Roy adds to Aussie misery

LONDON: England’s rampant one-day side powered to a fourth straight win over Australia with a commanding six-wicket victory at Chesterle-Street yesterday led by centurion Jason Roy.

Roy cracked his second century of the series, a brilliant 101 off 83 balls, to pave the way for England to make easy meat of Australia’s 310-8, which had also featured hundreds for Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh.

After piling up a world record total of 481 from a 50-over international at Trent Bridge on Tuesday and inflicting Australia’s heaviest-ever defeat, England again outplayed the visitors, pulling off their second-highest ever ODI run chase.

It gave England a 4-0 lead in the series with the chance of an unprecedented whitewash in Sunday’s final ODI.

Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and opted to bat, opener Finch’s 100 off 106 balls and a 92-ball 101 from Marsh promised much.

However, Roy, who had scored 120 at Cardiff at the weekend and 82 in the Nottingham run bonanza, was again in dazzling form along with the equally on-song Jonny Bairstow as they laid the foundations for the win with a 174-run opening partnership.

Bairstow, a centurion at Trent Bridge, smashed 79 off 66 balls while Roy plundered two sixes and 12 fours in his century, before Jos Buttler, with a 28-ball half-century, and Alex Hales proved thunderous finishers, ensuring the total was knocked off with 32 balls to spare. – Reuters