Buttler shines as series is clinched

Eoin Morgan hailed Jos Buttler’s role in the one-day series-clinching victory over Australia and declared England’s performance the best of his captaincy.

Buttler was the star attraction with a middleorder masterclass of 100 not out in 83 balls but Morgan was delighted with the entire tenor of his team’s 16-run success.

Having struggled on a tricky SCG surface early on, England held their nerve to post 302 for six, Chris Woakes’ unbeaten 53 providing a foil for Buttler as the pair piled on 102 in the last 10 overs.

They then overcame an injury to Liam Plunkett which deprived them of a key bowler and left Joe Root filling in for almost nine overs.

“I’m so proud of everyone in the team,” said Morgan, whose side claimed a 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

“It was, I think, our best performance as a group to date, definitely throughout the last two years.

“Throughout the game there were a lot of questions asked of us. It was a bit of a cat fight for quite a stage and Jos anchored the innings until about the 40th over and then really did pull the trigger.

“To have a guy with his capabilities and talent in our team, we are very privileged. We have seen him do that before but against one of the best sides in the world it is great to watch.”

England have a rest day today before minds turn to Adelaide, Perth and a possible whitewash.