Aaron Finch's century adds to England and Alastair Cook's woes as Australia stroll to victory in first ODI at MCG Ballance did enough to suggest he could fill the void in the one-day team left by Jonathan Trott scoring 79 off 96 balls, and Eoin Morgan hit a bright half century but even though England made a total higher than any first innings score in the Ashes series, their score felt below par. Ballance was picked ahead of the specialist spinner giving England a long batting order, an insurance policy against the fact they were missing the rested Stuart Broad, their best bowler in the Ashes. It immediately looked as if the extra batting would be needed as the innings began in familiar fashion. Cook survived an lbw appeal to his first ball, cut the second for four, defended the third and was out nicking the fourth as Clint McKay took the first of his three wickets. Root was restored to the side after being dropped for the final Ashes Test but the period off reflection did him little good as he slipped back into a scoreless pattern. He ate up 23 balls making three before adding the final touch to a painful innings by failing to overturn an lbw and thus losing England their only review in the process. England were 28-2 after ten overs as the touch players at the top of the order fumbled around. It fell to Ballance to play the anchor role. On his debut he fell first second ball at Malahide against Ireland, an occasion far removed from a day-nighter at the MCG, but here he looked assured if not free flowing. He is mechanical at the crease but strong hitting to the leg side and picked up singles through extra cover to reach his half century off 69 balls. Morgan was looked in form immediately. He struck the ball crisply hitting his third ball through the covers off Glenn Maxwell for four before lofting left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty down the ground for six. He reached his fifty off 46 balls but fell just as England were ready to launch their assault in the batting powerplay. Once again a Michael Clarke hunch paid off. He moved one of his two fielders behind point to extra cover and a ball later Morgan's slash-drive went straight to that fielder. It was a timely blow for Australia as it coincided with Ballance on the defensive. He went 14 overs without a boundary before a spurt brought three in ten balls but just as England were ready to attack in the final ten overs they lost Ballance caught at third man by Doherty off Nathan Coulter-Nile, two balls after he had been dropped by the same fielder. Jos Buttler is positioned at eight to maximise the gaps on the fence created by the new rule which allows only four fielders outside inner the circle in the last ten overs and he did his job adding 41 for the eighth wicket with Tim Bresnan to give England a total that would probably have been par with Broad in the side. On Australian pitches, with different balls at either end, early wickets are key when defending but England were punished for errors with Cook holding his head in his hands when Ballance fluffed the chance off Finch. Cook soon had himself to blame for another missed opportunity. With Finch hitting boundaries the England captain moved the fielder out of second slip to plug a gap in the off side. The inevitable happened. Next ball Jordan found Finch's edge but the ball whistled safely through second slip at catchable height. A ball later Jordan nipped one back and England went for the lbw review but Finch survived by a fraction. Jordan looked to enjoy the occassion of playing at the MCG and could have taken his first wicket three times over but new ball partner Rankin was poor. He could not bowl a consistent line, dropped short and cost more than 6.6 an over. Even when England took a wicket they had it snatched away. Warner was on 22 when he tried to glide a ball down to third man, but top edged a short ball off Stokes and Buttler claimed a low catch. Television always foreshortens the image making good catches dubious and Warner was called back. He made England pay with a half century before holing out and Jordan bowled Shane Watson for a duck but Finch coasted to a century on his home ground high-fiving his captain as he they crossed for the run that brought up his hundred.