Harry Brook 110* fires England chase to help keep series alive

England scored 254 runs for the loss of 4 wickets, with Brook making an impressive 110 not out and Jacks contributing 84 runs. They defeated Australia, who managed 304 runs for 7 wickets, with Carey top-scoring at 77 not out and Smith adding 60 runs. England won by 46 runs according to the DLS method.

Harry Brook's impressive first ODI century guided England to a comfortable victory against Australia in Chester-le-Street. Despite facing a challenging target, England managed the chase well before rain interrupted the match, resulting in a 46-run win under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method. This marked England's first triumph in ODI cricket since December and kept the series interesting with two matches remaining, while also halting Australia's impressive 14-match winning streak that dated back to the 2023 World Cup.

Brook's inexperienced team appeared to be struggling after they couldn't hold back the Australian batsmen, even with favorable conditions at the start. Alex Carey played a crucial role with his unbeaten score of 77, helping his team gain momentum in the latter part of the innings. England's batting then faltered as they found themselves at 11 for 2 within just four overs, thanks to Mitchell Starc, who dismissed both openers in quick succession.

However, a partnership of 156 runs between Brook and Will Jacks, who scored 84, turned the game in their favor. Even though Jacks and Jamie Smith were sent packing by Cameron Green, Brook teamed up with Liam Livingstone for another thrilling partnership that reduced the target to 51 runs from 74 balls, just as the weather started to worsen.

Brook finished with an impressive 110 runs off just 94 balls, hitting 15 fours, and made history by becoming the youngest captain of England to score a century in One Day Internationals. Australia was missing a crucial part of their bowling squad, as Adam Zampa was out sick, and they decided to give Travis Head a break. Despite this, England's performance was very promising and served as an important showcase of the potential of their revamped batting lineup, especially after facing significant setbacks at Trent Bridge and Headingley.

Australia's superior understanding of the game seemed poised to influence the outcome soon after the break between innings. As they attempted what would have been the second-largest successful chase at the Riverside—trailing only the 311 runs chased down against these same opponents in 2018—England got off to a rocky start. Phil Salt sent Starc's eighth delivery to midwicket, and Ben Duckett nicked a drive that was caught at backward point.

Both Jacks and Brook wasted no time in showcasing their abilities, even in the midst of the chaos. Jacks sent his fourth ball from Hazlewood smoothly back down the ground to long-on, while Brook hit his fifth ball, a rather over-pitched delivery from Starc, effortlessly through extra cover.

Overall, they played cautiously at the beginning, occasionally looking to take advantage of the bowlers' lengths; for instance, Jacks stepped up to smash Hazlewood through the off side. By the end of the first powerplay, England was at 45 for 2, while Australia had scored 41 for 1. As Mitchell Marsh varied his bowling choices, England began to broaden their approach. Brook hit Glenn Maxwell's opening delivery over the head of mid-off, and then sent an even bigger shot sailing over the boundary against Matthew Short.

Brook reached his fifty in just 54 balls, marking his first milestone since stepping in as captain for the injured Jos Buttler. Just two deliveries later, the duo achieved a century partnership, and Jacks soon celebrated his own half-century off 55 balls, much to the delight of the home crowd, whose excitement began to build. The atmosphere reached a new level of intensity when Starc's sixth over was smashed for 19 runs, making it his third-most costly over in ODIs. Jacks hit several boundaries with powerful drives and pulls, and Brook finished off the over with a stylish shot over cover.

England had gained the upper hand, and even though Jacks was dismissed by an uppercut to deep third and Jamie Smith's top-edged pull was caught at deep backward square leg, Brook remained unfazed. He hit consecutive fours off Starc, bringing him to three figures for just the second time in his List A career.

By that point, Livingstone had already hit two sixes off his first seven balls. With the possibility of rain looming, he quickly propelled England past the DLS target with a series of boundaries, making the outcome clear long before the heavy rain set in.

In Australia’s most recent match, they found themselves relying on Carey once again—he only got a chance to play due to an injury to Josh Inglis during the T20I series. Carey scored the highest runs for the second consecutive game. After Steven Smith set a solid base with his first half-century of the series in challenging conditions, Carey and the lower order went on the attack, contributing 104 runs in the final 10 overs. Aaron Hardie impressed with a personal best of 44 runs off 26 balls, which included hitting Jofra Archer for six twice.

England managed to score just one run during the initial powerplay, but the conditions seemed favorable for the fast bowlers, as Brook had anticipated at the toss. In the absence of Head, Short, who was batting alongside Marsh, was caught trying to hook Archer to deep backward square leg, just two balls after he had sent the same shot for a six. Later on, Matthew Potts believed he had dismissed Smith leg before wicket, but a review using ball-tracking indicated that the delivery would have missed leg stump.

Marsh fought through the powerplay, enduring several hits to his body, but was dismissed soon after. Brydon Carse, using his familiarity with the local pitch, found a tricky length and edged one to Jamie Smith. Following that, Australia aimed to recover, with Smith and Green at the crease. They primarily played safe shots during their partnership of 84 runs, managing to negotiate the main fast bowlers before switching their focus to the spin bowlers, especially the fifth bowler.

Initially, Jacob Bethell and Jacks had some issues with their bowling edges, but as Australia seemed to be gaining control, both spinners made significant breakthroughs in quick order. First, Green hit a shot that Bethell caught at mid-on after the fielder had just been repositioned from a closer spot. Then, Marnus Labuschagne, attempting a scoop off Jacks, ended up getting himself in a tricky situation and ended up providing an easy catch to the wicketkeeper.

Australia found themselves in a tough spot at 132 for 4, relying on Smith's resilience. He managed to score a fifty off 71 balls, hitting his fifth boundary to achieve this milestone. Brook then turned to Archer, and in a thrilling encounter, Archer succeeded in dismissing Smith for the first time in international play. Carse executed a stunning running catch at deep square leg to secure the wicket.

With a score of 172 for 5, the innings seemed at risk of collapsing, but Carey swiftly formed valuable partnerships with Maxwell and Hardie, shifting the momentum back in Australia's favor. Hardie's bold approach from the No. 8 position was particularly impressive, as they scored 55 runs in the last four overs, putting England in a tight spot. However, Brook countered effectively with his batting.

Alan Gardner serves as an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo. You can find him on Twitter at @alanroderick.