Head, Short ensure Australia beat England and the rain to take series

Australia 165 for 2 (Short 58) beat England 309 (Duckett 107, Brook 72, Head 4-28) by 49 runs (DLS method)

A power-packed powerplay by Travis Head and Matthew Short, followed by astute batting by stand-in captain Steven Smith, ensured Australia beat the rain and England in the nick of time to take the one-day series in Bristol on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern. For the second time in the five matches, their spinners engineering a collapse, including a career-best for Head, after Ben Duckett‘s second ODI hundred alongside a Harry Brook onslaught had put the home side on track for a huge total.

Australia’s chase was never going to be about 310 in 50 overs – the 20-over DLS, which moved with wickets lost, was the vital figure. The visitors clearly knew the sums and after a watchful first three overs, Head and Short cut loose as 62 came off the next four. Being 100 for 1 after 10 overs put them so far ahead they had breathing space for the loss of a couple of wickets.

Brydon Carse struck first ball to remove Head and Short edged behind after a 23-ball maiden ODI fifty. But Smith, who successfully reviewed being given lbw to Matthew Potts on 10, and Josh Inglis ensured against further setbacks although England missed reviewing for an edge off Inglis at 122 for 2 in the 15th. However, England needed more than one further breakthrough given Australia’s flying start and the tactics became clear when Brook returned to all pace instead of Adil Rashid on a pitch assisting spin (and Potts suddenly realised he needed a new boot).

The rain, which had initially arrived during the interval, then returned four balls after a result had been assured with a DLS of 116 for 2. Australia didn’t entirely defend their way there as the weather closed in a little more slowly than first looked likely: Inglis pulled consecutive sixes off Carse in the 20th over. In normal circumstances, Rashid and England’s other spinners might have turned the game around but Australia were good value for victory given the way they fought back in the field.

Like at Trent Bridge, it was a game that fell away for England from a very strong batting foundation. A ferocious stand of 132 off 98 balls between Duckett and Brook brought up their 200 in the 25th over but from the moment Brook fell to Zampa the innings fell away with the final collapse being 107 for 8. Smith used 23 consecutive overs of spin and 28 off the last 29 in total.

After 2.2 overs Zampa’s figures read 0 for 42 but he became a significant threat on a dry surface that offered increasing help to the spinners. Head winkled out a List A best of 4 for 28, including the key scalp of Duckett for a 91-ball 107, the highlight of which had been how quickly he picked up length against the quicks early on, a trademark of his batting during a productive home summer. Yet such was the change of momentum that England only hit one boundary between the 27th and 43rd overs.

At the end of a tour marked by illness and injury they had again been forced to shuffle their pack after Marsh pulled up sore after Lord’s where he bowled for the first time since early April. Aaron Hardie also replaced Sean Abbott and Cooper Connolly was handed an ODI debut. Speaking on TV before the game, Ricky Ponting said Australia would rate a series win very highly given the challenges within the squad.

Phil Salt set the tone in the opening over which included three boundaries off Mitchell Starc and two plays and misses. It meant, at that moment, Starc’s last two overs of the series had cost 40 following his pasting at the hands of Liam Livingstone at Lord’s. Salt continued to alternate between missing and connecting, outside edging a swish over deep third for six against Starc before a brace of far more convincing sixes against Hardie’s first two deliveries which brought up England’s fifty in the seventh over.

But Hardie struck back. Firstly, he had Salt well taken at deep point by Marnus Labuschagne, the ball after adjusting the field, then produced a gem of a delivery to clean up Will Jacks for a duck. There were a few overs of consolidation from England before Brook scooped his first boundary off Josh Hazlewood from his ninth delivery then he continued the team’s approach of being aggressive to Zampa by ending his first over with a four and six; a delightful late cut which drew comparisons to Mahela Jayawardene by Eoin Morgan on commentary then a blow to the short, straight boundary.

Much more was to come from Brook when he took three further sixes from Zampa’s second over leaving Smith searching for options. Duckett went to his fifty from 45 balls and Brook raced to the mark from 39 with another six over the leg side against Hardie. Brook took his sixes tally to seven with another back-to-back brace off Zampa when he returned for the start of his second spell and had the attack at his mercy.

But then came a break for Australia when Brook miscued Zampa down the ground and found Glenn Maxwell at long-off. Maxwell continued to do an excellent job with the ball, finding significant grip from the surface, and pushed one through Jamie Smith. Zampa then found Livingstone’s top edge with one that turned and bounced and all of a sudden, the lower middle-order was exposed.

The onus was on Duckett to try and guide the remainder of the innings as he brought up an outstanding century. Both he and Jacob Bethell held themselves back for a period, but after sending Head’s third ball over long-on Duckett tried a repeat and skewed a catch to long-off which meant Carse was walking in during the 34th over.

Head then turned deliveries sharply to have Bethell stumped and Carse lbw, leaving Rashid to nurse the total towards 300, but eyes were already turning to the sky and Australia flicked successfully into T20 mode to earn the spoils.