# 2006–07 Commonwealth Bank Series

The Commonwealth Bank Series was the name of the One Day International cricket tournament in Australia for the 2006–07 season. It was a tri-nation series between Australia, England and New Zealand.
Australia booked a place in the final after just seven matches in the tournament, and having participated in just five, with five games left to play. The other place in the final came down to the last match of the series as New Zealand and England both had won only 2 games; England won this semi-final of sorts.
England won the final series by two games to nil to lift the trophy, making it their first major one-day tournament win since 1997 and their first Australian tri-series win since 20 years previous, when they also won the Ashes.

## Fixtures

Matches played in the series were as follows:
| No. | Date | Team 1 | Team 2 | Stadium | Location |
| Group Stage Schedule ||||||
| 1 | 12 January 2007 | AUS | ENG | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Melbourne |
| 2 | 14 January 2007 | AUS | NZ | Bellerive Oval | Hobart |
| 3 | 16 January 2007 | ENG | NZ | Bellerive Oval | Hobart |
| 4 | 19 January 2007 | AUS | ENG | The 'Gabba | Brisbane |
| 5 | 21 January 2007 | AUS | NZ | Sydney Cricket Ground | Sydney |
| 6 | 23 January 2007 | ENG | NZ | Adelaide Oval | Adelaide |
| 7 | 26 January 2007 | AUS | ENG | Adelaide Oval | Adelaide |
| 8 | 28 January 2007 | AUS | NZ | WACA Ground | Perth |
| 9 | 30 January 2007 | ENG | NZ | WACA Ground | Perth |
| 10 | 2 February 2007 | AUS | ENG | Sydney Cricket Ground | Sydney |
| 11 | 4 February 2007 | AUS | NZ | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Melbourne |
| 12 | 6 February 2007 | ENG | NZ | The 'Gabba | Brisbane |
| Finals Schedule ||||||
| Final 1 | 9 February 2007 | AUS | ENG | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Melbourne |
| Final 2 | 11 February 2007 | AUS | ENG | Sydney Cricket Ground | Sydney |

## Squads

Australia :
| Name | Style | Domestic team |
| Captain and Middle Order Batsman |||
| Ricky Ponting | RHB, RM | Tasmania |
| Vice Captain, Opening Batsman Wicketkeeper |||
| Adam Gilchrist | LHB | Western Australia |
| Opening Batsman |||
| Matthew Hayden | LHB, RM | Queensland |
| Middle Order Batsmen |||
| Michael Hussey | LHB, RM | Western Australia |
| Michael Clarke | RHB, SLA | New South Wales |
| All-rounders |||
| Andrew Symonds | RHB, RFM / ROB | Queensland |
| Shane Watson | RHB, RFM | New South Wales |
| Cameron White | RHB, LB | Victoria |
| Spin Bowlers |||
| Brad Hogg | LHB, SLC | West Australia |
| Fast Bowlers |||
| Nathan Bracken | RHB, LFM | New South Wales |
| Stuart Clark | RHB, RFM | New South Wales |
| Mitchell Johnson | LHB, LFM | Queensland |
| Brett Lee | RHB, RF | New South Wales |
| Glenn McGrath | RHB, RMF | New South Wales |
| Ben Hilfenhaus | RHB, RFM | Tasmania |
| Shaun Tait | RHB, RF | South Australia |
England :
| Name | Style | Domestic team |
| Captain and Opening Batsman |||
| Michael Vaughan | RHB, OB | Yorkshire |
| Wicketkeepers |||
| Paul Nixon | LHB | Leicestershire |
| Chris Read | RHB | Nottinghamshire |
| Opening Batsmen |||
| Mal Loye | RHB, OS | Lancashire |
| Andrew Strauss | LHB, LM | Middlesex |
| Middle Order Batsmen |||
| Ian Bell | RHB, RM | Warwickshire |
| Ravi Bopara | RHB, RMF | Essex |
| Ed Joyce | LHB, RM | Middlesex |
| Kevin Pietersen | RHB, OB | Hampshire |
| All-rounders |||
| Paul Collingwood | RHB, RMF | Durham |
| Andrew Flintoff | RHB, RF | Lancashire |
| Spin Bowlers |||
| Jamie Dalrymple | RHB, OB | Middlesex |
| Monty Panesar | LHB, SLA | Northamptonshire |
| Fast Bowlers |||
| James Anderson | LHB, RFM | Lancashire |
| Stuart Broad | LHB, RFM | Leicestershire |
| Jon Lewis | RHB, RMF | Gloucestershire |
| Sajid Mahmood | RHB, RFM | Lancashire |
| Liam Plunkett | RHB, RFM | Durham |
| Chris Tremlett | RHB, RFM | Hampshire |
New Zealand :
| Name | Style | Domestic team |
| Captain and Middle-Order Batsman |||
| Stephen Fleming | LHB | Wellington |
| Wicketkeeper and Opening Batsman |||
| Brendon McCullum | RHB | Canterbury |
| Opening Batsman |||
| Nathan Astle | RHB, RM | Canterbury |
| Lou Vincent | RHB, RM | Auckland |
| Middle Order Batsmen |||
| Peter Fulton | RHB, RM | Canterbury |
| Hamish Marshall | RHB, RM | Northern Districts |
| Ross Taylor | RHB, OB | Central Districts |
| All-rounders |||
| Andre Adams | RHB, RFM | Auckland |
| Craig McMillan | RHB, RM | Canterbury |
| Jacob Oram | LHB, RFM | Central Districts |
| Scott Styris | RHB, RM | Auckland |
| Spin Bowlers |||
| Daniel Vettori | LHB, SLA | Northern Districts |
| Jeetan Patel | RHB, OB | Wellington |
| Fast Bowlers |||
| Shane Bond | RHB, RF | Canterbury |
| James Franklin | LHB, LFM | Wellington |
| Mark Gillespie | RHB, RFM | Wellington |
| Michael Mason | RHB, RFM | Central Districts |

## Group stage table

Commonwealth Bank Series after 12 matches :
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | BP | Pts | NRR | For | Against |
| 1 | Australia | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 31 | 0.667 | 1860/355.3 | 1826/400 |
| 2 | England | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 13 | −0.608 | 1655/399.5 | 1702/358.3 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | −0.007 | 2016/400 | 2003/396.5 |

### Points system

A win earns 4 points, a tie or no result = 2 points, a bonus = 1 point and a loss = 0 points.
If the team batting first match and restricts its opponents to 80% of its total, it gains a bonus point. If the team batting second wins the match in 40 overs, it gains a bonus point.
A team's run rate will be calculated by reference to the runs scored in an innings divided by the number of overs faced.
In the event of teams finishing on equal points, the right to play in the final will be determined as follows:
* The team with the most wins
* If still equal, the team with the most wins over the other team(s) who are equal on points and have the same number of wins
* If still equal, the team with the most bonus points
* If still equal, the team with the highest net run rate

## Group stage matches
### Match 1: Australia v England, 12 January

* 12 January 2007 14:15 (D/N) Scorecard
| England 8/242 (50 overs) | v | Australia 2/246 (45.2 overs) |
| KP Pietersen 82 (91) NW Bracken 3/46 [9] | | RT Ponting 82* (96) JWM Dalrymple 1/38 [10] |
* Australia won by 8 wickets Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Attendance:79,000 Umpires: IL Howell (SA) and SJA Taufel (Aus) Player of the match: AC Gilchrist (Aus)
England won the toss and elected to bat. Kevin Pietersen was the only England player to get settled, scoring 82. It was debated whether this effected his dismissal getting out caught playing a big shot, slightly after a Glenn McGrath bouncer which injured Pietersen for the rest of the tour. In the end England scored a mediocre total of 242. The English team's bowling attack couldn't have got to a worse start after Gilchrist and Hayden smashed 16 off the first over. After Hayden and Gilchrist got out, Ponting and Clarke took over both going above 50. Australia cruised to an 8 wicket victory with 5 overs remaining.

### Match 2: Australia v New Zealand, 14 January

* 14 January 2007 10:00 Scorecard
| Australia 8/289 (50 overs) | v | New Zealand 184 (38.3 overs) |
| A Symonds 69 (70) SE Bond 4/61 [10] | | RL Taylor 84 (82) MG Johnson 2/27 [7] |
* Australia won by 105 runs Bellerive Oval, Hobart Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pak) and DJ Harper (Aus) Player of the match: A Symonds (Aus)
All of the Australian batsman scored reasonable scores that gave Australia a big first innings total. Shane Bond got a one-day hat trick while cleaning up the tail. New Zealand couldn't chase down Australia, Andrew Symonds named man of the match.

### Match 3: England v New Zealand, 16 January

* 16 January 2007 10:00 Scorecard
| New Zealand 9/205 (50 overs) | v | England 7/206 (49.5 overs) |
| NJ Astle 45 (63) JM Anderson 4/42 [10] | | A Flintoff 72* (75) JS Patel 2/34 [10] |
* England won by 3 wickets Bellerive Oval, Hobart Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pak) and SJ Davis (Aus) Player of the match: A Flintoff (Eng)
Man of the match Andrew Flintoff scored 72 and hit the winning run with just one ball remaining to get their first win on tour.

### Match 4: Australia v England, 19 January

* 19 January 2007 13:15 (D/N) Scorecard
| England 155 (42 overs) | v | Australia 6/156 (38.4 overs) |
| MB Loye 36 (36) GD McGrath 3/24 [8] | | MEK Hussey 46* (73) J Lewis 4/36 [10] |
* Australia won by 4 wickets The Gabba, Brisbane Umpires: IL Howell (SA) and DJ Harper (Aus) Player of the match: MEK Hussey (Aus)
England were bowled out for a low score and got early wickets and slowed the run rate to even up the match. Mike Hussey had a controversial decision being not out after nicking a ball to Nixon. He went on to become the man of the match for his 46 including a slog sweep which went for six.

### Match 5: Australia v New Zealand, 21 January

* 21 January 2007 14:15 (D/N) Scorecard
| New Zealand 218 (47.4 overs) | v | Australia 8/224 (48.4 overs) |
| CD McMillan 89 (87) SR Clark 4/54 [10] | | MJ Clarke 75 (111) MR Gillespie 2/34 [10] |
* Australia won by 2 wickets Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pak) and SJA Taufel (Aus) Player of the match: MJ Clarke (Aus)
Craig McMillan saved the Kiwis from a low score after they had lost early wickets. New Zealand bowled well early with Clarke and Hussey rescuing the Aussies. This was also Nathan Astle's last match, retiring due to poor form.

### Match 6: England v New Zealand, 23 January

* 23 January 2007 13:45 (D/N) Scorecard
| New Zealand 210 (50 overs) | v | England 120 (37.5 overs) |
| JDP Oram 86 (89) A Flintoff 4/21 [10] | | EC Joyce 47 (70) DL Vettori 4/24 [9] |
* New Zealand won by 90 runs Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Umpires: DJ Harper (Aus) and IL Howell (SA) Player of the match: JDP Oram (NZ)

### Match 7: Australia v England, 26 January

* 26 January 2007 13:45 (D/N) Scorecard
| England 110 (34.3 overs) | v | Australia 1/111 (24.3 overs) |
| IR Bell 35 (31) MG Johnson 4/45 [10] | | RT Ponting 51* (61) |
* Australia won by 9 wickets Adelaide Oval, Adelaide Umpires: SJ Davis (Aus) and IL Howell (SA) Player of the match: MG Johnson (Aus)
England reached a new low bowled out for 110 in what was regarded as their worst performance on tour.

### Match 8: Australia v New Zealand, 28 January

* 28 January 2007 13:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| Australia 5/343 (50 overs) | v | New Zealand 5/335 (50 overs) |
| ML Hayden 117 (111) CD McMillan 1/26 [3] | | JDP Oram 101* (72) MJ Clarke 2/48 [9] |
* Australia won by 8 runs WACA Ground, Perth Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pak) and SJA Taufel (Aus) Player of the match: RT Ponting (Aus)
Hayden and Ponting both smashed hundreds to give Australia a huge first innings score. New Zealand did well chasing, falling just short with Oram also getting a century.

### Match 9: England v New Zealand, 30 January

* 30 January 2007 13:30 (D/N) Scorecard
| New Zealand 7/318 (50 overs) | v | England 8/260 (50 overs) |
| L Vincent 76 (111) LE Plunkett 3/54 [9] | | EC Joyce 66 (82) CD McMillan 2/38 [7] |
* New Zealand won by 58 runs WACA Ground, Perth Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pak) and SJ Davis (Aus) Player of the match: L Vincent (NZ)

### Match 10: Australia v England, 2 February

* 2 February 2007 14:15 (D/N) Scorecard
| England 7/292 (50 overs) | v | Australia 200 (38.5 overs) |
| EC Joyce 107 (142) GD McGrath 2/51 [10] | | ML Hayden 51 (62) LE Plunkett 3/23 [9.5] |
* England won by 92 runs Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Umpires: DJ Harper (Aus) and IL Howell (SA) Player of the match: EC Joyce (Eng)
England finally beat Australia with Ed Joyce scoring a 100 as England almost reached 300. Plunkett bowled Gilchrist on the first ball, while Symonds had to retire hurt.

### Match 11: Australia v New Zealand, 4 February

* 4 February 2007 14:15 (D/N) Scorecard
| New Zealand 7/290 (50 overs) | v | Australia 5/291 (48.2 overs) |
| L Vincent 90 (113) MJ Clarke 2/45 [9] | | RT Ponting 104 (113) JEC Franklin 2/56 [10] |
* Australia won by 5 wickets Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pak) and SJ Davis (Aus) Player of the match: RT Ponting (Aus)

### Match 12: England v New Zealand, 6 February

* 6 February 2007 13:15 (D/N) Scorecard
| England 7/270 (50 overs) | v | New Zealand 8/256 (50 overs) |
| PD Collingwood 106 (121) SE Bond 4/46 [10] | | SP Fleming 106 (149) LE Plunkett 3/60 [10] |
* England won by 14 runs The Gabba, Brisbane Umpires: DJ Harper (Aus) and IL Howell (SA) Player of the match: PD Collingwood (Eng)
Paul Collingwood was back in form getting his first 100 since the Adelaide Test match. The captain Fleming then led from the front scoring a 100 despite controversially running out his partner.

## Final series
### First match: Australia vs England, 9 February

* 9 February 2007 14:15 (D/N) Scorecard
| Australia 252 (48.3 overs) | v | England 6/253 (49.3 overs) |
| ML Hayden 82 (102) A Flintoff 3/41 [10] | | PD Collingwood 120* (133) B Lee 3/41 [10] |
* England won by 4 wickets Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Umpires: Asad Rauf (Pak) and DJ Harper (Aus) Player of the match: PD Collingwood (Eng)

### Second match: Australia vs England, 11 February

* 11 February 2007 14:15 (D/N) Scorecard
| England 8/246 (50 overs) | v | Australia 8/152 (27 overs) |
| PD Collingwood 70 (90) NW Bracken 2/38 [10] | | BJ Hodge 49 (46) LE Plunkett 3/43 [6] |
* England won by 34 runs (D/L method) Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney Umpires: SJ Davis (Aus) and IL Howell (SA) Player of the match: PD Collingwood (Eng)
English achieved slightly above average score, but it was expected Australia should chase it down. However, rain interrupted Australia's innings several times, and the interruptions, the lost wickets, the adjusted target and slow outfield made the required run rate difficult. England ensured victory with further wickets as Australia tried to progress the score. It was a huge victory for England, who had otherwise had a terrible tour and who at the start of the series were playing poor cricket. The defeat of Australia was a significant blow to the reigning world champions, they also lost their next three matches in New Zealand.