Brook, Livingstone, seamers square series in style with 186-run rout

Player of the Game

Australia's bowlers were taken to task at Lord's, while England took control in the floodlit conditions.

Harry Brook scored a fifty off just 37 balls, setting the pace for England's batting performance. •  Getty Images

In the recent match, England scored 312 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, thanks to impressive performances from Brook with 87 runs, Duckett who contributed 63 runs, and Livingstone, who remained not out with 62 runs. Australia, on the other hand, managed to score only 126 runs, with Potts taking 4 wickets for 38 runs and Carse claiming 3 wickets for 36 runs. This resulted in England winning the match by a significant margin of 186 runs.

England delivered a thrilling overall performance to secure a decider for the series in Bristol this Sunday, dominating Australia by 186 runs at Lord's. Harry Brook's outstanding 87 was the foundation of the innings, which was finished off by Liam Livingstone's explosive batting, achieving a ground-record half-century in just 25 balls. Jofra Archer also reminded fans of his 2019 form with an impressive spell in his latest comeback, while Matthew Potts achieved his best career figures with 4 wickets for 38 runs in an impressive display.

Looking back at last year's intense Ashes Test, there was a brief moment where an Australian wicketkeeper found himself in the limelight. On the 17th over, Brook flicked a delivery from Mitchell Starc down the leg side and was given out, but he questioned whether the catch had genuinely reached Josh Inglis, who had returned to the team after recovering from an injury. The replays indicated that the ball had bounced just before it reached his gloves. The crowd reacted with boos as the images appeared on the big screen, along with some chanting of "same old Aussies, always cheating," but it was a relatively quiet episode compared to the events of 2023.

After scoring his first ODI century in Durham, Brook easily reached a quick fifty in just 37 balls. He formed strong partnerships, contributing 79 runs off 53 balls with Ben Duckett for the third wicket and 75 runs off 47 balls with Jamie Smith for the fourth. England upped their scoring rate in a match reduced to 39 overs due to heavy rain in the morning. Livingstone capped off the innings with an impressive display, hitting four sixes in the final over from Starc, who gave away 28 runs—making it the most expensive over ever bowled by an Australian in men's ODIs. England managed to score 156 runs in their final 15 overs.

Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh kicked off the challenging run chase on a high note, with Head smashing a massive pull shot that soared over the Tavern Stand. By the end of the eight-over powerplay, Australia had racked up 66 runs without losing a wicket, while England managed just 34 runs without a loss. The match also set a new record for the most sixes, with a total of 16 launched at Lord’s during an ODI. However, keeping up that pace proved to be difficult. Head went for an aggressive shot against Brydon Carse, while Steven Smith made an awkward attempt at Potts and ended up edging the ball.

Then Archer delivered a remarkable moment. He bowled an off-cutter at 88.2 mph that initially seemed to come in towards Marsh, only to straighten up and knock the off stump. It was a fantastic delivery that secured Archer his first wicket at Lord's since 2019, and he celebrated appropriately. His next delivery struck Marnus Labuschagne on the forearm, bringing back memories from 2019, even though both players were now in colored clothing. Archer went on to dismiss Glenn Maxwell as Australia struggled.

Soon after, Carse delivered an outstanding ball to Marsh that could be considered the highlight of the match (or even the entire series), as he delivered a challenging delivery that clean bowled Labuschagne's off stump. England's fast bowlers worked together effectively, taking a total of nine wickets, with Potts impressively claiming three wickets in just four balls to quickly dismantle the lower order. Adil Rashid then wrapped up the innings.

With thick clouds overhead, the ball moved unpredictably in the early stages after England was asked to bat first. Phil Salt was dismissed soon after the initial powerplay, edging the impressive Josh Hazlewood to backward point. Will Jacks also fell to the same fielder, giving Marsh a wicket in just his second over, marking his return to bowling since April 3. On a day when it was announced that Cameron Green is dealing with a back injury, Marsh's return to bowling was certainly noteworthy.

Brook seemed to have a different approach than the other batters from the start. He quickly got into the game, hitting three boundaries on the leg side before almost getting out, and England’s energy grew as he batted. Sean Abbott had a tough series, finishing with figures of 19.4 overs, no maidens, 165 runs, and no wickets over three matches. Meanwhile, both Brook and Duckett aggressively faced Adam Zampa, along with the spin bowling from Maxwell and Labuschagne.

Duckett, who had initially given Starc a difficult chance before getting on the scoreboard, hit Zampa for a six over long-on. He then reached his half-century off 51 balls, but shortly after, he top-edged a delivery from the leg-spinner to deep backward square. Smith kept up the aggressive play against Zampa, blasting a shot over wide long-on, and Brook followed by hitting another six to deep midwicket in the same over. The 12 overs of spin bowling resulted in a hefty total of 106 runs.

Smith was almost caught out due to a brief lapse in concentration when he neglected to bring his bat home to the non-striker's end, narrowly missing a run-out. This mistake allowed the ball to veer away, leading to an additional six runs for Australia. Meanwhile, Brook was on the brink of breaking the record for England's quickest ODI century at Lord's, which is currently held by Jos Buttler at 61 balls. However, Brook couldn't capitalize on his momentum and was dismissed by Zampa after scoring 58 runs, sending a catch to long-on.

Smith was dismissed in the following over, cutting a shot to short third, but any worries that the innings might fizzle out quickly disappeared when Livingstone brought an incredible burst of energy at the end. He hit a massive shot over midwicket off Hazlewood and then took apart Starc's bowling figures, hitting two sixes into the stands that drew cheers from the excited crowd. Unlike the previous summer, this England-Australia series is now tied at 2-2 heading into the final match, although Bristol's weather could still play a crucial role.

Andrew McGlashan serves as the assistant editor for ESPNcricinfo.

Josh Hazlewood was dismissed by Rashid for a score of zero runs off four balls, without hitting any boundaries or sixes, at a strike rate of zero.

England triumphed with a margin of 186 runs.

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