England’s young batter and captain for the series, Harry Brook, smashed his maiden ODI century as he led England to a 46-run victory over Australia in Durham. The win in the third ODI has kept England alive in this series as the series is now 2-1 in favour of Australia with two matches yet to be played.
Batting first, Australia, managed touch the 300-run mark for the second time in the series, despite losing wickets early. Courtesy of a 77-run knock off 65 balls from Alex Carey, Australia scored 304 runs in their 50 overs.
Alex Carey was the highest scorer for the team, while Steve Smith returned to form with a 60-run knock off 82 balls. Cameron Green gave him good support as he contributed 42 runs off 49 balls. As for England’s bowling, Jofra Archer was the pick of the bowlers. He claimed 2 wickets, while the likes of Rashid, Bethel, Will Jacks and Livingstone picked up 1 wicket each.
In response to a big total, England, once again, endured a poor start. They lost first two wickets for just 11 runs on the board. Mitchell Starc sent both Phil Salt (0) and Ben Duckett (8) back to the hut inside three overs.
However, Will Jacks and Harry Brook produced a sensational recovery, thereafter, as the duo stitched a 156-run partnership for the third wicket. Harry Brook went on to smash his maiden century and it came in a winning cause. During his knock, he struck 15 boundaries and remained unbeaten 110 off 94 balls.
Incessant rain led to play being stopped with England’s scorecard reading 254 for 4 in 37.4 overs. Under the Duckworth-Lewis method, England emerged victorious as they had a lead of 46 runs at that juncture of the game.
The fans have lauded Harry Brook’s knock on social media and labelled him as one for the future. Meanwhile, Harry Brook struck 15 boundaries during his ton. Here’s a glimpse of that:
“Hopefully, many more to come”- Harry Brook on his maiden Test ton
Harry Brook struck his maiden century to help his team win the third ODI against the Aussies and, thereby, kept the series alive. He shared his views on his match-winning ton in the post-match presentation and also talked about his team performance. Here’s a look at what he said:
“We started off really nice with the ball, with the bat me and Jacks tried to stay out there as long as possible and build that partnership. I definitely thought the pitch got better towards the end of Australia’s innings. It’s nice to get the first one (talking about his maiden ODI hundred) off the board and hopefully many more to come. We’re gonna keep on doing what we said we are gonna do and keep the group positive which will hold us in good stead.” Brook asserted.
The first fourth ODI is slated to take place at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London on Friday, while the fifth ODI will be played at Bristol on Sunday.
