England clinched the ODI Series 3-0 in Sydney against Australia, with still two more matches to play for. Having been successfully chased in earlier ODIs, England were asked to set the target and they responded well on a two-paced track even with losing one of their frontline bowlers.
The target setting hadn't been straightforward for the visitors as compared to the chases, on a low pace track. The openers do, set up a start early in the Innings with some fluent boundaries but lack of pace in the wicket, seen the back of Roy and Hales, who were tried to play shots on the up.
The run-scoring has seen a dip with two quick wickets but Bairstow and Root ensured the scoreboard moving with rotating the strike. Slowly both found their groves of the pitch, with occasional boundaries and when the partnership seemed to take a big leaf, Zampa cleaned up Bairstow with a wrong un.
Root too hadn't stayed long after that, as he played on an incoming length ball of Hazlewood. Later Buttler and Morgan shared a 65 run partnership which included some false shots from the later, who got away with them.
And when a partnership started to grow, Australian's found a way to tackle it, so it was with Morgan. In came, Ali tried to play too many shots and disappear quickly. While, at this stage, England were 189/6 in the 39 over of the Innings and then, the Australian's couldn't break the partnership between Woakes and Buttler as they did all match.
Buttler was slow to start in the Innings with pinching singles and doubles, his first fifty featured the only a couple of boundaries, but later he joined with Woakes, who looked busy from the word go. Woakes presence helped Buttler immensely and he accelerated to his second fifty in no time. It was the 46 over of the Innings when onslaught began and continued till the end, which helped England to post above par 300 on the board.
The chase hasn't started too well for the hosts as they lost Warner early in the piece, while White, who scored some good boundaries hadn't able to convert the start in to big as he was undone pace of Wood.
But Finch, the Centurion in earlier matches seemed to make it three with some aggressive batting, and the Aussies found a sniff in the chase as Plunkett ruled out due to a hammy in his second over. As to cover up the overs, Morgan gone for Root, who was economical in the earlier march.
While Root was treated with some big hits from Finch and Australia seemed well ahead in the match. At this stage, Rashid brought on the important breakthrough with trapping Finch in front.
Later Smith and Marsh steadied the ship well with a 68 run stand for the fourth wicket, where Smith took his time and started to go big. While the end of Smith raised few eyebrows as the evidence was not clear whether Buttler took the catch clean or not, but the soft signal ruled the decision in favor of England, who were in need of a wicket at that stage.
Although Mitch Marsh looked accomplished at the crease with some fine shots, Stoinis and Marsh seemed to be the pair for the hosts to take them home, to stay alive in the Series and they played the same way, but Marsh soon after completing his fifty dismissed to take on the attack with run rate started to creep up.
At the end Stonis dug deep in to the chase and made Australian be in the business till the end in company with Paine, but some good death bowling from Wood and Woakes proved too much quality for the Australians. The chase went on until the last over with the hosts needing 22 runs, and the difference between the two sides has been Buttler’s Ton.
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