New Delhi: Australia showed their dominance in the fifth and final ODI against England, claiming the rain-curtailed match by 49 runs at the County Ground in Bristol on Sunday. Bad weather was already on the cards and the Australian team capitalised on it to score enough runs so that they stayed ahead of the DLS par score and bagged the five-match series 3-2, having shared the three-T20I series before that.
Australia had invited the hosts to bat first who were coming on the back of two back-to-back wins, levelling the ODI series after Australia won the first two matches. Batting first, England scored 309 runs as they were bundled out in 49.2 overs. Coming out to chase, Australia could just bat for a mere 20.4 overs when the heavens opened up and it downpoured heavily in Bristol.
The game wasn’t possible at all to go further as it continued to rain, bringing the DLS factor into play. It supported the Aussies who were 49 runs ahead of the par score which was 116/2. Although an exciting decider game was expected but the high expectations were cut short by the rain gods who made the Kangaroos winners of the ODI series.
☔ The match has been abandoned due to rain with Australia winning by 49 runs (DLS)
🏴 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/YoFV6HkTkR
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 29, 2024
While chasing the huge 310-run target, Australia never looked in trouble as they pulled out their version of “Bazball” when openers Matthew Short (58 off 30; 7 fours, 4 sixes) and Travis Head (31 off 26; 4 fours, 2 sixes) added 78 runs for the first wicket in the first seven overs itself. Steven Smith walked out to bat and kept his end firm with a 48-ball 36* alongside Josh Inglis who scored an unbeaten 28 off 20 balls.
With Short, Smith partnered for 40 runs, and with Inglis, he put up a 47-run stand when rain arrived at the ground and the players had to rush in. Matthew Potts and Bydon Carse were among the wicket-takers as Australia’s play was halted at 165/2 in 20.4 overs, making them the ultimate winners.
England’s innings
Invited to bat first, England were delivered an appropriate start by the openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett, who went on to smash a century. Salt scored 45 off 27 balls while Duckett put up 107 off 91. It was time for skipper Harry Brook to rise to the occasion as he smashed his third consecutive fifty for England, scoring 72 runs off 52 runs with the help of three fours and seven sixes.
Brook smashed several records – one of which is surpassing the likes of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni in the list of most runs scored against Australia as a skipper in an ODI series. While Kohli and Dhoni scored 310 and 285 respectively, Brook’s tally got to 312 after he departed. He has also the joint-second most consecutive 50-plus scores (3) as England’s ODI captain.
Adil Rashid from the tail provided a late flourish of 36 runs as England breached 300 to put 309 on the scoreboard before being skittled out. It was Travis Head who picked four wickets for Australia while Glenn Maxwell, Adam Zampa, and Aaron Hardie picked two scalps apiece. Head was adjudged the Player of the Match for his all-round heroics and was also given the Player of the Series award for being the match-winner for his team in most of the games.
Australia won the fifth and final ODI by 49 runs (DLS method) against England and won the five-match series 3-2 after rain stopped play at the County Ground in Bristol on Sunday. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
