Head, Warner plunder centuries as Australia crush England in final ODI
Melbourne, Australia - Dominant centuries from Travis Head and David Warner helped Australia thrash a tired England by 221 runs Tuesday in the third and final one-day international at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to sweep the series 3-0.
After a six-wicket loss in Adelaide and a 72-run defeat in Sydney, England’s long tour ended with a crushing defeat at the same venue where they won the Twenty20 World Cup this month.
Australia made a formidable 355-5 on the back of Head’s 152 and Warner’s 106 in a rain-hit game reduced to 48 overs, with the pair’s 269run stand the ninth-highest opening partnership in 50over cricket and the biggest at the MCG.
It left England needing 364 to win under a Dls-adjusted target, an ominous score they never looked like getting against a disciplined attack led by pacemen Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa’s spin.
“It’s been fantastic, all three
games,” said Australian skipper Cummins. “Everything has really clicked.
“Good to finish it off here, that’s just about the best ODI I’ve been a part of. Everything was perfect.”
With Phil Salt sidelined for a concussion check after hitting his head while fielding, Dawid Malan was elevated to open for England with Jason Roy but he fell for two to Hazlewood.
It did not get any easier for the England batsmen, who were restricted to just 49-1 off the opening 10 overs, already well behind the required run rate.
Cummins accounted for Roy (33) and Sam Billings (7) in quick succession, while James Vince ground out 22 off 45 balls before Sean Abbott broke his resistance.
When Zampa removed skipper Jos Buttler (4) and Chris Woakes in successive balls, then Moeen Ali (18) in his next over, England were 95-7 and their hopes over. Zampa ended with 4-31.