rope for four. Tucks a single next ball. Exhilarating, against England’s most dangerous bowler.

37th over: Australia 200-3 (Smith 18, Maxwell 1) This is about the first time in this World Cup that Maxwell hasn’t been off the mark with a four or a six. He drives Wood nicely, but straight to mid-off, then takes a sensible single to square leg. He’s got 14 overs to face today, unlike the five or so he’s had in some other matches. Smith drives Wood dead straight for four, then glides fine through third man for another. Like brushing crumbs off his trousers. 200 up.

“The slope at Lord’s will indeed help Rashid turn his googly, if he’s bowling from the pavilion end. Are there any other international grounds with a similar slope?”

Hampstead Cricket Club? Not at the top level, that I can think of. Birmingham is a bit of an inverted saucer, isn’t it?

36th over: Australia 190-3 (Smith 9, Maxwell 0) How’s that for an eventful over? Finch’s hundred, and his beaming celebration, arms spread to the dressing room. Finch’s fall the next ball. Archer’s follow-up, a leg-side pie that Smith glances for four. Then Archer’s follow-up to the follow-up, a snorter at Glenn Maxwell that leaps at his grille and is fended away in the air with a flinch.

Ton and done! The very next ball, Finch hooks at Jofra Archer, and the Wizard down there at long leg gets a chance at redemption. He takes the catch off the top edge.

A misfield at long leg from Woakes, and Finch gets back for his second run. That’s 15 ODI tons for him, behind only Warner, Gilchrist, M. Waugh and Ponting for Australia.

35th over: Australia 183-2 (Finch 98, Smith 4) Stokes takes us up to the drinks break, with Finch knocking a single and Smith steering a couple.

“Omens are bad for England today,” writes Dave Seare from the dark tent where he crouches over his chicken bones. “Australia have brought a truckload of good luck (along with their skill). To compound this they’ve finally selected Nathan Lyon and are denying England a turn at the Zampa buffet. Crucially I’ve run out of milk for brews too.”

What… kind of brew has milk in it? Is this a kind of stout? Magic pudding? Wombat stew?

34th over: Australia 178-2 (Finch 96, Smith 1) Archer back into the attack immediately. Is that a pre-set rotation, or does Morgan want him to bowl at Smith before the batsman is set? If so, it doesn’t work, because Finch sprints back for a second run to start the over, then cuts a single at the end to keep strike.

33rd over: Australia 175-2 (Finch 93, Smith 1) You don’t really mind the wicket, do you if you’re Australia? Because it brings Steve Smith to the crease, and he’s exactly the hard-running accumulator you’d like at this stage of an innings. He gets off the mark by driving to deep cover for one.

Straight through him! No footwork from Khawaja, he just stood up and drove half-heartedly at Stokes and the ball zips through the gate to take down off stump. Big celebrations from Stokes, surprise surprise. The bowling change comes off.

32nd over: Australia 173-1 (Finch 92, Khawaja 23) Gorgeous from Finch, who is threatening to score another hundred. Rashid gives a lot of flight, the ball drops on a full length, and Finch is there waiting for it like a wolf at the door, licking his chops. He drives it through cover dreamily.

31st over: Australia 166-1 (Finch 88, Khawaja 20) I’m liking this Stokes change. It’s opened up a contest. Finch square drives him gorgeously for what should be four, but Archer does well on the rope to save. Then Stokes zings through a bouncer that Finch can’t get near on the hook. Willing.

30th over: Australia 162-1 (Finch 85, Khawaja 19) Rashid from the Pavilion End, where I suppose the slope would help his googly? Tell me if you know more about this weird angled ground than I. Khawaja is quick to sweep again when the opportunity presents, for a couple more runs.

I’m sensing a certain theme in Kanishk Srinivasan’s correspondence.

“At the risk of attracting a lot of hate and online boos, I’m really hoping Australia win this as a neutral (so not really neutral). But England losing here would open the doors ever so slightly for Bangladesh to pop them to that fourth semi-formal spot, which would be amazing. Plus, I think Australia have gone through some self-induced extremely difficult times, so maybe getting to the semis would do them some good. And then they could placate their haters by crashing out by losing to Bangladesh. What say?”

29th over: Australia 158-1 (Finch 84, Khawaja 16) Stokes is back, giving Moeen a break. And perhaps seam is England’s better option just now, with three prodded runs, a couple of miscues, and a ball that jags and beats Finch in a more menacing fashion than anything Moeen sent down. Finch is very capable of monstering spinners on a good day.

28th over: Australia 155-1 (Finch 82, Khawaja 15) Missed stumping! That was a straightforward one for Buttler. Rashid hung the ball up there, drew Khawaja forward, beat his push, and dragged his back foot out. The ball skipped through but hit the heels of Buttler’s hands and bounced back. I don’t think he even really reacted to that ball in time. Khawaja celebrates his reprieve with the exuberance of a man released from prison, reverse-sweeping a four immediately.

27th over: Australia 148-1 (Finch 81, Khawaja 9) Eight more from Moeen’s over, as Finch ends it with an edge to third man for four. Moeen has conceded 42 in 36 balls.

26th over: Australia 141-1 (Finch 76, Khawaja 7) England’s spinners rattling through the overs, as must I. Lots of great emails coming in, thank you all. Rashid concedes a single, then a brace thanks to Root’s misfield.

25th over: Australia 138-1 (Finch 74, Khawaja 6) Singles, singles, the Finch clouts Moeen straight for six! That was such a casual easy swing of the bat. It looked like long-on might be in play for a minute, but the ball sailed over his head. Finch makes it looks simple.

24th over: Australia 129-1 (Finch 67, Khawaja 4) A quiet over from Rashid, with Khawaja sweeping a couple. He does love the sweeps, in all their forms. Big fan of Dick van Dyke.

“At the risk of betraying both of my cricketing prejudices,” warns Brian Withington, “the only Australian bowler I want to have a good one today is Peter Siddle at Chelmsford.”

The great Pierre Siddel. Back him in every time.

23rd over: Australia 125-1 (Finch 66, Khawaja 1) So an eventful over, that one. Finch whacks a couple to cover, then blasts a six over midwicket via his meaty slog-sweep. Loves that shot, getting his front foot well forward, dropping his knees and blasting through the line. Then Warner’s wicket falls, and Usman Khawaja comes out at first drop. Played well last time out against Bangladesh, needs to do it again.

Thanks Martin! And thanks Moeen, who finally gets reward for England. It was the bounce wot did it, Your Honour. Width outside off, Warner looks to cut, but the ball leaps on him and takes the top edge, looping tamely to point. The Big Bad Wolf is out, and gets a fair razzing from the crowd as he leaves. Either that or they’re saying “Rooooooooot” for the catch.

22nd over: Australia 114-0 (Finch 56, Warner 53) Rashid with this over. Just a couple of singles, but one of them moves Warner from 499 runs to 500 in this edition of the World Cup. Ridiculous numbers really.

21st over: Australia 112-0 (Finch 55, Warner 52) Finally a quiet over for England, as Moeen starts looping his deliveries up, and Finch decides he’s content to be watchful for a few deliveries. Two singles in the end.

Martin Sinclair is halfway out the door. “This has been a difficult morning and I’m wondering whether we’re watching the wheels coming off the England wagon. Yes, we can beat anyone on our day, but we can also lose to anyone and we all know about England’s fabled mental fortitude and ability to grind out wins under pressure. Er… Having followed the morning’s play obsessively up till now, I feel I have to take a break in case it it is my close attention that is jinxing us. I’ll check back in later when hopefully the score is around 154/6. See you then!”

Come come, Martin. What happened to that famed Britannia spirit engendered by blue passports or somesuch? I don’t know the details, I’m not from around here.

20th over: Australia 110-0 (Finch 54, Warner 51) The run twins are at it again, with a drive for one from Rashid. Matching fifties, and in such an adorable shade! They look cute.

So is Thomas Taylor. “Is there anything better than staying up ‘til half four in the morning to watch England vs. Australia in a bar in Mexico with your Spanish girlfriend asleep in your arms?”

I can’t speak specifically to that experience, Thomas, but I can say that a lot of people have fallen asleep watching cricket with me.

19th over: Australia 106-0 (Finch 52, Warner 49) A couple more runs out to deep midwicket, and Finch has his fifty. In this World Cup he has 66, 6, 36, 82, 153, 53, and now 52 not out. And that 36 he was smashing it but got run out.

If you want something more sedate, here’s our county cricket live blog.

18th over: Australia 100-0 (Finch 48, Warner 47) Double spin change, with Adil Rashid’s leg-breaks from the Pavilion End. And Warner goes after him immediately. This must be a plan. First ball, tonked over mid-off for a couple. Third ball, pulled for four. Fifth ball, driving hard past a diving Moeen at mid-off. Ten from the over, all to Warner, and that’s the eighth century partnership in ODIs for this pair, and their third in this World Cup. Australia cruising.

17th over: Australia 90-0 (Finch 48, Warner 37) Moeen versus Warner. This match-up has some history. England’s off-spinner starts up from the Nursery End, fittingly given he and his wife have just had a baby daughter. Warner drives a couple out into the deep, then gets two bonus overthrows from a nudge for a single, as Morgan’s throw is wild to Buttler. A couple of sedate singles, seven from the over, and Australia continue to cruise.

A round of applause for Porus Patwari, everyone. “Long time lurker, first time poster here.” See, we’re not so scary.

“On the subject of Morgan saying that it would take time to earn trust for the famed duo, I would like to insert the case of Mohammed Amir (as I like to do in any cricket conversation I can). My clear bias and love for him aside, I think he is a shining example of how one can turn the tide on even the most vocal of critics by good behavior, penchant for repentance and of course, searing pace when bowling. His redemption arc should be taught in schools. I think I might have digressed but yeah, you get the gist. I am sure Rob would agree.”

I would never dare speak for Rob, he would flay me with a horse-hair switch for my insolence. But yes: keep being good at cricket, and keep playing with a smile on your face. Of course, it probably makes a difference when you’re a teenage player being led astray by an older crooked leader rather than being the… err… older crooked leader.