In a rain-affected third ODI against Australia, England’s stand-in captain Harry Brook basks in glory as he enjoys his first ODI hundred. He helped his team down the Australian team by 46 runs on the basis of DLS. With this win, England’s hopes remain alive as it narrows down the lead for Australia to 2-1 in the five-match series.
Harry Brook’s Century Drives England Towards Victory
Brook has only managed to score a century at the age of just 25 years and 215 days when replacing Jos Buttler, who has been declared unavailable with the right calf injury.
ODI 💯 # 1 🙌
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 24, 2024
Live clips: https://t.co/JTWItndNed
🏴 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 @IGcom pic.twitter.com/ZiCFM9k6Si
Also Read: PAK Vs ENG: Shan Masood Retained As Captain—Pakistan’s Full Squad Announced For 1st Test
Brook came out to stroll out to join England at 11-2, chasing a total of 305 runs. His attacking 110 off 94 balls with 13 fours and two sixes bettered his previous ODI individual score of 80. Along with Will Jacks who had scored a vital 84 off 82 balls, Brook engineered a 156-run third-wicket partnership that made all the difference for England. With Liam Livingstone also doing well at a strike rate of 165 (33 not out from 20 balls), England was easily above the DLS target when rain halted the game in the 38th over.
He's something else! 🙌
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 24, 2024
Watch all his boundaries here: https://t.co/qczbM991a0
🏴 #ENGvAUS 🇦🇺 | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/jgQPNQ3yYH
Brook’s Reaction After 1st ODI Century
“We started off really nicely with the ball and got some early wickets. They started building partnerships through the middle and batted nicely. With the bat me and Jacksy just tried to stay out there as long as possible and build a partnership.”
“I definitely through the pitch got better towards the end of the Australian innings so it was a simple message to go out and play our own game. Thankfully it came off today.” in post-match interview
“It’s nice to get the first [ODI hundred] on the board. Hopefully there’s more to come.”
Brook’s second fifty came in a hurry, off just 33 deliveries, as he accelerated the scoring against ominous weather. He reached his hundred off successive fours, surpassing Alastair Cook’s 13-year-old record of being the youngest English captain to have done so but Brook has now scored his hundred at 26 years of age which makes him the youngest player to do it.
Australia Loses Its Winning Streak
This loss ended Australia’s impressive 14-match ODI winning streak. They piled up 304-7, thanks mainly to an unbeaten 77 from Alex Carey and an entertaining 44 off just 26 balls from Aaron Hardie. Steve Smith made 60, but after he fell, the innings began to limp, especially after Cameron Green fell for 42 and Marnus Labuschagne lost his wicket within five balls.
Mitchell Marsh’s Verdict After AUS Loses 3rd ODI
“I thought we did extremely well to get to 300. It was hard work early on, there was a lot of seam movement, but England were too good with the bat.”
“We knew the wicket had flattened out so we wanted to take as many wickets as possible early on. Fair play to them, they got a big partnership going.”
“Adam Zampa was a big miss for us. We tried everything. Hopefully he’ll be okay for Lord’s.”
The winning spree for Australia in ODIs started last year in the World Cup when they staged a comeback after some initial disasters to lift their sixth title. They had defeated West Indies 3-0 and had started well for this series as well, taking the first two games off England.
