A superb maiden ODI century by new captain Harry Brook led England to a dominant, rain-shortened DLS victory over Australia on Tuesday to keep the five-match series alive with two to play.
Australia, seeking a 15th successive ODI win, overcame difficult early conditions to post 304, with Steve Smith hitting a patient 60 and Aaron Hardie (44) and Alex Carey (77 not out) cutting loose in the final 10 overs.
After losing both openers early, Brook and Will Jacks then built an excellent partnership of 156 to swing the game England’s way.
After Jacks went for 84, Liam Livingstone smashed a quick unbeaten 33 as Brook moved serenely on to 110 but, on 254-4 with 51 needed from 74 balls, the rain began and England were eventually awarded a 46-run victory under a DLS calculation that had produced a revised target of 209 after their 37.4 overs.
It was a day of ebb and flow under changing conditions in the air and on the pitch.
In the absence of the in-form but unfit opener Travis Head and on a damp afternoon and a sticky pitch, Australia took a relatively cautious approach to their innings.
Smith started particularly patiently but was just starting to accelerate when he was brilliantly caught in the deep by a running, diving Brydon Carse off Jofra Archer for 60 to leave his team on 172-5 after 35 overs
Cameron Green hit 42 and the ever-dangerous Glenn Maxwell fell for a rapid 30 just as he was warming up, after Marnus Labuschagne was out for a duck trying to ramp spinner Jacks off his third ball.
The tourists were 200-5 after 40 overs but Carey batted nicely and then put on a rapid 68 with Hardie in 7.1 overs before the latter was run out for 44 off 26 balls. Carey finished unbeaten on 77 – three more than his top-score innings in last week’s second match.
It looked a challenging total for an England team whose batting has been patchy to say the least and all the more so when they lost both openers cheaply in the same Mitchell Starc over to slip to 11 for two.
Brook, however, played a true captain’s innings, ably supported by Jacks, steadying the ship but also keeping the rate high with boundaries all over the pitch as Australia badly missed the control of ill absentee spinner Adam Zampa.
Livingstone’s fireworks made sure England were well ahead of the DLS rate and they now head to Lord’s on Friday in a far more positive state of mind after two previous limp defeats.
“Myself and Will just tried to build a partnership and create that platform,” Brook said. I thought the pitch got better towards the end of Australia’s innings. It was then a simple message of go out there and play your own game.”
“We just have to keep doing what we said we are going to do (at Lord’s) and keep being positive, take the game to them and put them under pressure. That should stand us in good stead.”
Australia captain Mitch Marsh said: “After our start I thought 250 would be awesome so I thought we did extremely well to get the 300 with the conditions early on – it was hard work.
“They got a really partnership going, and in one-day cricket with a big partnership you can set the game up for yourself, so fair play to them.”
(Reuters)
