AUS vs ENG, 1st ODI: Ashton Agar goes airborne in spectacular fashion to save five runs for Australia

The first ODI between nemesis Australia and England produced a moment of magic when the Aussie all-rounder Aston Agar defied the laws of physics to save five runs for his side during the first innings of the match. Agar leaped on the boundary ropes to deny England's Dawid Malan a guaranteed six in a spectacular fielding effort.

Australia put the visitors to bat first at the Adelaide Oval after winning the toss. The newly appointed skipper Pat Cummins utilized the new ball to great effect, dismissing Philip Salt in the fourth over of the match. The wickets kept tumbling from one end while Dawid Malan stood his ground to compile a memorable ton.

However, the classy southpaw was denied a bang-on maximum on the last delivery of the 45th over when he pulled Pat Cummins towards the deep mid-wicket boundary, only to see it saved by Agar. The Aussie plucked the ball from thin air and relayed it back into the field of play, all in one motion while being airborne near the boundary ropes. 

That's crazy!

Take a bow, Ashton Agar #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/FJTRiiI9ou

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 17, 2022

Malan's heroics resurrects England's innings

His jaw-dropping effort restricted the batters to just one run, saving five runs for his side. Previously, the all-rounder contributed with a brilliant direct hit to run out England's Liam Dawson. He was also on hand to judge a catch to perfection, dismissing English skipper Jos Buttler. The left arm-spinner completed a routine catch in the very next over to get rid of Malan.

Coming to the match, Dawid Malan's sensational 134 off 128 deliveries helped England recover from a stuttering start that saw them lose three wickets inside the first ten overs. He stitched valuable stands with skipper Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, and David Willey to help England to a competitive total of 287 runs in their 50 overs. Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa starred with the ball, scalping three wickets each to dent the English hopes.