Read the article of Australia vs England 10th Match Benson & Hedges World Series Cup 1979/80 - Benson & Hedges World Series Cup one-day international tournament of the 10th ODI match played between England and Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney in 14th January 1980.
Debutant Graham Stevenson's debut four-wicket haul, John Lever and and Debutant John Emburey's each two wickets, Grahan Gooch's superb half-century before A whirlwind 35-run stand between Tailenders David Bairstow and Graham Stevenson gives England tense two-wicket victory over Australia, despite a Dennis Lillee's four-for and keep top of the points table in a low-scoring thriller of the tenth match of a Benson and Hedges World Series Cup.
AUSTRALIA scored 163 for all-out (48.4 Overs) with top scorer by Rick McCosker 41 (67) and Kim Hughes 34 (42)
ENGLAND best bowler by Graham Stevenson 4/33 (9.4) and John Lever 2/11 (9)
ENGLAND chased 164/8 (48.5 Overs) with top scorer by Graham Gooch 69 (123) and Graham Stevenson * 28 (18)
AUSTRALIA best bowler by Dennis Lillee 4/12 (10) and Greg Chappell 2/23 (10)
This match reported by Brian Mossop (Third Party Reference from SMH)
Dennis Lillee produced his bowling spell of the summer but was unable to turn a batting debacle into a winning effort for Australia in the Benson and Hedges World Series Cup cricket match against England at the SCG.
Australia were skittled out for 163 runs after Graham Stevenson, the pace replacement for the injured Mike Hendricks, claimed 4-33 off 9.4 overs, as the home side virtually squandered any hope of reaching the $50,000 limited-over final.
Great bowling by man-of-the-match Lillee, who came on as the first change after Jeff Thomson and Geoff Dymock shared the new ball, appeared likely to lift Australia off the floor.
Lillee finished with 4-12 off his 10 overs after a tight, dangerous spell in which he claimed Wayne Larkins (5). Peter Willey (0) David Gower (3) and Ian Botham (0).
England at that stage were reeling at 61-6. But a great rearguard action, in which Stevenson was the outstanding player, helped England clamber back and snatch a win with seven deliveries remaining. Stevenson, not out 28, cracked the winning boundary off Thomson to take England to 164-8 and a two-wicket win that came against the odds, despite a gallant 69 by opening batsman Graham Gooch.
England, set an apparently simple target, looked likely to fail as their batsmen followed the example set by the Australian batting line-up and collapsed like nine pins.
The England No. 2 side looked certain to go down with the score 129-8 in the 44th of their 50 overs. But Yorkshiremen Stevenson and David Bairstow, 21 not out, dashed the Australian hopes in a whirlwind stand of 35 that wrested victory from Australia's grasp.
A crowd of 12,662 watched England get up in the last stride, but the decision on England's co-finalists will be left until the last of the preliminary matches between Australia and the West Indies in Sydney on Friday.
Australia appeared to be cruising toward an impressive total as McCosker and Wiener settled in against the England attack to post a 50 partnership in 62 minutes off 15.3 overs.
Left-arm paceman John Lever, relishing the chance to prove to England's selectors that they were in error in forcing him into a reserve role for most of the tour, gave the batsmen few scoring opportunities.
He sent down his first five overs for six runs and went on to finish with 2-11 off nine overs. But new-ball partner Ian Botham was less than accurate, his seven overs costing 33 runs.
McCosker and Wiener had put on 74 and the attack had switched to spin with the introduction of John Emburey and Peter Willey before England gained their first break.
McCosker was caught at mid-off by Mike Brearley, when he drove uppishly at a Willey delivery. Except for a quick-fire fourth wicket partnership of 59 in 49 minutes between Greg Chappell and Kim Hughes, that was virtually the end of the Australian resistance.
The Australians have proved over the years and against England this season that they are capable of handling themselves in the Test arena. But when it comes to limited-over cricket they are limited indeed.
From 0-74 to 3-89 was slump enough. But it was momentarily halted as Greg Chappell and Hughes, the captain and vice-captain, set about repairing the damage. But once Hughes had gone for 34, caught at deep mid-wicket by Gooch as he clipped a Lever
delivery off his toes, the bottom fell out of the Australian innings. Greg Chappell became witness to a silent procession of partners as Allan Border, Rod Marsh and Dennis LiIlee arrived and departed without scoring — four wickets crashing for the addition of two runs in nine deliveries from Lever and Stevenson.
Stevenson's four wickets were off 20 deliveries at a cost of seven runs and the last seven Australian wickets had fallen for 15. It was not the stuff of a side aspiring to reach a rich limited-over final.
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