ENGLAND VS AUSTRALIA, 5TH ODI, BRISTOL , 2024 : Head’s All-Round Show That Clinched Australia’s 3-2 Series Win Against England .
Travis Head put on a remarkable show, steering Australia to a 49-run win over England in the rain-hit fifth and final one-day international. This victory secured the series for Australia at 3-2, reaffirming their status as world champions in a fiercely fought ODI series.
TOSS-
Australia won the toss & chose to bowl.
TEAMS LINE UP-
England Squad:
Philip Salt, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Harry Brook (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Olly Stone, Adil Rashid.
Australia Squad:
Travis Head, Matthew Short, Steven Smith (c), Josh Inglis (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Aaron Hardie, Cooper Connolly, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
ENGLAND-
English openers Phil Salt & Ben Duckett put together a 58-run partnership in the first seven overs until Salt got caught by Marnus Labuschagne off Aaron Hardie’s bowling. At number three, Will Jacks fell for a four-ball duck to Hardie too. As a result, England slipped to 70-2 within 8.4 overs.
Ben Duckett kept England’s hopes alive of pulling off an astonishing series comeback with his second ODI century. Harry Brook partnered him in a crucial third-wicket stand of 132 runs. However, Australia’s spinners seized control midway through the innings. From 202-2 in the 25th over, England tumbled to 276-9 by the 44th over as most batters fell trying to clear the straight boundary.
Brook hit his third consecutive fifty and notched the highest run tally as captain in a bilateral ODI series against Australia (312). But Head’s four-wicket haul outshone these efforts. Meanwhile Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell each claimed two wickets apiece. Adil Rashid fought on in the final-wicket stand with Stone, pushing England past the 300-run mark but their endeavor proved insufficient in the end.
AUSTRALIA-
Dark clouds hung over the County Ground right from the start. Yet, Short and Head began, putting Australia in the lead early. After a few calm overs, Head struck Matthew Potts with two fours. Short targeted Olly Stone as well, while Head lashed out against Will Jacks in the sixth over with two fours and two sixes. Even though Bry Carse took Head’s wicket for 31 off 26 at the start of the eighth over, Australia kept up their relentless pace. By the end of the PowerPlay, they were comfortably cruising at 103 for 1. Steve Smith, not as aggressive as the openers, partnered with Short, who smashed his maiden half-century off just 23 balls with a six.
In the 13th over, Potts had Short caught behind. Still, Australia stayed well ahead of the required run rate. England banked on the looming weather to work in their favor as rain seemed imminent with every passing over. They even pulled Adil Rashid off despite his effectiveness to avoid reaching the 20th over before rain’s arrival. Taking a drinks break after the 17th over was another tactic to chew away more time, but they missed out on timely rain.
Meanwhile, Josh Inglis piled on more runs quickly. He hit Stone for two fours in the 19th and Carse for two sixes in the 20th. Four balls into the 21st over, rain forced players indoors with no signs of stopping soon. After about an hour of waiting around, Australia was awarded both the game and the series for being significantly ahead of the par-score.
Brief Scores:
England 309 in 49.2 overs (Ben Duckett 107, Harry Brook 72; Travis Head 4-28, Glenn Maxwell 2-49, Adam Zampa 2-74) lost to Australia 165/2 in 20.4 overs (Matthew Short 58, Steven Smith 36\*; Matthew Potts 1-49) by 49 runs (DLS Method) .