STARC TRUTH
Mitchell comes to party with vital wickets and runs to end five years of England home success
ENGLAND’S oldest enemy knocked them off their oneday perch with a backs-tothe-wall, last-gasp fightback to secure a 2-1 series win.
The Aussies have had bigger and brighter days than this, but by ending five years of unbroken success at home for the world champions with a three-wicket win, this will taste as sweet as anything.
Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey masterminded the record run chase of 305-7 on this ground with 108 and 106 respectively in a stunning partnership of 212.
But both men fell with the finish line in sight and it was left to Mitchell Starc to produce the ultimate cameo of 11 from three balls, including a monster straight six from the first ball, to make sure the 10 runs needed in the final over from Adil Rashid were scored.
“We were still in the game until the last over,” said skipper Eoin Morgan. “Australia were too good for us and, when you’re beaten by a better side, you need to put your hands up and that was the case here.
“They fought back really hard. Glenn Maxwell and Alex Carey played exceptionally well, and we couldn’t get them out, and that cost us the game.”
By taking their team from 73-5 to victory, Maxwell and Carey not only knocked Jonny Bairstow’s own 112 into a cocked hat, but England were reminded that they are not the only team who can win from anywhere.
“I had a bit of a licence to go for it with the situation I found myself in when I got out there,” said man-of-the-match and the series Maxwell. “There was a short boundary we tried to target and we thought, if we took it deep, we’d have a chance.”
Of course, it helps when one side fail to take their chances in the field, and in keeping with an entire summer’s theme, England again only had themselves to blame.
This time, Jofra Archer dismissed Carey from a no-ball, when he had made just nine, while Jos Buttler dropped Maxwell on 44 off Rashid.
To compound the misery for England’s legspinner, Maxwell then plundered a maximum over the short legside boundary from each of his next three overs, as the Aussies didn’t just get back into the game, but took control of it.
And yet a lastgasp choke almost came to pass, as Rashid accounted for Maxwell and Archer for Carey, b e f o re Sta r c produced his heroics with the bat, sparking huge Aussie celebrations on their balcony.
Joe Root had done some early damage with two wickets with the ball to try and make up for his golden duck, as part of the worst start to an ODI in English cricket history.
Not for the first time, Jason Roy carved the opening ball of the game straight into the hands of point, and next ball Starc had Root plumb lbw. 0-2.
Never before had England lost their first two wickets from the first two balls of the game, to create a bigger challenge that Bairstow rose to magnificently with his 10th ODI ton.
But with their recognised batsmen falling with 10 overs left, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran and Rashid all peppered the boundary enough to add 82 more welcome runs to the total.
It looked like being enough, until it wasn’t.