Live Commentary: Australia vs. England: First ODI - as it happened

Finch will steal the headlines thanks to his brilliant century. Australia were superb today and fully deserve such a big success. They're firm favourites to win this series from this position. Thanks for joining me today. I hope you've enjoyed the coverage. Goodbye.

England lose once again. The tourists would have hoped that the change in formats would help them find their form but they've been thoroughly outclassed by their rivals for the sixth time on this miserable tour. Australia take a 1-0 lead in this five-match series.

AUSTRALIA WIN BY SIX WICKETS! Maxwell drags a single through fine-leg. Three needed. Bailey chips another run off the total with a pull to deep mid-wicket. Maxwell finishes the match by pulling two runs into the leg-side. It's another comfortable victory for Australia during a dominant winter.

Bailey begins the over with a pull for one. An attempted slower ball from Stokes results in a wide down the leg-side. Maxwell drills the ball to Jordan at mid-wicket to rotate the strike again before quickly finding himself at the action end when Bailey adds one through square-leg. Stokes tussles with Bailey but the batsman is still able to sneak through a leg-bye. Shot! Bailey finishes the over by lofting four runs over mid-off. Australia need just four runs for victory.

Bailey picks the gap on the leg-side to earn a run. Maxwell targets the stands with a big slog but he fails to make contact with the ball outside off-stump. The limited-overs specialist backs away to guide a couple of runs over point before handing the strike to his partner. One more makes it five off the over.

Maxwell comes out to the middle but he's off strike at the start of a new over from Stokes. Bailey pulls a short ball through fine-leg for one. Maxwell is forced into an uncomfortable position by some extra bounce but he takes the opportunity to get off strike thanks to a leg-bye. Bailey adds another run to square-leg. Maxwell gets off the mark by pulling a single away for one before Bailey ends the over by pushing a run to mid-off. Australia need 18 more runs.

Clarke departs with his side needing just 23 more runs when he miscues a shot straight to Cook, who takes a simple catch at mid-off. Bresnan picks up his first wicket but it won't matter at this stage of the game.

Clarke pulls the returning Bresnan to deep square-leg midway through the over for a single. Bailey adds another run with a flick off the hip.

Australia scored 37 runs from their five overs of powerplay. Jordan surprises Bailey with a good bouncer but the new batsman does well to avoid taking a blow. Bailey gets off the mark with a couple of runs behind square on the leg-side before adding two more to deep square-leg. Jordan thinks he may have trapped the batsman lbw but the umpire isn't convinced. The seamer ends with figures of 1-50 from his 10 overs.

No slip in place for Clarke, who earns four off a thick outside edge. Eight runs and a wicket from the over. Clarke 42 Bailey 0*

Finch departs for a superb 121 from 128 balls. The opener slices a lofted shot down to third-man, where Ballance takes the catch in front of him. He'll be thinking about the drop earlier in the innings, though. Bailey comes to the crease with Australia needing 33 runs for victory.

Poor delivery from Stokes. It's a gift for Finch, who flicks four runs off the hip.

Jordan drifts down the leg-side twice to concede a couple of wides at the start of a new over. Finch opens the face of the bat to steer a single to third-man. Close! Jordan should have another wicket. The seamer catches the outside edge and Buttler makes a good effort to reach the ball with a dive. However, his attempt appears to put off Bell at first slip. The end result is four runs to Clarke.

Clarke clips the returning Stokes through mid-wicket for three runs. Shot! Finch continues to excel with the bat as he lofts four runs over mid-off. The opener guides a single over backward point to take Australia to within 44 runs of victory.

Jordan is back into the attack again and his first ball of the over is cut through third-man for a couple of runs. Finch frustrates the bowler with a chipped single down the ground. Jordan cramps Clarke for room at the crease but the Australian skipper is still able to earn a run on the leg-side. Finch 111 Clarke 31*

The umpire signals the start of the batting powerplay ahead of the 36th over. Finch might be thinking about finishing off the tourists quickly. Shot! Finch will have to wait his turn. Clarke takes advantage of a half-tracker from the returning Rankin to cut four to the rope. An outside edge brings another run through third-man. Shot! Too short from Rankin again. Finch cashes in to pull four runs over mid-wicket. The Warwickshire seamer hasn't been good enough today. A single makes it 10 from the over. Australia need 56 to win the match.

Bopara produces another excellent delivery to beat Clarke's outside edge. The Australian skipper ends a run of four dot balls by pulling two runs through square-leg before ending the over with a push into the off-side for one.

Finch spots the short ball from Bresnan to pull a single behind square. Shot! Clarke punishes the bowler for losing his length by drilling four more down the ground. A thin top edge through fine-leg brings two more before Clarke rotates the strike with a single to third-man. Finch takes Australia past 200 when he pushes the ball past point. Clarke makes it 10 off the over with a single from the final ball. Australia need 69 more to win.

Bopara returns to the attack and he's inches away from taking a wicket when Clarke misses a fuller one just outside off-stump. CENTURY FOR FINCH! Finch gets the strike after two dot balls and he reaches his second ODI hundred with a single to mid-wicket. What a great moment for the opener! Clarke is delighted for his teammate, too. He was dropped on eight by Ballance and he's made sure that the tourists would regret that missed opportunity. Four runs scored in the over. Finch 101* Clarke 14

Shot! Clarke starts a new over by clubbing Bresnan straight down the ground for four. A single through third-man hands the strike to Finch. The opener moves to 99 not out with a push past point for a couple of runs. Bresnan delivers two dot balls to make sure that Finch has to wait to bring up his hundred. Australia need 83 more runs to win.

Clarke leans back to cut Jordan through third-man for a single. Finch moves into the nineties with two runs on the leg-side. Shot! The opener moves closer to a deserved century with a superb drive through the covers for four. Finch collects two runs off an inside edge to make it nine from the over. Finch 97 Clarke 7*

Shot! Bresnan returns to the attack and he starts with a loose delivery. Clarke takes full advantage to drill four runs through extra cover. England can't afford to gift the new batsman any easy runs. Clarke opens the face of the bat to guide a run through third-man. Big appeal for lbw late in the over but no raise of the finger from the umpire. Australia need 99 runs from the final 20 overs.

You get two wickets in the space of a few minutes. Who is the last person you want to see walking out to the middle? Michael Clarke is surely one of the top answers. The Australian skipper gets off the mark by nudging Jordan's final ball of the over behind square for a single.

Jordan strikes! The Sussex seamer gets one to nip back and hit Watson's off-stump. Australia's number three departs without scoring. Is it too little, too late?

Jordan returns to the attack for his second spell. Finch picks up a single early in the over to hand the strike to his new partner.

England take a wicket but their task isn't made any easier by the arrival of Watson. Finch ends Root's over by nudging a single off his hip.

England finally make the breakthrough. Warner targets the stands with another lofted shot down the ground but Stokes holds his nerve at long-on to take a good catch and send the opener back inside for a classy 65.

An easy single is followed by a leg-side wide early in Root's over. Warner takes the aerial route down the ground but Morgan does well on the boundary to restrict the opener to one run. Another wide is followed by a single for Finch.

Finch lofts Stokes into the leg-side for a couple to take Australia past 150. This is now Australia's highest opening partnership in ODIs against England. Bell hits the stumps with a throw but Finch made his ground with apparent ease. Shot! Stokes sends down a shorter one but his effort ball is hammered to the rope by Warner for four. Two more runs are hurried late in the over. England have no answer today.

Cook decides to make another change. Tredwell was left out of this team, so it's Root who comes into the attack to bowl his off-spin. Finch backs away at the crease to punch a single past the bowler. A wider delivery to the left-handed Warner brings a cut to point for one. Finch calls for two following a nudge to mid-on and Warner is forced to hurry to make his ground. Five runs come off the over from Root.

Bopara comes out of the attack to make way for Stokes. It's much of the same at the MCG as Australia's openers combine to collect five runs from the 25th over of the innings. England need something special from someone to spark life into this game. Finch 78* Warner 57

Rankin's frustration can be heard over the stump microphone when he drifts down the leg-side to concede a wide. Finch gets on top of a shorter ball to nudge a single through square-leg. Jordan does well at mid-off to restrict Warner to just a single when the opener attempts to hammer the ball to the rope. Finch shuffles across the crease at the end of the over and he'll keep the strike thanks to a leg-bye.

Bopara pulls his length back slightly but Finch spots it early enough to cut the ball over point for two runs. Shot! Brilliant. Finch reaches the rope with a stunning lofted drive over mid-off. Bopara, all on his own, appeals for lbw but it's laughed off by the umpire. Seven runs in total come from the over. England are miles behind their rivals once again. Finch 73* Warner 55

HALF-CENTURY Warner's excellent form continues this winter as he reaches his 50 from 59 balls with a couple to deep square-leg. Australia could not have asked for more from their openers. Shot! The hosts move to within 142 of victory when Warner stands tall to hammer a pull shot to the rope for four runs. Superb batting.

Good placement from Finch to bring two runs past backward point. A thick outside edge races through third-man to allow the hosts to rotate the strike. Stokes makes an awful mistake in deep point to gift Warner a couple of runs when only a single seemed possible. One more makes it six from the over. Australia are cruising.

Rankin returns to the attack as Cook looks back to one of his opening bowlers for a breakthrough. Four dot balls are followed by one that is flicked off the pad through fine-leg for one. Shot! Warner decides to target the seamer as he skips down the pitch to loft four runs straight down the ground.

Bopara is attempting to cause problems with his variations but he can't prevent Finch from earning a run through mid-wicket. Warner hammers a cut shot through point for a couple before slicing a single to third-man. England are just unable to build any pressure. Finch collects a single late in the over to steal the strike.

Well, there's not much you can say about this mistake from Bresnan. It looks like an easy task to stop the ball at fine-leg but he somehow manages to make a mess of things and gifts Warner four runs in the process. Stokes responds well to nip one past the batsman's outside edge. A cut past Morgan at point brings two more. The bowler's frustration is clear when Warner sneaks another run with a push off the back foot. One more makes it eight from the over. Great batting from these two.

There's a change after the drinks break as Cook throws the ball to Bopara for the first time. Warner starts the new spell by pushing a single to mid-off. Finch nudges the ball into the off-side and reacts quickly enough to sneak a run. Australia's openers continue to rotate the strike and they collect five from the 17th over.

It's not going England's way. Warner has been granted a second life but Ballance also missed the opportunity to dismiss Finch earlier on when he dropped a chance at mid-off. Australia are taking full advantage. They're heavy favourites to win the first ODI.

Warner will be desperate to take the opportunity after being given a second chance by the third umpire. Should he be there? Probably not, but Australia won't care much. A flick off the hip brings two runs to deep square-leg. A pull shot hands the strike to Finch, who cuts Stokes through third-man for another single. Jordan's mistake at mid-off gifts Warner a run at the end of the over. Time for a drinks break. Finch 57 Warner 29*

Finch doesn't fully connect with the pull shot but the ball drops short of the fielder in the deep and he settles for a single. Bresnan comes around the wicket to Warner, who picks up a couple of runs behind square on the leg-side before pushing another through point. Finch then pulls to deep square-leg for two. Australia need 182 from 35 overs.

Controversy at the MCG! Warner gets a thin edge on a cut shot and Buttler claims the catch. The batsman looks happy to walk off. However, the umpires want to check that the ball did carry. It's very tight but, to me, it looks like the ball hit the glove rather than the ground. The umpires disagree and they call Warner back from the boundary. Some of the England players are furious. Buttler makes his opinion obvious at the end of the over. It doesn't look like the right decision. Finch 53* Warner 22

Warner drags a thick inside edge through his legs for a single. HALF-CENTURY! Finch passes 50 from just 47 balls when a powerful straight drive hits the stumps at the non-striker's end and races away to the rope. It's been a great start for the opener. England will know that he has another gear, too. A leg-bye hands the strike to Warner.

Finch continues to frustrate England by picking up a single off an inside edge. Warner gets on top of a shorter ball to work Bresnan into the leg-side for one. Finch is forced to hurry to pick up a single following a push to point. Australia cruising at the moment as Warner finds another single to keep the strike. Finch 49 Warner 21*

England needed to take early wickets and their failure to make a breakthrough means the task is very difficult from here. Warner slices the ball over cover to pick up a single at the start of a new spell from Stokes, who will be eager to impress once again on this tour. Buttler does well behind the stumps to prevent a thin inside edge from racing away to the rope. Jordan hits the stumps with a needless throw from mid-off and the deflection allows Finch to collect two, rather than one. A quick single means Finch will keep the strike.

Finch starts the 11th over by steering a single through third-man. Bresnan drifts onto the pads twice and Australia take advantage to rotate the strike once again. A leg-bye late on makes it four from the over. Finch 44 Warner 18*

Close! Jordan's unfortunate spell continues when Warner miscues a shot just shot of Ballance at mid-on. Nothing the fielder could have done on that occasion. Six! Warner spoils a potential maiden in style by launching the ball straight down the ground for six runs. Australia score 64 runs in the first powerplay. They need 206 more to win.

No surprise to see Rankin removed from the attack after he leaked 29 runs in his first four overs. Bresnan is his replacement. Shot! Lovely stuff from Finch to collect four runs with a firm push down the ground. A lofted shot over cover brings three more as he moves to 41 from just 35 balls. Warner wants two for a nudge into the leg-side but he's forced to settle for a single. Finch adds two more with the latest of cuts past backward point.

Warner can only find the toe of the bat with his cut shot but the contact is firm enough to bring him two runs. Jordan settles on a good length to the left-handed opener in the middle of the over. A fraction of width invites the cut but Morgan does superbly well at point to block the ball. DROP! It's a chance, but not an easy one. Warner hits the ball straight back at Jordan, who can't cling on with an outstretched hand. Great effort.

Warner has barely seen much of the action, with Finch dominating the strike early in the innings. One of the stars of the Ashes series earns three with a jab through mid-wicket and it was only Bresnan's excellent piece of fielding that denied him a boundary. Close! There's another nervous moment for Finch when he chips the ball into the air. Stokes sprints to square-leg but he can't make the ground to get a hand on the ball. Finch adds two more to deep square-leg. Shot! Poor from Rankin. Too short to Finch, who gets on top of the bounce to pull four runs to the rope. England desperately need a wicket. Finch 34 Warner 7*

Close! Cook just can't believe his luck. Bell is moved from second slip to short mid-wicket and Jordan catches the outside edge. Where does the ball go? That's right. Just wide of Cook and to the rope for four runs. REVIEW! A big lbw appeal follows but the umpire shakes his head. Jordan thinks it's a good shout. Cook decides to use his review. Hawkeye suggests the ball may have just clipped leg-stump but it's not enough for the decision to be overturned. Finch plays an unorthodox pull shot to pick up a couple to deep mid-wicket. A leg-side wide gifts one more to the total. Jordan has been pretty unlucky so far.

Rankin loses his line and is punished for a wide down the leg-side. Another delivery drifts onto the pads, which allows Finch to flick four runs through fine-leg. Shot! Rankin is fighting to find the perfect spot but Finch is in no mood to wait around as he cuts four more past point. A single makes it 10 from the over. Finch 20* Warner 4

Shot! Jordan is too full and Finch cashes in by whipping four runs through mid-wicket. Good response from the bowler to send one past the outside edge at pace. DROP! Big chance. Finch drives the ball to Ballance at mid-off but he fails to hold on. It should have been taken. No doubt about that. Will England live to regret that missed opportunity? Seven runs scored in the over.

Warner misses with a swing outside off-stump at the start of the over but he makes no such mistake just moments later to cut four runs through a gap in the field. Rankin is naturally a touch shorter with his length, which means that Warner will go after the ball if he's offered any width. Just the boundary from the over. Finch 4* Warner 4

The lights are on at the MCG now as the sun begins to set. It's going to be Chris Jordan who opens the bowling alongside Rankin on just his second ODI appearance. The Sussex seamer begins with a couple of wides down the leg-side. There's definitely some movement for Jordan but his isn't quite right again as Warner gets off strike thanks to a leg-bye. Finch can't help but flirt with one just outside his off-stump. A wider delivery invites the drive but Finch fails to find the middle of the bat. Good response from Jordan following a nervy start.

Rankin starts with a beauty to nip one back between bat and thigh pad. Finch takes advantage of some width to get off the mark with two through third-man. The opener lets a couple of deliveries travel through to Buttler before pushing the ball through mid-wicket for two more. Steady start to the innings.

Warner and Finch open the batting. Boyd Rankin will bowl the first over. Australia need 270 runs to win the first ODI. Play!

England are back out in the middle preparing for the second innings. While others go through fielding drills, Cook walks around getting himself mentally ready for another battle. Will he finally lead the team to a win on this miserable tour?

England's seamers face a tough test. Australia's explosive players will just keep on coming at the bowlers and early wickets will be vital. Warner, Finch and Watson won't waste time in chasing this total. The hosts play the game very differently to England.

Root and Bopara have big roles to play in the second innings. England resisted the urge to pick a specialist spinner, which means that the part-time bowlers will have to chip in and keep things tight when Cook calls on them.

McKay led the way for Australia with the ball as he finished with 3-44 from his 10 overs. There was some swing for the seamer early in the innings but the signs were that this pitch is slightly slower than most expected.

Ballance showed his quality to score 79, while Morgan (50) looked in great touch before falling to Maxwell. Buttler (33*) did his job perfectly to add some valuable runs towards the end of the innings. England scored 86 in the final 10 overs to make sure Australia's task is a difficult one.

Welcome back everyone. It seemed like England's disastrous tour may have been heading for another low point when Cook was dismissed in the first over of the game but they battled well following the early setbacks to post a competitive 269-7 from their 50 overs. Australia will still fancy their chances from this position but it's not going to be easy for the hosts.

Australia have attacking players all the way down their lineup, so it's not going to be an easy task for England's bowlers. We'll join the players by taking a break. Join me in around 30 minutes for the second chapter of this ODI in Melbourne.

AUSTRALIA WILL NEED 270 TO WIN THE MATCH: That's a good score for England. It's nothing spectacular but it gives them the opportunity to put pressure on the hosts with the ball. Ballance and Morgan were both impressive but it could be Buttler's cameo at the end of the innings that makes the difference late in the game.

Coulter-Nile starts the final over of the innings with a dot ball. Bresnan drills a single to long-on. Six! Stunning from Buttler. Clarke place himself at deep mid-wicket but he's helpless to prevent Buttler from earning six with a pull shot. Good cricket from the England duo to earn two when Buttler sends a thick inside edge to third-man. A miscued pull shot brings two more to Clarke at deep mid-wicket. One ball left. Buttler on strike. Just a single score to Haddin off the inside edge. Buttler 34* Bresnan 16*

Brilliant from Maxwell! Buttler would have expected to earn four for a loft over long-on but Maxwell stops the ball on the rope to restrict him to two. Faulkner pulls his length back slightly to restrict the scoring options again and Buttler accepts the single on the leg-side. Bresnan hands the strike back to his partner with a run through fine-leg. Buttler manages to get some bat on a good yorker to earn another single. Six! Valuable runs from Bresnan, who frees his arms to send the ball over the rope at square-leg. One more makes it 12 from the over.

Coulter-Nile is back for one final spell. The seamer starts with a short ball to Buttler, who pulls to mid-wicket for a couple of runs. Buttler digs into his bag of tricks to produce the scoop shot again but he only earns two, with Doherty fielding the ball superbly at fine-leg. Coulter-Nile goes slightly fuller to sneak the ball under the swinging bat. Buttler pulls another run to mid-wicket. Shot! Bresnan reaches the rope for the first time by drilling a full-toss past mid-on for four runs. Nine off the over.

Buttler drives firmly to Warner at extra cover for a single. Bresnan gets off the mark by pulling the ball to deep square-leg for a couple. A late cut brings another run to third-man. Australia will be desperate to keep Buttler quiet. England's wicketkeeper picks the gap on the leg-side to collect two before ending the over with a single to long-on. Buttler 14* Bresnan 3

Bresnan is the new batsman but it's Buttler on strike and he ends the over with a single to mid-wicket. Four overs left in the innings.

It's an exact copy of the shot Ballance played earlier in the over. He slices the ball into the air but Doherty makes no mistake on this occasion and takes the catch at third-man. Ballance departs for an excellent 79 from 96 balls.

Drop! Ballance goes for the big shot again but he slices the ball down to third-man. Doherty seems to make the ground but he drops the catch to give Ballance a second life. Bailey does well at mid-wicket to restrict Buttler to one following a powerful pull shot. Shot! Ballance piles the misery on Faulkner by slogging McKay into the leg-side for four runs.

The England duo trade singles early in the over. Faulkner does well off his own bowling to block a firm push from Ballance. The Yorkshire batsman moves into the seventies with a powerful shot through mid-wicket for four, despite the efforts of Coulter-Nile on the boundary. Close! Ballance hands the strike back to Buttler, who brings out his trademark scoop but plays the ball finer than he had hoped. Haddin is inches away from taking the catch. Four more to Buttler.

Ballance picks up a single at the start of McKay's over to hand the strike to his new partner. Buttler begins his innings with a single through third-man. Ballance opens the face of the bat to steer a run past backward point. Buttler shuffles across his crease to earn two more behind square on the leg-side. Six overs left in the innings.

Stokes departs for a fluent 21 when his latest swing and miss results in Faulkner hitting the top of the stumps. England needed to start attacking. They're still a few runs short of a par total. Buttler in next.

Huge swing of the bat from Stokes but he misses the ball completely at the start of a new over from Faulkner. Shot! No trouble finding the middle of the bat on the next occasion as Stokes hammers four through square-leg. McKay does well on the rope a few moments later to restrict Stokes to two behind square on the leg-side. The all-rounder picks up a couple more on the leg-side.

Watson begins a new spell by conceding a leg-bye. Shot! Ballance drops to one knee and shows good intent to sweep four runs behind square. A late cut to short third-man brings a single. Stokes skips down the pitch to loft one over extra cover. Faulkner is once again helpless to prevent singles being taken to short third-man from both England players.

McKay is back into the attack and he concedes a single off every ball in his returning over. Steady stuff from England. Are the big shots just around the corner? Ballance 60 Stokes 10*

Shot! Fine pull from Stokes to bring four through square-leg. Another pull shot follows later in the over but a slightly miscued effort only results in one run being scored on this occasion. Ballance opens the face of the bat to pick up a single through third-man. The powerplay comes to an end. 10 overs left in the innings.

Ballance steers the ball through third-man for one. Stokes gets off the mark with a push into the off-side. Another single follows to mid-off. Stokes makes sure he keeps the strike by nudging Faulkner to long-on. Clarke will know that the best way to keep the run-rate down is to continue to take wickets.

Bopara attempts to guide the ball through third-man again but he gets a top edge through to Haddin, who takes an easy catch to hand Coulter-Nile his first wicket. Stokes comes to the crease ahead of Buttler and leaves the final ball of the over.

Ballance hands the strike to his partner at the start of the over. Bopara reaches the rope for the first time in the powerplay with a clever shot through third-man. The batting duo trade singles in the middle of the over.

England have a pretty good platform to attack late on with 13 overs remaining in the innings. They'll want these two to be out there for most of the overs before Buttler comes to the crease to have a swing.

Changes at both ends as Faulkner comes on for a new spell. Bopara pulls through mid-wicket for a couple of runs before opening the face of the bat to earn a single to short third-man. Ballance makes it to the non-striker's end thanks to a thick inside edge. Bopara takes a single to cover and is gifted an extra run when Warner's throw is fumbled by Clarke. Time for a drinks break.

England take the batting powerplay at the start of the 36th over. They may be more positive fielders with less fielders out in the deep but the onslaught may not arrive until the final six or seven overs. Coutler-Nile returns to take the ball from Maxwell. Bopara is close to dragging on when he attempts a late cut as the Australian seamer begins with three dot balls. Just one single from the over. Good bowling from Coulter-Nile. Ballance 51 Bopara 7*

Doherty returns to the attack as Clarke once again opts for spin at both ends. Bailey does well to get a hand on the ball at square-leg to restrict a pulling Ballance to one run. A tight line prevents Bopara from freeing his arms but he steals the strike late in the over with a single to long-on.

Ballance pushes a couple of ball straight back to Maxwell before picking up two through mid-wicket. HALF-CENTURY! Nice moment for Ballance as he reaches his first international 50 from 69 balls with a single to cover. He knows his job isn't over, though. England need him to be there for the majority of the innings.

Watson is back into the attack for a new spell. Ballance steers the ball past point for a couple of runs at the start of the over before getting off strike with a nudge into the leg-side. Bopara reacts well to collect two following a flick off the hip. A similar shot brings two more to deep square-leg. Seven from the over. Ballance 47* Bopara 5

Bopara is the new batsman and he's off the mark immediately with a single. There's a lot of pressure on Ballance to bat for the rest of the innings now and he continues his knock with a push to cover for one run.

Vital breakthrough for the hosts! Morgan departs for 50 from 47 balls when he slices a drive straight to Coulter-Nile, who takes a good catch at cover. It was an impressive innings but he would have been desperate to kick on.

HALF-CENTURY! Morgan, showing no signs of scars from a whitewash like his teammates, goes to 50 with a single behind square on the leg-side. Excellent knock so far from the explosive batsman. Ballance rotates the strike again with a push to point.

Morgan finds a single just wide of mid-on before Ballance adds another with a drive into the off-side. Shot! Morgan is a brilliant player to have in your side when he's in this form and his quality is there for all to see as he lofts four runs over cover. A nudge to mid-on moves Morgan to within a single of a deserved half-century.

Another bowling change for Australia as Maxwell returns to the attack. Morgan might fancy attacking the spinner. The batting duo are happy to settle for singles early in the over. Morgan drops to one knee to sweep over square-leg, but he can only pick up one run. Four from the over. Ballance 41 Morgan 43*

Clarke knows he needs to take a wicket and he responds by bringing back McKay. Morgan and Ballance trae singles early in the over. Big risk from the England duo to call for two but Ballance is quick enough to make his ground before McKay could whip the bails off following a throw from Bailey. Close! Frustration for the hosts. Morgan plays a loose drive but he drags the ball just wide of the stumps to collect four.

Watson begins a new over with a good slower ball but a leg-bye leaves the seamer frustrated. Morgan pushes the ball through a gap in the covers. Ballance plays a couple of firm shots outside off-stump but he picks out the fielder on both occasions. Shot! No fielder can stop the Yorkshire batsman this time as he takes the aerial route to earn four over mid-on. A brilliant cut shot sends the final ball of the over to the rope again. Excellent batting. Much better from England.

Ballance plays the latest of cuts for a single at the start of the over. Shot! Morgan's confidence is obvious as he lofts the ball over extra cover for four runs. That boundary brings up the 50 partnership. Faulkner responds by catching the inside edge but he can't prevent the batsman from sneaking a run. Seven runs scored off the all-rounder's latest over.

A thick edge hands Ballance a single to third-man. Morgan collects two off an open-faced shot past backward point. Watson reacts well to block a firm drive from the batsman. Morgan sneaks a single when his defensive shot rolls into a gap. Ballance continues to look positive alongside his partner as he collects a quick run to cover. Good cricket. Ballance 28* Morgan 27

Ballance pushes the ball into the air, but wide of cover, to earn a run. This pitch definitely seems to be lacking a bit of pace. Morgan gets a top edge on a pull shot, with the ball flying over a helpless Haddin and to the rope for four runs. This partnership is looking promising. It almost comes to an end, however, when Faulkner nips one past the outside edge.

Doherty's spell does come to an end, with Watson being his replacement. Ballance gets an inside edge on a drive but Morgan's quick response allows the tourists to sneak a single. Morgan rotates the strike again with a push through point. There's excitement in the stands when Ballance takes the aerial route over third-man but the ball drops short of McKay. Five runs off the over.

Faulkner starts a new over with a wide down the leg-side. Morgan's confident start continues when he drives through extra cover for a couple. Shane Watson looks to be preparing for a spell with the ball as he stretches in the field. Decent over from Faulkner. Ballance 21* Morgan 19

Morgan lunges forward to push the ball to long-on for a single. Ballance rotates the strike again with a run to short fine-leg. Six! Vintage Morgan as he takes on the fuller ball to launch the ball over the long-off boundary. A single makes it nine from Doherty's over.

No surprise to see Maxwell, who was much more expensive than his fellow bowlers, be replaced by James Faulkner. The all-rounder can be brilliant with both bat and ball in this format of the game. Morgan starts the over by guiding the seamer through third-man for one. Ballance drives two runs through extra cover, before sneaking a single with a push to point. Morgan adds one more with a sharp run of his own. England need this partnership to be successful. Five from the over.

Doherty strays from his immaculate line to offer Ballance the chance to cut the ball through point for four runs. Ballance and Morgan trade singles at the end of the over as the test against the spinners continues.

Shot! Superb from Morgan as he ignores the man catching at short cover to drive four runs to the rope. A nudge to long-off hands the strike to Ballance, who keeps the scoreboard ticking over with a push to deep point. Maxwell's spell might be over soon. Six off the over.

England usually want Eoin Morgan and Jos Buttler coming in late on but it's the former who comes to the crease now to replace Bell. Clarke takes his time to set the perfect field to the new batsman, who frustrates the hosts by immediately getting off strike with a push into the off-side. Three runs and a wicket from the over.

Big wicket! Bell targets the mid-wicket boundary again with another slog-sweep but Doherty beats the bat to hit the stumps and send the England opener back inside. It's a huge loss for the tourists at this stage of the innings.

Bell brings out the reverse-sweep again to earn himself a single. Ballance plays the same shot but gets a top edge on the ball. McKay is to deep to get anywhere close to taking a catch and the batsman picks up a run.

Maxwell is on his own appealing for lbw but his optimistic shout is quickly rejected by the umpire. Ballance collects a single off the fourth ball with a cut to deep cover before Bell adds another run by nudging a single through square-leg. Good over from the spinner.

Good cricket from Ballance to collect a run from a prod into the leg-side. Doherty changes his pace well to prevent Bell from targeting the gaps on either side of the wicket. Clarke will be very happy with that over from his spinner. Just a single scored. Bell 39 Ballance 9*

Maxwell is too straight and Bell takes the opportunity to pick up a single behind square on the leg-side. Ballance cuts a wider delivery into the off-side to rotate the strike again. Six! Bell decides it's time to attack the spinner as he drops to one knee to launch Maxwell over the rope at mid-wicket. A couple of singles makes it 10 from the over.

Shot! Lovely stuff from Bell as he reaches the rope with a clever reverse-sweep. Doherty adjusts his length well to force the batsman into defensive mode for most of the over, with just one more run being added on the leg-side. Bell 31* Ballance 6

Bell chips a single wide of Maxwell, who thought there was a chance of a catch for a brief moment. Ballance plays with a straight bat again to push a run to long-off. Close! Maxwell is an inch away from catching the outside edge when Bell attempts the cut shot. Warner does brilliantly in the deep on the leg-side to restrict a pulling Bell to two runs. One more makes it five from the over.

Spin from both ends as Doherty comes into the attack for the first time. A slightly short delivery allows Bell to sit back and nudge a single to square-leg. Ballance pushes a quicker ball to long-on for one. Bell steers another single through. Good start from the spinner.

Clarke changes the bowling immediately following the powerplay. It's Maxwell, rather than Doherty, who comes on to bowl the first over of spin. Ballance gets off the mark with a sliced shot past backward point for three runs. Bell hands the strike back to his partner with a push to long-on. Ballance adds another run by flicking the ball through square-leg before Bell ends the over with two on the leg-side.

Coulter-Nile gets a hand on a straight drive but he fails to prevent Bell from collecting two runs. England's opener seems to be growing in confidence at the crease. However, a big pull shot is struck straight to the fielder on the leg-side. Bell cuts two balls to Clarke, who is rallying the troops at point. The first powerplay comes to an end with England only reaching the boundary on two occasions.

A thick edge earns Bell, who looks in nice touch, a single through third-man. Ballance gets off strike with a leg-bye when McKay loses his line slightly. Shouts of catch from the Australian fielders when Bell miscues a pull shot but the ball drops well short of the fielder in the deep. Bell 16* Ballance 0

Bell plays a wild shot across the line and he's fortunate to get an inside edge on a ball that look destined for the stumps. Coulter-Nile is bowling with good pace in his opening spell but he doesn't get as much swing as McKay does with the white ball. Bell rotates the strike with a single through third-man. Ballance is fooled by one that just holds its line and beats him on the outside edge at the end of the over.

Ballance cuts his first ball straight to point. McKay now has figures of 2-9 from his four overs. It's an excellent start to the game for the hosts. England under pressure.

It's another failure for an England batsman. It sounded like there may have been an inside edge at first but the replay don't support that suggestion. Root has wasted the only review and he must depart for three from 23 balls. Gary Ballance in next.

Bell, batting quite far out of his crease, pushes a single to mid-on early in a new over. Root needs to be careful. We saw him get into trouble by starting slowly in the Test series and he's batting slowly again. REVIEW! Big appeal for lbw from the hosts when McKay nips one back at Root. The umpire believes it's a good shout and he raises the finger. He immediately decides to use the one review on offer. Is he in even bigger trouble now?

Bell blocks a couple of balls before opening the face of the bat to steer a single to cover, where Warner does well to restrict the batsman to just one run. Coulter-Nile responds with a beauty to send the ball past Root's inside edge. Big swing for the seamer. Root survives. Bell 12* Root 3

Root earns a couple behind square on the leg-side with a thick inside edge. McKay keeps it tight with a great line just outside off-stump to make sure that the tourists must settle for two from the over. Five overs down at the MCG.

Bell splits the fielders on the leg-side to pick up a couple before digging out a fuller delivery to earn another run. Root gets off the mark by nudging Coulter-Nile through square-leg for a single. Shot! Excellent timing on show as Bell drives the ball back past the bowler for four runs. Superb batting.

McKay drifts one down the leg-side and Bell picks up a single with a flick off the pads. Root misses out when he cuts a wider delivery to Clarke at point. A bit of swing causes problems for the batsman but an inside edge quickly saves him from an lbw appeal. Root ends the over with a loose shot outside off-stump as he chases his first run of the match. Swing and a miss.

Coulter-Nile begins his spell with a loose delivery and he's punished with a wide. Bell takes a big risky in the middle of the over with a wild swing outside off-stump and a hint of swing takes the ball past the outside edge. The opener gets off the mark a few moments later with a controlled drive through extra cover for three. Root is forced back by a quicker ball as Coulter-Nile catches the edge but the ball drops well short of Watson at first slip. Bell 3* Root 0

Joe Root comes to the crease with his side under pressure already. England's number three is more than happy to keep out the final two balls of the over. Coulter-Nile will bowl the second over of the game.

It just keeps happening. Cook misses out on a big score again when he edges one just outside off-stump to offer Haddin the easiest of catches behind the stumps. McKay makes the breakthrough and he's delighted. Great start for the hosts.

McKay appeals for lbw first ball when he finds some swing immediately but the ball hits Cook too high on the pad and the umpire shakes his head. The England skipper is then handed a gift wide of off-stump and he cashes in to cut four runs to the rope.

Cook begins the game on strike, with Bell waiting at the other end. McKay will bowl the first over. Play!

Here we go then. Clarke has his players out in the middle for a few final words ahead of the first ball. Early wickets are always key with the new white ball at either end. It will be interesting to see if there is any swing early on.

The players are out in the middle now with their mascots and there's just the national anthems to be played before the match can get underway. Cook and Bell will know how crucial their role is at the top of the order today.

Australia surely begin this series as favourites but England showed in the Champions Trophy a few months back that they can produce some excellent cricket with the white ball. Cook will be eager to see more of the same as they begin their preparations for the World Cup.

Is it a risk for England to play without a spinner? Tredwell has been an important part of the one-day team over the past 12 months but his exclusion could be a response to how Australia like to target the spinner under the guidance of Darren Lehmann. It does mean that both Ravi Bopara and Joe Root will likely need to get through some overs.

So, plenty of changes for both teams but the rivalry is still the same. White ball, coloured kits, it just doesn't matter. Both of these sides will be desperate to start the series with a victory.

Stuart Broad has been given a rest for the first two matches in this series, which means that Boyd Rankin and Tim Bresnan need to take on a lot of responsibility today. Neither seamer looked at their best during the Ashes but they've both proven how dangerous they can be in this format.

You hesitate to say it after the collapses we saw in the Test series, but England certainly do bat all the way down today. Chris Jordan comes in at 10 and he's shown in county cricket that he can cause plenty of damage with the bat.

Australia's explosive batting lineup certainly catches the eye. David Warner is joined by Aaron Finch at the top of the order, with the big hitting Glenn Maxwell coming in at six. Highly rated all-rounder James Faulkner is named in the team after failing to shift George Bailey in the Test series. Nathan Coulter-Nile and Clint McKay will lead the pace attack, with Xavier Doherty coming in as the spinner.

It's a very different England side to the one we saw in the Test series. The tourists have elected to not play a specialist spinner, with James Tredwell surprisingly being left out. Steven Finn also misses out as his reported problems continue, while Chris Jordan joins Tim Bresnan and Boyd Rankin in the seam attack. Gary Ballance plays in the middle order and all-rounder Ben Stokes will come in at eight.

AUSTRALIA: Warner, Finch, Watson, Clarke, Bailey, Maxwell, Haddin, Faulkner, Coulter-Nile, McKay, Doherty

ENGLAND: Cook, Bell, Root, Ballance, Morgan, Bopara, Buttler, Stokes, Bresnan, Jordan, Rankin

ENGLAND WIN TOSS AND WILL BAT FIRST: Cook has just called correctly out in the middle and he confirms that his side will have a bat on a pitch that looks very good at the MCG. Full team news to follow shortly.

The inquest goes on about what exactly went on in the England camp during the Test series but they need to put that out of their minds today. Some of the players from that squad are still in Australia, while others have headed back home. Alastair Cook is a man under pressure. He'll be desperate for success in the limited-overs games.

Hello everyone. The dust has settled following a quite remarkable Ashes series. Australia have finally finished celebrating the 5-0 whitewash and they're ready to get back to business. England are once again the opposition as the ODI series gets underway in Melbourne today.