Australia v England

At Hobart, January 11, 2003. Australia won by seven runs. Australia 5 pts, England 1 pt. Toss: Australia.

England lost momentum with both bat and ball, and faded to their tenth successive one-day defeat by Australia. "Sloppy" was Hussain's summary. Anderson created early impetus and looked dependable in just his fourth international, but Martyn exploited England's lack of a reliable third seamer, hitting his first hundred of the southern summer. Australia accelerated towards 271 - above par on a pitch of variable bounce. A vivacious opening stand of 165 between Trescothick and Knight kept England's required rate under six an over, but Australia squeezed an inexperienced middle order: the big hitter Blackwell, promoted to No. 3, shifted the tempo down rather than up, and England were left needing 74 from ten overs. Watson kept his nerve, as Hussain tried to slog his way out of trouble in the final over, and his home crowd, a mass of coloured sunhats, were soon cheering a win that England had let slip away.

Man of the Match: D. R. Martyn. Attendance: 16,719.