Captain Mitch Marsh has hailed each the calmness of his injury-hit staff and the excellence of stand-in skipper Steve Smith as Australia celebrated a victorious, if considerably soggy and anti-climactic, finish to their UK tour.
Marsh, out with a sore again, watched impressed on Sunday as Smith juggled his depleted assault excellently and, buoyed by an unlikely, career-best spell from part-time spinner Travis Head, orchestrated the victory over England at Bristol that earned Australia a 3-2 win within the ODI collection.
Participant-of-the-series Head additionally cracked helpful runs as chasing Australia then received their race in opposition to wretched climate to win by 49 runs on the DLS technique.
Head, who started the collection with a wonderful ton, ended it with surprisingly masterful bowling, taking 4-28 off 6.2 overs, earlier than his quickfire 31, allied to a record-breaking half-century from Matt Quick, sealed the deal simply earlier than the deluge got here.
Pursuing England’s formidable 309, the main focus had been on whether or not Australia may rating sufficient over their first 20 overs — the minimal wanted to make sure a end result — to get forward on DLS.
They did simply that, racing alongside to 1-103 over the primary 10-over powerplay earlier than ending up at 2-165 — good timing because it turned out, with heavy rain beginning on cue simply 4 balls after the 20-over mark.
Smith was on 36 not out alongside Josh Inglis (28 not out) with Australia in a position to prevail after three testing weeks beset by accidents and sickness.
The newest was Marsh’s sore again, however former Check skipper Smith proved the most secure pair of fingers as a alternative from the second he received a giant toss and inserted England in excellent seaming circumstances.
But he needed to overcome a headache as England countered with a brutal early assault, star spinner Adam Zampa getting clouted for six sixes by England captain Harry Brook whereas Ben Duckett was racing to a superb hundred.
However by mixing and matching eight completely different bowlers, Smith’s part-time spinners labored marvels as England sank from 2-202 simply earlier than midway, with 400 a seeming risk, to 309 off 49.2 overs.
“The way in which that, effectively Smudge (Smith) particularly, and the bowling assault assessed the circumstances and have been in a position to pull them again, it was a implausible effort,” mentioned Marsh.
Brook had continued his dazzling kind with 72 off 52 balls, whereas Duckett (107 off 91), continued the flying begin after fellow opener Phil Salt’s manic 27-ball 45.
Brook took down Australia’s supposed mid-innings controller Zampa whereas concentrating on the brief Bristol boundaries, clocking him for half-a-dozen of his seven sixes earlier than lastly miscuing one from the flustered leggie.
England then unravelled, Head approaching to seize the large wicket of Duckett, whereas Zampa (2-74) acquired hazard man Liam Livingstone caught behind for a duck.
England stuttered so badly, with Maxwell (2-49) and pace-bowling all-rounder Aaron Hardie (2-38) additionally impressing, they solely limped previous 300, thanks largely to Adil Rashid’s 36 off 35 balls earlier than he turned Head’s ultimate sufferer.
“4-for — and demise bowling as effectively! I do not know why Josh Hazlewood is all the time complaining about bowling on the demise,” teased Head afterwards.
“I did not come right here anticipating to bowl within the fiftieth over twice, so very good to get the job performed.”
With the bat, he then deposited Will Jacks’ spin for 20 in a single over, whereas Quick (58 off 30) was much more harmful, reaching 50 off simply 23 balls with a fourth enormous six over midwicket — the quickest ODI half-century by an Australian in opposition to England, which even featured one most that sailed out the County Floor.
Comedy ensued because the 20-over mark neared as England appeared to resort to time-wasting desperation, with Matthew Potts making a strategic, and never very delicate, name for a brand new boot.
“We have seen this film earlier than…” chuckled Ricky Ponting within the commentary field.
However Australia weren’t to be denied. “It is actually been a tough collection (with the accidents and sickness) — 5 one-dayers in 12 days was all the time going to be a problem — however it’s simply the calmness, our skill to remain current with the elevens we put out, that impressed me,” mentioned Marsh. “It has been an awesome few weeks.”
AAP