Australia beat England and rain to win series 3-2

Fifth Metro Bank One-Day International, Bristol

England 309 (49.2 overs): Duckett 107 (91), Brook 72 (52); Head 4-28

Australia 165-2 (20.4 overs): Short 58 (30), Smith 36* (48)

Australia won by 49 runs (DLS method)

Scorecard

England’s bid for a comeback series victory against Australia fell short as the tourists beat the rain in Bristol to win the deciding fifth one-day international.

The hosts, having come from 2-0 down to level the series, posted 309 after being put into bat with Ben Duckett scoring 107 – his second ODI century – and captain Harry Brook 72.

But that was a disappointing total given a rampant start which took England to 202-2 inside 25 overs.

Brook’s dismissal began a familiar collapse as eight wickets fell for 107 runs – all of them to spin – and his side were dismissed in their final over.

Australia were similarly aggressive at the start of their chase, openers Travis Head and Matt Short flogging 78 from the first seven overs.

Head was caught at extra cover for 31 and Short nicked behind on 58 but their onslaught had put Australia well ahead of the game with rain clouds looming.

The match threatened to end in farcical fashion with England attempting to slow proceedings and ensure the 20 overs needed for a contest were not bowled in time.

That would have meant no result and a drawn series but, with Steve Smith having nudged 36 not out to keep Australia ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern target, the rain arrived four balls into the 21st over.

At that stage Australia were 165-2, 49 runs ahead of the par score, and the players did not return – with the tourists winning the series 3-2.

England’s attention now turns to a three-match Test series in Pakistan with seven of this party flying out on Tuesday.

The series opener begins in Multan on Monday, 7 October.

England had never previously come from 2-0 down to win an ODI series 3-2. Just as they did in attempting to overturn the same scoreline in last year’s Ashes, they have failed in their attempt.

Led by Brook, this young, experimental batting line-up was excellent in the previous two matches as England levelled the series.

But in the decider their inexperience showed – and they were left exposed with nothing more than a par score given Bristol’s short boundaries, even more so in a rain-shortened chase.

The rain was forecast all day and Australia knew as long as they did not lose wickets they would always be ahead of the DLS par score.

Smith, standing in as captain for the injured Mitchell Marsh, was given out lbw to Matthew Potts on 10 but crucially he reviewed and the ball was shown to be missing leg stump.

Adil Rashid had earlier dropped a steepling catch when Short was on 27 and England also missed a thin edge behind off Josh Inglis when the wicketkeeper was on two.

That said, had Australia been four down they would still have been seven runs ahead of the DLS par.

They were ultimately deserving winners.

England’s innings was much like the first ODI in Nottingham.

There they collapsed from 213-2 in the 33rd over to 315 all out. This slide was not as quick but just as stark with Head taking 4-28 with his part-time off-spin.

In the first 25 overs there were 31 boundaries, afterwards only six.

Opener Phil Salt slashed eight in a frenetic 45 while Harry Brook hit seven sixes – five of them off Adam Zampa – in his third successive score of 50 or more before miscuing the leg-spinner to long-off.

The collapse followed as Jamie Smith was bowled by Glenn Maxwell for six, Liam Livingstone edged behind trying to fiddle a cut off Zampa for a three-ball duck and Jacob Bethell struggled for 13 from 27 before being stumped off Head.

Throughout Duckett was comparatively calm. He hit only two sixes but 13 fours in using his feet well to the spinners and going back to cut and pull the quicks.

Having passionately punched the air after reaching three figures – ending a run of five scores above 50 without a hundred across all formats – he hit Head to long-off and England’s hopes of a late-innings resurrection were over.

They have showed some promise but remain a work in progress as they look towards their next white-ball assignment – three ODIs and five T20s in the Caribbean, starting on 31 October.