Glenn Maxwell (108) and Alex Carey (106) smashed stunning hundreds as Australia clinched a dramatic series win over hosts England in the third and final Royal London One Day International (ODI) at Old Trafford on Wednesday (September 16).
AUSTRALIA WIN!
Australia take the game by three wickets and the series 2-1! #ENGvAUS
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) September 16, 2020
Chasing a mammoth target of 303, the visitors were down and out at one stage with 73/5 on the board. But then came a record sixth-wicket stand of 212 runs held between Maxwell and Carey. The breathtaking partnership took the game away from England, and they suffered their first home ODI series defeat in five years.
What an innings from Glenn Maxwell 👏
He can't get Australia home but has done a helluva job.#ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/zEpmT0zJnP
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) September 16, 2020
Simply superb from the Aussie keeper! #ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/h4Zz3Oxgd5
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) September 16, 2020
Maxwell beat everyone to become fastest 3000 run-getter
During the game, Maxwell reached his ODI career’s 3000-runs landmark. He became the fastest man to score 3,000 runs in the 50-over format. The explosive batter took 2440 balls to reach the milestone, 92 fewer balls than his competitor Jos Buttler who achieved the feat in 2532 deliveries.
The 31-year-old also became just the sixth man to reach 3,000 ODI runs at a strike-rate exceeding 100. The Victorian reached the landmark at a remarkable strike-rate of 122.95.
Fastest to 3,000 ODI runs (balls faced)
- 2,440 – Glenn Maxwell (Australia)
- 2,532 – Jos Buttler (England)
- 2,824 – Jason Roy (England)
- 2,842 – Jonny Bairstow (England)
- 2,957 – Kapil Dev (India)
- 2,997 – David Miller (South Africa)
Earlier, Jonny Bairstow (112) with his tenth ODI century helped England post a fighting total as Sam Billings (57) and Chris Woakes (53) also scored half-centuries.
Bairstow’s hundred was indeed outstanding after Aussie left-armer Mitchell Starc had removed Jason Roy and former skipper Joe Root on the first two balls of the game.
YEEESS JONNY! 💯
Live clips: https://t.co/hYuAHpcMue#ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/Fz0lBOQ1Fe
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 16, 2020
For the tourists, Adam Zampa (3-52) completed his 10 wickets in the series. It made him the first Australian spinner to take 10 wickets in a three-match ODI leg.
Maxwell won both ‘Player of the Match’ and ‘Player of the Series’ awards for his scintillating performances.
During the post-match presentation, Maxi revealed how he, along with Carey, targeted the short boundaries and executed their plans.
“Not the ideal situation when I came in, but I had the license to go after. A few came out of the middle. A few were gripping but that meant I could sit back and hit it. There was a short boundary so we targeted that. So Alex and I tried to get it down to the end. Tried to pick the right ball to go at and managed it on most occasions.”
The Melbourne-born said that he is trusting his technique and enjoying the bubble with team members.
“I’m trusting my technique at the moment, and I am a lot more still at the crease. It’s been enjoyable in the bubble, 21 guys, we’ve all got each other, and we have a team room and a few coffee clubs that are rivalling each other.”
Brief scores: England 302/7 in 50 overs (Bairstow 116, Billings 57; Adam Zampa 3-51, Starc 3-74) lost to Australia 305/7 in 49.4 overs (Maxwell 108, Carey 106; Woakes 2-46, Root 2-46) by three wickets.
Captain’s Corner:
Eoin Morgan – losing skipper:
“We were still in the game in the last over. We had just broken a big partnership, and there was a bit of grip on the wicket, so that gave us a chance with Rashid in the final over. I have to hand it to Australia though, who played really well today, but after losing two wickets with no runs, 300+ was great. Chris Woakes batted and bowled well, and getting wickets early on was great, but we simply didn’t get those two out. The guys never give up in our dressing room, but it was a great game.”
“I’d like to thank Australia for coming over and playing some great cricket. When a better side beats you, you just have to tip your hat to them. Some guys like Billings and Malan have grabbed their opportunities with both hands, and the guys have been brilliant. We are basically sitting around and waiting until tours get confirmed. There’s IPL and county cricket, and given the lack of cricket this summer, we’re delighted this tour happened.”
Aaron Finch – winning captain:
“From the first two balls of the game to the last one, there was a lot of action. We were in trouble for sure. Maxi was in the team for a role like this, for counterattacking and to swing the momentum back. Really proud of his partnership with Carey and we are really proud of how hard they’ve been working. Maxi can play all around the ground, and the way he navigated that innings and took it deeper and deeper, and I think they fed off each other with the right/left combination was incredible.”
“We are still improving. We have taken our opportunity under pressure tonight, but we have been ordinary at other times during the series. We need someone to take the initiative, and we had two guys do that tonight, and I’m really proud of them. Thanks to the ECB and everyone who’s organized this and made this happen.”
