England levels the series with consecutive victories. Australia was on track to win the series easily after securing victories in the first two matches. However, it’s no longer that simple. After bouncing back in the third match, England claimed a significant victory in the fourth match as well. As a result, the final match has turned into an unofficial final.
On Friday, England crushed Australia to level the series. In the fourth ODI of the five-match series at Lord’s, England won by a margin of 186 runs. Chasing England’s total of 312, Australia was bowled out for 126. Due to rain, the game started late, reducing the match to 39 overs. However, this had no effect on England’s batting. Batting first, the hosts posted 312 runs for the loss of 5 wickets.
The opening partnership produced 48 runs in 9.4 overs. Phil Salt was dismissed for 22 runs. After Will Jacks (10) was quickly dismissed, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook steadied the innings. The pair added 79 runs in just 53 balls. Duckett was dismissed after scoring 63 off 62 balls.
For the fourth wicket, Harry Brook added another 75 runs with Jamie Smith. Brook was dismissed by Zampa after scoring 87 off 58 balls in the 30.2 overs. In the next over, Smith was out for 39. Then, Livingstone took charge. He smashed a fifty off just 25 balls. Livingstone remained unbeaten on 62 off 27 balls, hitting 3 fours and 7 sixes. Bethell contributed 12 runs from 19 balls. Zampa took two wickets, while Hazlewood and Marsh took one wicket each.
In pursuit of the massive target, Australia had a good start. The opening pair of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head added 68 runs. Head was bowled by Carse in the 9th over after scoring 34 off 23 balls. That marked the beginning of Australia’s collapse.
In the next over, Steven Smith (10) was dismissed, followed by opener Marsh, who was out for 28 runs. By this time, Archer and Potts seemed to have gained confidence. From 68 without loss, Australia lost 6 wickets before they could even reach 100 runs!
Among the remaining batters, only two managed to reach double figures—Alex Carey (13) and Sean Abbott (10). As a result, Australia was bowled out for 126 in 24.4 overs. For England, Matthew Potts took 4 wickets for 38 runs in 8 overs. Carse claimed 3 wickets for 36 runs in 6 overs, while Jofra Archer picked up 2 wickets for 33 runs in 7 overs. Adil Rashid took the remaining wicket.
The two teams will face off tomorrow, Sunday, in the series-deciding final match in Bristol, which has essentially become an unofficial final.
