Despite a spot of time-wasting towards the end, the rain arrived three minutes too late to rescue England. Australia were ahead on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern calculations when it came and, with just enough overs bowled to ensure a result, the tourists went on to claim a 3-2 series win and snuff out any debate about the moral victors of this one.
Rebooted before the first game between these sides and then resurgent from 2-0 down, England chiefly had themselves to blame in this decider. They had set off like a train after being inserted, Ben Duckett’s 91-ball 107 and Harry Brook’s electric 72 from 52 giving rise to thoughts of a 400-plus total. Yet they were undone by Travis Head’s handy part‑time spin and skittled for a sub‑par 309 with four balls left unbowled.
It was then a tense wait to discover if 20 overs would be sent down in the reply to produce a winner, with a weather front sweeping up from the south-west all day. There was a mandatory drinks break after 17 overs – the players not exactly parched in the autumnal conditions – and an all-too-convenient change of boots for Matthew Potts soon after that cast minds back to Cardiff in 2009, Bilal Shafayat et al.
But even with these delays – the kind of high-farce, high-drama only cricket can throw up – Australia snuck four balls past the mark when the clouds burst at 4.29pm. Having feasted on some short and wide stuff from England’s attack to reach an eye‑popping 165 for two – Matthew Short monstering 50 from just 30 balls – a convincing 49-run victory on DLS was sealed when the officials called time at 6pm.
“To be brutally honest I didn’t really notice [the time-wasting],” said Mitch Marsh, Australia’s stand‑in captain who sat out the match with “soreness”, leaving Steve Smith to lead the side once more.
“I was sitting out the back. Whether they did or not, who knows? It’s the old joke: the rain almost saved them again … after last year. We have a lot of respect for England and the series was played in a good manner.”
Brook may even have missed a trick, although it would have been gamesmanship of the highest order. Brydon Carse had beaten Smith’s bat in the 20th over and though the appeal was half-hearted, a frivolous review by Brook would have stalled things further. But given Australia’s fightback, with Head’s career-best ODI figures of four for 28 so pivotal, the final outcome was the right one.
Although England had never come back from 2-0 down in an ODI series to win 3-2 and, in that regard, Brook’s rookies deserve credit for setting up the possibility against the world champions. Deputising for the injured Jos Buttler, Brook also moved past Virat Kohli for the most runs by a captain in an ODI series against Australia; 312 to Kohli’s 310 in 2019 after walloping Adam Zampa for six.
When he and Duckett were taking on all-comers in a 132-run third‑wicket stand to reach 202 for two in the 25th over – Duckett once again delivering with cross-batted elan – England were firmly in the ascendancy. But having just stuck Zampa into the packed stands with a meaty sweep, Brook finally miscued one to long on and from there a slightly perplexing collapse of eight for 107 was set in motion.
It was only mildly offset by Adil Rashid’s 35-ball 36 – his highest ODI score for seven years – and a last‑wicket stand of 33 with Olly Stone. On a day when two early strikes for Aaron Hardie pointed to seam – not least the ball that nipped in to castle Will Jacks for a duck – finger spin was the true kryptonite on this surface. Head, the eighth bowler used, and Glenn Maxwell (two for 49), were the men to deliver it for Smith, wheeling away and loving this unstitching of the old enemy.
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Duckett at least savoured his first century against Australia in any format; a useful cherry to pop before the Ashes reunion next year and coming from just 86 balls. Otherwise it was pretty tepid stuff, the middle-to-lower order spooked by a bit of turn. Jacob Bethell was stumped pushing forward to Head trying to rebuild the innings, and so did not follow up his bright start in the drawn T20 series. But like Jamie Smith, bowled playing back to one that gripped from Maxwell, he will have learned plenty.
Similarly, with Jofra Archer rested, the pace attack could not quite repeat the surge under lights of Friday night, dropping too short to Short and discovering the opener’s taste for this.
Still, Carse and Potts stepped up in this series overall and are in a decent groove before the flight to Pakistan on Tuesday. With Duckett settling in at opener, and Brook claiming he had now discovered his tempo in 50-over cricket, a series that also attracted healthy crowds for autumn was far from a waste of time.
