New South Wales 211 for 2 (42 overs; Slater 115, Bevan 54*) beat England 206 (48.2 overs; Irani 81, Katich 3-46) by 8 wickets

Scorecard

The chilling strength in depth of Australian cricket was emphasised as Michael Slater – remember him? – thrust England to an emphatic defeat in their first one-day warm-up ahead of the VB Series. Slater slammed 115 as a strong New South Wales side overhauled England's 206 with eight wickets and eight overs to spare. With Steve Waugh (24 from 12 balls) finishing it off with three sixes in an over, to the delight of a crowd that was baying for English blood, this was an absolute rout.

There is no real shame in losing to an NSW side that contained nine players with international experience – as well as Michael Clarke, a Test cap waiting to happen – but the worry for England is that defeat, even one as comprehensive as this, was not especially surprising.

The only plus was a fine allround display from Ronnie Irani, who bashed a rumbustious 81 and then bowled a spell of 6-1-12-0 were all around him were being pummelled. But it summed up England's day that when Irani came back at the death, he was slog-swept and driven for three monstrous sixes in an over by Waugh.

If Waugh finished things in the grand manner, then Slater was the matchwinner. He has not played a Test for 18 months or a one-day international for five-and-a-half years, but loves nothing more than battering the Poms (he has seven centuries in 20 Ashes Tests), and after a slow start he started to unfurl some typically hyperactive scythes past point.

Slater added 48 for the first wicket with Corey Richards, who made 7 before tucking Steve Harmison's third delivery round the corner to Andrew Flintoff. That was a rare moment of joy for England and for Flintoff, who was ruthlessly assaulted by Slater. His seventh over went for 18, including a big six over midwicket.

With the world's best one-day batsman, Michael Bevan, hardly breaking sweat in making 54 not out, England had no answer. Harmison was loose and went for seven an over, and though the spinners, Ian Blackwell and Jeremy Snape, were fairly economical, they never looked like causing the havoc that Simon Katich had earlier in the day.

Slater reached his century off 119 deliveries, when he gave Blackwell the charge and hammered him through mid-off for four, and had added 134 with Bevan when he turned Flintoff to midwicket. What Nasser Hussain would give to be able to cast aside a talent like Slater as Waugh can. Waugh it was who finished things here by setting about Irani. Not content with thrashing England every time he plays them, he's now determined to take the shine off their plus points too.

Earlier, England's unlikely nemesis was Katich, the latest in a long line of modest spinners to put the squeeze on them in the middle overs of a one-day game. He took 3 for 46 from 10 overs, with only four players reaching double figures in an undistinguished effort.

England began desperately, losing both openers for 5 in slipping to 16 for 2 in the eighth over. Marcus Trescothick struggled to get the ball off the square before edging a cut off Glenn McGrath, and Nick Knight gave Brad Haddin his second catch the ball after he was dropped at second slip off Brett Lee.

But Irani took to a delicate situation like a bull in a china shop, clouting a series of trademark boundaries, with cow corner becoming a home from home. He added 79 in 20 overs with Hussain, and things were going well for England when Hussain was suckered by a chinaman, bottom-edging one of Katich's gentle left-arm wrist-spinners back onto the stumps (95 for 3).

Yet again, an unlikely bowling change from Waugh has reaped an immediate dividend; he probably feels he could bring on his grandmother and get a wicket at the moment. To compound matters, Katich picked up two more, with Owais Shah and Flintoff both caught-and-bowled.

Shah made a sprightly 24, adding 49 in nine overs with Irani, but Flintoff managed only 7, falling the ball after belting a mighty six. All the while Irani was slowing up, struggling to find his early-morning fluency before he holed out off Lee.

Alec Stewart fell to Nathan Bracken in the next over for 1, caught by Haddin in the vicinity of fine leg, before Blackwell, with some cheerily uncomplicated biffs, squeezed England past 200. It was an otherwise tame end to the innings: Andy Caddick was bowled round his legs first ball, and the last five wickets fell for 18 runs in five overs.

With England favouring a long batting line-up – Stewart came in at No. 8 – a hotch-potch bowling attack was always going to struggle with such a modest total. So it proved. Surely, now, things cannot get any worse for England. Can they?

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