The home side's fielding cost them badly, dropping six catches including Bailey twice and Maxwell (92 off 77) once – and both batsmen made India pay but not to the tune of three figures, continuing a frustrating trend of Australian batsmen not converting into centuries.
Among my early foreign picks, Nissan and Rio Tinto did very badly, dropping 37 % and 14, from recommendation to year-end.
Later he was badly dropped by Thorpe at first slip off the same bowler, a looping chance from high on the bat.
Brown, badly dropped on the boundary by Evans off Jeetan Patel on one, now did his best to rally the innings, twice hitting the off-spinner over mid-wicket for massive sixes, but he struggled for partners.
Clarke, badly dropped by Eoin Morgan on eight, seemingly lbw on 28 when no review was available and dropped again on 31, had ridden his luck in taxing conditions.
Morris, badly dropped at mid off by Adil Rashid when he was on 14, thrashed 62 from 38 balls, including four gigantic sixes when the game was slipping away from the hosts.
He was badly dropped at square leg by Scott Newman, whose loan spell from Surrey does not seem to have brought additional zest to his fielding, and again by Alex Hales, stumbling forward at slip.
Trescothick, badly dropped off Ben Trott by Min Patel at slip when he had scored just eight, celebrated this reprieve by hitting three fours from the remaining four deliveries, but was never at his most fluent and was bowled through the gate by one that moved in off Ealham.
But it badly dropped the ball (pardon the pun) with that one, letting the service die, as Crowley left in a huff.
Barath, badly dropped again by Bell on 40 after fending off a lifter from Finn, failed to make England pay for their generosity as he was trapped in front by a quicker one from Onions in the next over.
Williamson was badly dropped on 27 by Tillakarate Dilshan at short cover and reached fifty from 60 balls, but he was denied a sixth ODI century when he was run out after finding himself at the same end as Taylor when in pursuit of a second run.
