England Dominates Australia with 186-Run Victory to Level ODI Series

England showcased their batting and bowling prowess with a commanding 186-run victory over Australia in a rain-shortened one-day international at Lord’s, leveling the series at 2-2.

Stand-in captain Harry Brook led the charge with an impressive 87 off 58 balls, while Ben Duckett contributed a solid half-century. Liam Livingstone’s explosive unbeaten 62 from just 27 balls propelled England to a formidable total of 312-5 in 39 overs, setting a new record for the most sixes (12) in an ODI at Lord’s. Livingstone’s late fireworks included seven sixes, four of which came in a staggering last over bowled by Mitchell Starc, resulting in 28 runs.

Australia’s chase began promisingly but quickly unraveled as they lost three wickets in four overs, falling from 68-0 to 126 all out in just 24.4 overs. Matthew Potts led the bowling attack with impressive figures of 4-38, supported by Brydon Carse (3-36) and Jofra Archer (2-33), while Adil Rashid sealed the victory for England.

Brook Shines Again

Building on his maiden ODI hundred from the previous match, Brook demonstrated his skill and composure throughout his innings. After a rain delay of over two hours, England’s openers, Duckett and Phil Salt, laid a strong foundation, allowing Brook to build his innings.

Despite a moment of doubt when Australia thought they had him caught behind off Starc, replays showed the ball had bounced, allowing Brook to continue without a misstep. He was eventually dismissed by Adam Zampa, but not before making a significant impact on the match.

Livingstone’s entrance shifted the momentum further, as he took full advantage of the Australian bowlers, notably dismantling Starc in a thrilling finish to the innings.

Australia Crumbles

Australia began their innings aggressively but lost their way after Carse bowled out Travis Head. The English seamers capitalized on the conditions, and the wickets fell rapidly as Potts and Archer took key scalps.

The pressure from England’s bowlers was relentless, leaving Australia with little resistance as they stumbled to a heavy defeat.

Reaction

Harry Brook, England’s captain and player of the match, expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance: “That’s a pretty complete performance. We’re happy with the way we went about the game and it’s nice to come out victorious.”

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh acknowledged England’s dominance: “We were a bit off. Fair play to England, they put us under pressure with the bat. They outplayed us.”

Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook praised the team’s resurgence: “England have fought back really well in this series and here they’ve been superb.”

The series now heads to Bristol, where England will aim to complete their comeback from being 2-0 down.