England’s stand-in captain, Harry Brook, struck his maiden ODI century in a rain-affected third match of the series against Australia, leading his team to a crucial 46-run win via the Duckworth-Lewis- (DLS) method. Brook’s sensational knock kept England alive in the five-match series, with Australia’s lead trimmed to 2-1. At just 25 years and 215 days, Brook became the youngest England captain to score an ODI century; he is leading the side in the absence of Jos Buttler, who is nursing a right calf injury.
Coming to the crease with England in trouble at 11-2 in the 305-run chase, Brook played a counter-attacking knock. His 94-ball 110 included 13 boundaries and two sixes, as he surpassed his previous ODI-best score of 80. Partnering with Will Jacks, who made a vital 84 from 82 balls, Brook helped turn the tide in England’s favour with a 156-run stand for the third wicket.
With big-hitting Liam Livingstone hitting at a strike rate of 165 (unbeaten 33 off 20 balls), England were well ahead on the DLS score when rain interrupted play in the 38th over.
Brook’s second fifty came off just 33 balls as he accelerated the innings, keeping in mind the worsening weather conditions. He reached his century with back-to-back boundaries. Brook surpassed Alastair Cook’s 13-year-old English record; Cook had smashed a century as England’s captain when he was 26.
“It’s just nice to see some rewards,” Brook said post-match. “I’m glad I managed to play the way I wanted to. It’s nice to get that first hundred on the board, and hopefully there’s plenty more to come.”
Australia’s winning streak comes to end
A dominant 14-match winning run in ODIs came to a halt for Australia with the loss in the third ODI. Alex Carey’s unbeaten 77 and a late cameo of 44 off 26 balls by Aaron Hardie had powered Australia to 304-7 in their 50 overs. Steve Smith also contributed a patient 60, but the innings was slowed when Cameron Green (42) and Marnus Labuschagne (0) fell in the space of five balls.
Australia then struggled to contain the England batters throughout the chase.
The side’s winning streak in the fifty-over format began last year during the ODI World Cup. After facing successive defeats at the start of their campaign, Australia came back with a strong win against Sri Lanka in the group stage and never looked back, eventually ending as the tournament’s winners for a record sixth time. They then defeated West Indies 3-0 earlier this year and made a strong start to the series against England, too, beating them in the first two matches earlier this month.
