The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Record-breaking England crush Australia hopes
England’s new world-record total of 481 for six delivered series victory over Australia after scintillating centuries from Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow in an astonishing Trent Bridge run-fest.
The hosts wrapped up an unassailable 3-0 series lead with a mammoth 242-run win – their biggest in one-day internationals, and Australia’s heaviest defeat – after surging past their own previous global all-time high of 444 for three at the same venue two years ago.
Eoin Morgan (67) put in a supporting bid for the headlines by hitting England’s fastest 50, from 21 balls in the third century stand of the innings, before he and Hales (147) holed out to successive balls from Jhye Richardson.
Australia, who had put England in on a pitch which made bowling an unenviable task for all, then unsurprisingly could not sustain a plausible chase as Moeen Ali (three for 28) and Adil Rashid (four for 47) put the brakes on in a reply which crumbled to 239 all out in 37 overs.
Bairstow (139) and Jason Roy (82) were England’s first two driving forces in an opening stand of 159 which was broken only when the latter was run out by an excellent throw from D’arcy Short in the leg-side deep, trying to steal a tight second run in the 20th over.
There was no let- up in the unprecedented run-rate, however as Bairstow survived two scares as he powered on to a 69-ball century.
It was his fourth in his last six ODI innings – including the defeat by Scotland in Edinburgh – and although he was eventually caught pulling Agar to deep midwicket, having hit 15 fours and five sixes, number three Hales dovetailed and then took over.
The pair put on 151 together, and Hales – whose hundred came from just 62 balls – finished like Bairstow with five of England’s 21 sixes.
Morgan hit six of them and, for good measure, went past Ian Bell as England’s all-time record ODI run scorer.
“It’s a day for everyone in the changing room to be very proud of,” Morgan told Sky Sports. “How we operated and the level of intensity was on a different level to any ODI in the past three years.”