ENG vs AUS 2024, ENG vs AUS 4th ODI Match Report, September 27, 2024

England Batting 312 for 5 (Brook 87, Duckett 63, Livingstone 62*). Australia 126 (Potts 4-38, Carse 3-36) for 186 runs

England delivered an electrifying all-round performance in Bristol on Sunday to set up a decisive win over Australia as they beat Australia by 186 runs at Lord's. Harry Brooks' superb 87 formed the backbone of the innings, capped by Liam Livingstone's thunderous knock of a record-breaking 25-ball half-century. Jofra Archer then briefly brought back memories of 2019 with the best performance of his last comeback, while Matthew Potts made a career-best 4 in 38 in a stunning performance.

Looking back on last year's dramatic Ashes Test, there was also a brief moment when an Australian wicketkeeper was in the spotlight. On matchday 17, Brook glanced at Mitchell Starc on the leg side and was delivered out, but wondered if the catch had hit Josh Inglis, who had been recalled to the side after an injury. Replays showed the ball hitting right in front of his gloves. The crowd booed as the images came onto the big screen, accompanied by a few chants of “Same old Aussies, always cheating,” but it was a tame interlude compared to 2023.

After his maiden ODI hundred in Durham, Brook reached a 37-ball fifty and added 79 in 53 balls for the third wicket with Ben Duckett and 75 in 47 with Jamie Smith for the fourth as England faced a game cut Full speed continued until 39 overs through heavy morning rain. Livingstone finished the innings with a great batting performance, including four sixes in the last over bowled by Starc, whose 28 runs conceded was the most expensive over by an Australian bowler in men's ODIs. England scored 156 in the last 15 overs.

Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh made a promising start to the daunting chase – Head launching a gigantic move from the ground above the Tavern Stand – and after the eight over powerplay Australia were on 66 without loss, compared to England's 34 without loss. Overall, the 16 hit sixes in the match was a record for a Lord's ODI. However, maintaining the pace was a big challenge. The head swung over the line to Brydon Carse and Steven Smith fended off an ugly attack on Potts.

Then Archer produced something special. An offshoot traveling at 88.2 miles per hour initially raced toward Marsh before straightening to hit the edge and clatter off the stump. It was a tour de force to give Archer his first Lord's wicket since 2019 and he rightly turned away in celebration. When his next ball crashed into the forearm of Marnus Labuschagne, the flashbacks of 2019 were in full swing, albeit in colored clothing, and Archer also added Glenn Maxwell during Australia's collapse

Soon, however, his ball to Marsh had a contender for winning the game (or series) as Carse found an unplayable offering to flatten Labuschagne's off-stump. It was a collective effort from England's quicks, who shared nine wickets between them – Potts took three wickets in four balls to storm through the bottom order – before Adil Rashid finished off the job.

Under heavy cloud cover, the ball bounced around early on after England had been brought into the field. Phil Salt fell just after the powerplay, throwing the excellent Josh Hazlewood backwards, and Will Jacks picked the same fielder to give Marsh a wicket in his second over – the first he had bowled since April 3. On a day when Cameron Green was revealed to have a back injury, it was significant that Marsh was back on the ball.

Brook initially appeared to be playing a different game to the other batters as he jumped out of the blocks with three leg-side boundaries before his near-miss, allowing England's momentum to build around him. Sean Abbott's expensive streak continued – at the end of the innings his three-game total was 19.4-0-165-0 – while both Brook and Duckett faced Adam Zampa and the other overs of spin from Maxwell and Labuschagne.

Duckett, who had offered Starc a tough return catch before goal, sent Zampa long-on for six before a hard-working 51-ball half-century later, before top-edging the legspinner into deep field promoted. Smith continued the aggressive approach against Zampa, sending him over long-on, and Brook added a second six to deep midwicket in the same over. The 12 overs with spin totaled 106.

A moment of absentmindedness was almost enough for Smith as he narrowly avoided being run out by failing to hit his bat into the field at the non-striker's end, although the ball ended up costing Australia six runs as the deflection to the rope went . At this point, Brook was in contention for England's fastest ODI hundred at Lord's – 61 balls from Jos Buttler – but prevailed in the long run as Zampa ended his stay with his 58th.

Smith pounced in the next over, cutting Maxwell to short third, but any concerns that the innings might be limping to a finish were dispelled when Livingstone provided stunning power late on. After a fierce hit over Hazlewood midwicket, Starc's figures, including two sixes, were dismantled into the pavilion to the increasingly joyous roar of a large crowd. Unlike last summer, a series between England and Australia goes into the final 2-2, although the weather in Bristol may still have the final say.

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