England’s home summer ended in dreary circumstances on Sunday, with Australia clinching a 49-run victory via the DLS Method after rain interrupted the fifth ODI in Bristol.
The series was delicately poised at 2-2 heading into the series finale, but England’s miserable weather ruined what could have been a tense run chase.
Australia was comfortably ahead of the DLS par score at 2-165 in the 21st over when the rain arrived, meaning the reigning World Cup champions return home with a 3-2 ODI series triumph under their belt.
The team’s next assignment is a three-match ODI series against Pakistan on home soil, which gets underway in early November.
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‘AUSTRALIA RARELY WIN’ WHEN ZAMPA DOESN’T TURN UP
Adam Zampa’s absence was glaring during Australia’s 46-run DLS loss to England in Chester-le-Street, further emphasising the leg-spinner’s importance to the national white-ball teams.
After succumbing to illness, Zampa was ruled out for the third ODI at Riverside Ground, with captain Mitchell Marsh sorely missing the 32-year-old during the run chase.
Harry Brook and Will Jacks decimated Australia’s bowlers after the Powerplay, combining for a 156-run partnership for the third wicket.
No wickets fell between the third and 26th overs of the run chase, with Brook and Jacks feasting on the part-time spin of Glenn Maxwell and Matt Short.
The rain-affected defeat ended a 14-match ODI winning streak for the Australians, a golden run bettered only by Ricky Ponting’s powerhouse side in 2003.
Zampa featured in all 14 of those ODI wins, dating back to October last year, and it’s hardly a surprise that his departure from the starting XI coincided with Tuesday’s defeat.
During Australia’s winning streak, the New South Welshman claimed 30 scalps at 19.46 with an economy rate of 4.84, failing to take a wicket only once.
“It’s always a different team when Adam Zampa is not there,” Andrew McDonald told reporters on Tuesday.
“He’s been an incredible performer for us over a long period of time.”
During ODI wins, Zampa has taken 132 wickets at 21.86, while those numbers slip to 43 scalps at 48.23 during defeats.
“No doubt about it, Australia missed his control, variety and wicket-taking ability,” former Australian captain Ponting said on Sky Sports after the third ODI.
“I’ve said for a while now I think he’s Australia’s most important white-ball player. When he doesn’t have much of an impact or is not playing, Australia rarely win.”
‘WAIT AND SEE’: IDENTITY OF WARNER’S HEIR STILL UNKNOWN
Australia has played eight ODIs since David Warner’s retirement, but the identity of his replacement remains up in the air.
Four cricketers have opened alongside Travis Head since last year’s World Cup final in India, but none have nailed down the spot.
Jake-Fraser McGurk turned heads during the home ODI series against the West Indies earlier this year, but the rising star sustained an injury during the United Kingdom tour, missing selection for all five matches against England.
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“Fraser-McGurk is one of the most talked about young players coming through at the moment, and he can’t get into the side,” World Cup champion Eoin Morgan said on Sky Sports.
Captain Mitchell Marsh boasts a superb record as opener, averaging 47.38 after 14 innings with a strike rate of 107.50, but he recorded scores of 10, 24 and 28 when opening against England over the past fortnight.
“There’s some top-order competition,” former Australian captain Ricky Ponting said on Sky Sports.
“Looking at their line-up, Mitchell Marsh’s best position in this current one-day team is probably opening the batting, so he can get away to a bit of a flyer against the new ball before the spin comes on.
“There’s going to be competition, which is always good.”
Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis opened against the West Indies earlier this year, scoring 109 runs at 54.50, but national selectors seem adamant he’s better suited in the middle order.
The leading candidate to open at the Champions Trophy might be Matthew Short, who blasted his maiden ODI half-century in Bristol on Sunday.
The right-hander reached fifty in just 23 deliveries, getting Australia’s run chase off to a flying start to ensure the tourists were ahead of the DLS par score when rain arrived.
Australia only has the three-match ODI series against Pakistan in October before the Champions Trophy rolls around in February next year.
“One of our themes for the tour was flexibility,” Marsh explained to reporters on Sunday.
“We had a lot of moving parts within this last couple of weeks.
“Who opens regularly with Heady? We’ll have to wait and see.”
MARSH ENDS FIVE-MONTH BOWLING DROUGHT
Australian captain Mitchell Marsh ended a five-month drought with the ball during the fourth ODI against England as he begins building up his workloads ahead of the home Test summer.
Before Friday’s contest at Lord’s, the 32-year-old hadn’t bowled a delivery in a professional match since tearing his hamstring during the Indian Premier League in April.
However, the Australians were short a strike bowler for the Lord’s contest after all-rounders Cameron Green (injury) and Aaron Hardie (managed) were withdrawn from the starting XI.
Marsh brought himself into the attack in the 12th over and only needed 11 deliveries to unearth a breakthrough, with England No. 3 Will Jacks chipping a cover drive towards Marnus Labuschagne at backward point.
It was his first international dismissal since February, with the West Australian producing plenty of movement through the air at the home of cricket. He finished with 1-27 from four overs.
“Why has Mitchell Marsh not bowled earlier?” England bowler Mark Wood said on BBC’s Test Match Special.
“He’s moved the ball by miles!”
Marsh, who has taken 122 international wickets at 35.61, has captained Australia on 28 occasions across formats but only bowled himself in three of those matches.
“I don’t tend to bowl myself too much,” Marsh explained earlier this month.
“We’re lucky that we’ve got plenty of bowling options within our team.”
Test captain Pat Cummins hinted that Marsh might play a vital role with the ball this summer, sharing the workload alongside Australia’s frontline attack during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.
Meanwhile, fellow all-rounder Green sustained a back injury after the third ODI in Chester-le-Street, but a timeline for his return won’t be determined until he returns home for further assessment.
If the 25-year-old is required to play as a specialist batter for the Test series against India, or if he’s ruled out altogether, Marsh’s bowling will become even more crucial this summer.
Marsh was sidelined for the ODI series decider in Bristol after pulling up sore, with Steve Smith leading the Australians in his absence.
ENGLAND STILL NEED THEIR SUPERSTARS
England is undergoing a transition in its white-ball set-up, but this month’s ODI series showed that experience will be crucial ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
The hosts dropped wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow ahead of the Australian ODIs, while captain Jos Buttler was ruled out of the series with a calf injury.
Young wicketkeeper Jamie Smith donned the gloves in their absence, registering 124 runs at 24.80, while opener Phil Salt also struggled against Australia’s world-class pace attack, posting 96 runs at 19.20.
England was also without the versatile Joe Root, who had been rested following a gruelling six-Test home summer. When he returns, the Yorkshireman will strengthen England’s middle order, along with the potential return of all-rounder Ben Stokes.
Test captain Stokes retired from ODIs in 2022, but made an exception for last year’s World Cup in India. Speaking to Sky Sports on Tuesday, the 33-year-old flagged the potential of further appearances in England’s 50-over team should new coach Brendon McCullum request his services.
“This white-ball team has gone in a new direction,” Stokes said
“I’ve played a lot of white-ball cricket for England, I’m very happy and content with what I’ve achieved in that form of the game.
“If I am part of the white-ball teams’ plans going forward in any way, shape or form, then great.
“If I get the call saying, ‘Do you want to come and play?’ It’s definitely going to be a yes.”
However, England will be pleased by the performances of opener Ben Duckett and stand-in captain Harry Brook this week, who both cracked hundreds to finish as the leading run-scorers of the series. Incredibly, neither was named in England’s provisional World Cup squad last year.
RISING STARS MISS THEIR CHANCE
With Pat Cummins managed and David Warner retired, Australia’s white-ball tour of the United Kingdom loomed as an opportunity for the country’s next generation of cricket stars to press their case for further selection honours.
However, many of the white-ball squad’s young guns missed their chase.
Nathan Ellis was named in Australia’s preliminary ODI squad, but the Tasmanian quick sustained a hamstring injury that ruled him out of the tour. Fellow seamer Xavier Bartlett almost certainly would have replaced him in the squad if he had not sustained a side strain during the first T20 against England.
Ben Dwarshuis was rushed across to the UK as an injury replacement, handed his debut ODI cap for the series opener against England. However, the left-armed paceman bowled four overs before copping a pectoral strain while in the outfield, ruled out of the remainder of the tour.
West Australian young gun Cooper Connolly made his ODI debut in Bristol on Sunday but wasn’t required with the bat after producing four wicketless overs.
Meanwhile, having essentially replaced Cummins as Australia’s first-change seamer for the ODI campaign, Sean Abbott failed to unearth a wicket across three matches, finishing with series figures of 0-165.
“We got to blood some young guys, who will gain a lot of value out of playing away from Australia,” Marsh told reporters on Sunday.
“It’s always great when you see young guys come in.”
After starting the series with scores of 29 and 14, opener Matt Short offered a glimpse of his potential in the series final in Bristol, reaching his maiden ODI fifty in just 23 deliveries. The Victorian probably wouldn’t have played the fifth ODI if captain Mitchell Marsh hadn’t pulled up sore.
The only other Australian fringe player who lived up to expectations during the ODI leg of the tour was all-rounder Aaron Hardie, who smacked a counterattacking 44 (26) during the third match in Chester-le-Street while providing some economical spells with the ball.
“We saw today Aaron Hardie called into the team late, some critical death hitting there to get us up to a total which I thought was a fantastic effort as a batting unit,” McDonald told reporters on Tuesday.
“He was definitely impressive.”
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