A brilliant fielding effort from Australia has limited England to 9-243 in the third one day international at the SCG as bad blood between the sides again threatened to spill over.
Memorable catches from Glenn Maxwell, captain Michael Clarke and Dan Christian and a run out from deep cover from David Warner kept England’s batsman in check on Sunday.
After a promising 50 run opening partnership between captain Alastair Cook and Ian Bell, Maxwell snapped up a sharp chance at short cover from Cook (35 off 36 balls) off Nathan Coulter-Nile in the ninth over.
From then England lost wickets at regular intervals.
Bell (29 off 35) was the next to fall six overs later when Warner found him short of his crease with a direct hit to leave England 2-70.
A brilliant one-handed effort at square leg from Clarke off Xavier Doherty then had Ben Stokes on his way for 15 off 39 balls and England at 3-91 in the 23rd over.
England’s topscorer Eoin Morgan (54 off 58) then steadied the ship for the visitors before Christian claimed his scalp with a one-handed effort off his own bowling.
Christian scooped the ball up inches off the turf in his follow through and threw the ball high in the air in celebration.
But Morgan stood his ground, a move which sparked a heated exchanged between him, Clarke and the non-striker Jos Buttler in scenes somewhat reminiscent of Clarke’s showdown with James Anderson earlier this summer.
On review by the third umpire England’s danger man Morgan was given his marching orders and with him went their hopes of posting 300 as they did in the previous game at the Gabba on Friday.
That left England 6-186 in the 42nd over before some impressive late hitting from Tim Bresnan (41 off 29) pushed the visitors beyond 240.
Nathan Coulter-Nile was the best of the Australian bowlers with 3-47 off his 10 overs.
James Faulkner and Christian both claimed two wickets a-piece.
In his first international game since the Ashes in England in July last year, James Pattinson managed 0-41 off his six overs.
A win will give Australia an unassailable 3-0 lead in the best of five game series.