In a thrilling encounter at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday, England’ captain Harry Brook led his team to a 46-run victory against the world champions Australia, keeping their hopes alive in the five-match ODI series.
Despite a shaky start, losing openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett to Mitchell Starc’s bowling, England fought back through a remarkable 156-run partnership between Will Jacks (84) and Brook (110 not out) in a rain-hit chase after Australia put up an impressive 304 for 7 on the board.
Rain interrupted play with England at 254 for 4 off 37.4 overs, but they were comfortably ahead of the required target under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, securing the victory and ending Australia’s 14-match winning streak in ODIs.
Earlier in the day, Alex Carey’s unbeaten 77 and Steven Smith’s 60 led the visitors’ batting card. England paceman Jofra Archer claimed 2 for 67. Despite losing wickets at crucial moments, Australia’s middle-order partnerships, particularly between Carey and Glenn Maxwell (30), and later with Aaron Hardie (44), helped them reach a challenging total.
England’s bowlers made early inroads, but Smith’s half-century and Carey’s aggressive batting kept Australia in the game.
Cameron Green, who replaced the injured Travis Head, was dismissed for 42. In the following over, Australia’s score of 131 for 3 quickly became 132 for 4 when Labuschagne fell for a duck, mistiming a paddle-sweep off spinner Jacks that was easily caught by wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
Smith reached his half-century by pulling a short ball from Jacks for his fifth boundary, having faced 71 deliveries. However, he was dismissed when Brydon Carse made a spectacular diving catch on the boundary off a forceful pull shot from Archer.
Carey, on the other hand, struck Carse through midwicket for one of his four boundaries in a 48-ball fifty that also included a straight six off Jacob Bethell.
The series, now standing at 2-1 in Australia’s favour, will continue at Lord’s on Friday, with both teams eager to secure a victory in the remaining two matches.
Initially in the home team’s run-chase, their supporters might have been concerned when Salt clipped Starc’s delivery straight to midwicket, and Duckett, attempting to play across the line, edged the left-arm fast bowler to backward point.
However, Jacks and Brook managed to turn the game around against an Australian bowling attack that was missing their key leg-spinner, Adam Zampa, due to illness.
Jacks, made a fourth fifty in 10 ODIs but missed out on a maiden century when he uppercut a bouncer from Cameron Green to backward point to end an 82-ball innings featuring nine fours and a six.
Jamie Smith’s hook shot off a Green found the deep square leg fielder, leaving England at 197 for 4 in the 32nd over.
An edgy four to fine third-man brought up Brooks’ maiden ODI century in his 18th match, scored off 87 deliveries with 12 fours and two sixes. His second fifty came off just 33 balls.
