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Harry Brook says return to form ‘a matter of time’ as England hammer Australia

England captain Harry Brook insisted he was always confident of coming good after starring in a 186-run rout of Australia at Lord’s on Friday that set up a one-day international series decider with the world champions.

Brook, leading England in the absence of the injured Jos Buttler, followed his match-winning and maiden ODI hundred at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday with a superb 87 from 58 balls at Lord’s.

In a match reduced by rain to 39 overs per side, the big-hitting Liam Livingstone added late impetus with a whirlwind 62 not out from just 27 balls as England posted an imposing total of 312-5.

Australia, following a promising start to their reply, collapsed to 126 all out inside 25 overs as England levelled the five-match series at 2-2 ahead of Sunday’s finale at Bristol.

Harry Brook came under fire from former England captains Michael Vaughan and Alastair Cook for the way he succumbed to frustration while being dismissed in this month’s third Test loss to Sri Lanka at the Oval.

But in an ODI format which is unfamiliar to many members of a new-look England side, the 25-year-old produced his second superbly-paced innings of the week.

“It felt like only a matter of time for me,” Brook told reporters.

“I feel like I’ve been playing well all summer, everything just needed to click. The last couple of games for me have been really special.”

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England opener Ben Duckett survived an awkward opening spell from Mitchell Starc to make 63 before Livingstone smashed seven sixes, including four in an astounding last over from the left-arm fast bowler that cost 28 runs.

“He was striking it unbelievably well,” Brook said of Livingstone. “We all know what he’s capable of doing at the back end (of an innings).”

Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh put on 68 in the first nine overs of Australia’s reply before the innings subsided as Brydon Carse (3-36) and Jofra Archer (2-33) did the bulk of the early damage in helpful conditions under the floodlights.

Archer, plagued by injury since starring in England’s triumphant 2019 World Cup campaign, touched speeds of 93 mph (150 km/h), with fellow paceman Matthew Potts rounding off the home side’s fine all-round display with an ODI best 4-38.

And express quick Archer also struck Marnus Labuschagne a nasty blow on the elbow.

“It was phenomenal to watch,” Brook said. “We knew the seamers were getting the most out the pitch so I just tried to bowl them as many overs as possible.”

Australia, without Cameron Green after the all-rounder suffered a tour-ending back injury, had few answers as skipper Marsh admitted.

“Fair play to England, they put us under a lot of pressure with the bat,” Marsh told Sky Sports.

“We couldn’t get early wickets and they thoroughly out-played us today. Liam Livingstone played a gem of an innings.”

He added: “England bowled really well. We lost wickets continually and that’s cricket.”

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WATCH: Liam Livingstone smashes Mitchell Starc for record 28 runs in an over

LONDON: England’s hard-hitting middle-order batter Liam Livingstone on Friday, wreaked havoc as he smashed Australia’s Mitchell Starc for 28 runs in an over.

The incident occurred in the 39th over of England’s innings in the rain-affected fourth ODI against arch-rivals Australia.

England were 284/5 in 38 overs and needed something special to breach the 300-run barrier in the allotted 39 overs.

The eventful over started with Strac trying to deliver a yorker just outside the off stump but got fractionally short, allowing Livingstone to open his arms and launch the ball for a gigantic six over the long-on.

Starc responded with a slower bouncer and managed to deceive Livingstone.

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The left-arm pacer once again went for a yorker but faltered and Livingstone, cleared his front leg to flick the ball over the square-leg boundary.

The baton charge appeared to have taken a toll on Mitchell Starc as he bowled a wide full-toss, which received the same treatment from Liam Livingstone.

After being hit for three sixes on his first four deliveries, Starc decided to improvise and bowled a pacy length delivery angling outside off but Livingstone, fuelled with momentum, managed to drag it over the cow corner for another massive six.

The experienced pacer finally managed to execute a wide yorker on the final delivery of the innings but still could not get away with it as Livingstone slashed it for a four over point.

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The late fireworks saw Livingstone finish at an unbeaten 62 off just 27 deliveries, laced up with 10 boundaries including seven sixes, playing a pivotal role in leading England to a massive total after skipper Harry Brook’s brisk 87-run knock.

Notably, Mitchell Starc, who returned dismal figures of 70/0 in his quota of eight overs, bagged an unwanted record of conceding the most runs by an Australian bowler in ODIs.

The previous most (26 runs) was jointly conceded by Simon Davis, Craig McDermott, Xavier Doherty, Adam Zampa and Cameron Green.

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Brook ‘relieved’ as maiden ODI ton sets up England win over Australia

CHESTER-LE-STREET: Harry Brook said he felt a sense of relief after his maiden one-day international hundred paved the way for England to beat Australia in the third ODI of the three-match series here on Wednesday.

Following heavy defeats by world champions Australia at Trent Bridge and Headingley, England had to win at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday to keep the five-match series alive.

Harry Brook came in to bat with England struggling at 11-2 after Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc had removed both openers.

But the 25-year-old Yorkshireman responded with a superb 110 not out. He received excellent support from Will Jacks (84) in a match-changing stand of 156.

By the time rain curtailed England’s pursuit of a target of 305, they had long since done enough to win by 46 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method.

It was yet more evidence of Brook’s talent and temperament with the novice captain, leading England this series in place of the injured Jos Buttler, appearing in just his 18th ODI.

Harry Brook was simply pleased to be back in the runs.

“I’m relieved, for sure,” he told reporters. “It’s nice to get that first hundred on the board and hopefully there’s plenty more to come.”

“I feel like I’ve been a little bit stop-start this summer. I’ve had a lot of starts — 30s and 40s — and then not managed to convert, which is frustrating.

“To do that today, I feel like I’m back in a good place. Obviously it’s nice to score runs against Australia, but scoring runs is amazing, no matter who it is against.”

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Brook came under fire for his post-match comments following England’s defeat in the series opener in Nottingham when he tried to explain some loose dismissals by saying: “If you get caught somewhere on the boundary or in the field then who cares?”

But Harry Brook was adamant he had been misunderstood.

“I think people took that a little bit the wrong way,” he said. “You’ve got to go out and play fearlessly and almost have that ‘who cares?’ attitude but that’s not a ‘who cares if we lose?’ attitude. We all want to win, but you don’t want to go out and have that fear of getting out.

“You’ve seen it so many times in the Test environment, at the start Stokesy (England red-ball captain Ben Stokes) was getting out caught at mid-on which is unheard of before, so you’ve got to go out with that fearless attitude and try to take it to the bowlers.”

Australia coach Andrew McDonald was left to rue the absence of key spinner Adam Zampa, a late withdrawal through illness, as England ended his side’s run of 14 consecutive ODI wins.

McDonald had no doubt about Harry Brook’s quality, saying: “Full credit to Harry. He’s an impressive player and he’s going to have a long career for England.

“He’s going to give us some headaches over the journey. The way he played, the way he led today…sometimes you’ve got to take your hat off to the opposition. This is one of those moments.”

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Clutch Carey aids Australia to thump England in second ODI

LEEDS: Alex Carey scored a defiant half-century which turned out to be a cornerstone in leading Australia to a statement 68-run victory over England in the second ODI of the five-match series here at Headingley on Saturday.

Australia were reeling at 221/9 in 36.3 overs despite a counter-punching half-century by skipper Mitchell Marsh in the middle.

But Carey led them out of trouble and to a decent total of 270 all out with a one-sided partnership with Josh Hazlewood.

Carey remained the top-scorer for Australia with a 67-ball 74, laced up with eight fours and three sixes. He was finally dismissed by Olly Stone in the 45th over.

Earlier, after being put into bat first, the visitors lost their in-form opener Travis Head (29) early with just 46 runs on the board in the ninth over, which paved the way for Marsh’s onslaught.

The right-handed batter smashed six fours and three sixes on his way to a 59-ball 60 before eventually falling victim to Jacob Bethell in the 26th over, reducing Australia to 151/5.

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Australia kept on losing wickets and eventually slipped to just one wicket away from bundling out on a modest total before Alex Carey turned the tide in their favour.

Brydon Carse was the star with the ball for England, picking up three wickets. He was followed by Bethell, Adil Rashid and Potts, who bagged two each.

The 271-run target turned out to be sufficient for new-look England, who had slipped to 56/5 inside 10 overs.

Wicketkeeper batter Jamie Smith offered some fightback with a cautious 49 until falling victim to Hazlewood in the 31st over, leaving England in tatters at 159/7.

England’s batting tail was toothless against a disciplined Australia bowling attack as their remaining three wickets only yielded 43 runs, resulting in the home side being eventually booked on 202 with around 10 overs to spare.

Mitchell Starc led Australia’s bowling charge with three wickets. He was backed by fellow pacer Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Hardie, who took two apiece.

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Head goes berserk as Australia thump England in first ODI

NOTTINGHAM: Travis Head’s unbeaten century, coupled with two wickets, powered Australia to a convincing seven-wicket victory over England in the first ODI of the five-match series here at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

Set to chase a daunting 316, Australia comfortably amassed 317/3 with 36 balls to spare, courtesy of an unbeaten 148-run partnership between Head and Marnus Labuschagne.

The visitors, however, had a contrasting start to the pursuit as they lost their skipper Mitchell Marsh (10) in the fourth over with 20 runs on the board.

Experienced batter Steve Smith then joined Head in the middle and together they raised an anchoring partnership which yielded 76 runs.

Smith looked in great touch as he scored at a brisk rate until falling victim to Liam Livingstone in the 16th over. He smashed three sixes on his way to a 28-ball 32.

Head was then involved in another crucial partnership with Cameron Green, who made a run-a-ball 32.

Australia were 169/3 in 26.1 overs when Marnus Labuschagne joined Travis Head in the middle, needing a further 146 runs.

The duo dominated the England bowlers with Travis Head being the core aggressor while Labuschagne anchored his way through as Australia reached the finish line with six overs left.

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Travis Head top-scored with a quickfire 154 off 129 deliveries, peppered with 20 fours and five sixes while Marnus Labuschagne made a well-crafted 77 off 61 balls, laced up with seven fours and two sixes.

For England, Matthew Potts, Jacob Bethell and Liam Livingstone shared three wickets between them.

Earlier, after opting to bat first, England registered a decent total of 315 at the back of brilliant half-centuries by Ben Duckett and Will Jacks.

Duckett remained the top-scorer for England with a 91-ball 95 with the help of 11 boundaries, followed by Will Jacks, who made 62 off 56 deliveries. The duo shared a 120-run stand for the second wicket to put England on course for a big total.

Besides them, stand-in skipper Harry Brook (39) and debutant Jacob Bethell (35) made significant contributions.

Adam Zampa and Marnus Labuschagne were the standout bowlers for Australia, picking up three wickets each, followed by Travis Head, who took two.

Australia now lead the five-match series 1-0 against England. The two sides next face each other in the second ODI on Saturday in Leeds.

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Harry Brook to lead England against Australia as Jos Buttler ruled out

Harry Brook will lead England in the ODI series against Australia after regular white-ball captain Jos Buttler was ruled out.

Jos Buttler is currently nursing a right calf injury, which ruled him out of the ongoing T20I series against Australia, where Phil Salt is serving as the captain.

It’s worth noting that this will be Harry Brook’s first stint as the captain of England’s ODI team.

Meanwhile, pace bowler Josh Hull is also sidelined for the ODI series with a quad injury. All-rounder Liam Livingstone has been brought into the squad for the five-match series which begins as Trent Bridge on Thursday 19 September.

Previously, England also included Olly Stone in the squad as the replacement for Gus Atkinson, who has been given a rest from the ODI series against Australia.

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The right-arm pacer played a pivotal role in England’s 2-1 series victory over Sri Lanka, picking up 12 wickets at an average of 27.41.

He turned heads with his batting skills in the recently concluded series when he scored his maiden century in the second Test at Lord’s while batting at No.8.

Gus Atkinson was initially named in England’s ODI squad which marked the absence of key players like wicketkeeper batter Jonny Bairstow and experienced all-rounder Moeen Ali.

England ODI Squad for Australia series

Harry Brook (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Reece Topley, John Turner

ODI Series Schedule

1st ODI: Thursday 19 September 2024
2nd ODI: Saturday 21 September 2024
3rd ODI: Tuesday 24 September 2024
4th ODI: Friday 27 September 2024
5th ODI: Sunday 29 September 2024

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Brendon McCullum vows to push ‘miserable’ Jos Buttler

England’s newly appointed white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum shared his plans for the “miserable” Jos Buttler, stating he wants the latter to enjoy the next three or four years.

McCullum, who reinvigorated England’s Test side alongside skipper Ben Stokes after assuming the head coach role in 2022, seeks to inject a similar approach to the limited-overs teams.

The former New Zealand captain extended his contract until the end of 2027, officially taking over the reins of England’s white-ball men’s teams in January ahead of their tour of India and the Champions Trophy in Pakistan.

One of Brendon McCullum’s emphases was to revive the fortunes of limited-overs captain Jos Buttler, who according to him, is not naturally expressive.

“He’s not naturally as expressive as some may be but I think he’s done a great job. He’s an incredibly gifted player and he’s a fine leader,” said McCullum.

“My job is to get the best out of him so that all those guys that sit in the dressing room feel like they can be 10 feet tall and bulletproof when they walk out to play.”

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The former New Zealand captain added: “Jos and I actually start from a strong base. We know each other, we’re mates, we have similar styles of play.

“If he was to retire today, he’d go down as probably the greatest white-ball player England’s ever produced, so the opportunity for the next three or four years is just to enjoy it.”

Notably, Jos Buttler will miss England’s upcoming T20I series against arch-rivals Australia due to a calf injury but Brendon McCullum backed the skipper he called England’s greatest-ever white-ball player to come good in the twilight of his career.

READ: Australian pacer ruled out of UK tour, replacement named

Australian pacer ruled out of UK tour, replacement named

Right-arm Australia pacer Nathan Ellis has been ruled out of the ongoing T20I series against Scotland and the white-ball series against arch-rivals England, scheduled later this month.

According to the details, Ellis suffered a hamstring injury during his time at London Spriti in The Hundred last month and as a result, missed Australia’s T20I series opener against Scotland.

Ellis’ Tasmanian teammate Riley Meredith, who made his international return after a gap of more than two years in Australia’s seven-wicket victory over Scotland, will now remain a part of the Australia squad for the three-match T20I series against England.

His replacement for the five-match ODI series against England, however, will be announced in due course.

Nathan Ellis was supposed to lead Australia’s inexperienced pace attack against Scotland in the absence of the senior trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.

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Cummins and Starc will miss Australia’s both T20I series while Hazlewood will return for the England assignment.

“This was one of the series that I had earmarked for a long period of time knowing the schedule and the demand it would have on a lot of the guys,” Ellis had said.

“Any time I get the Aussie jersey on I’m pumped, so the longer I can keep wearing it the better.”

It is pertinent to mention that Nathan Ellis is the third Australian pacer to get injured ahead of the white-ball UK tour as Spencer Johnson was sidelined due to a side strain while Hazlewood suffered a minor right calf strain.

Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood (England games only), Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Riley Meredith (Scotland games only), Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

READ: Jos Buttler ruled out of Australia T20Is, new captain named

Jos Buttler ruled out of Australia T20Is, new captain named

England Men’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler has been ruled out of the upcoming T20I series against Australia.

In Buttler’s absence, Phil Salt, who has captained the Manchester Originals in The Hundred this season, will lead the T20I side.

Buttler is currently nursing a right calf injury and is doubtful for the ODI series against Australia, scheduled later this month.

All-rounder Jamie Overton has been called up as Buttler’s replacement in the T20I squad.

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The three-match T20I series is set to begin next week at the Utilita Bowl, Southampton, on 11 September 2024.

Additionally, Jordan Cox has been added to the ODI squad as cover. The five-match ODI series is scheduled to start on 19 September at Trent Bridge.

England T20I Squad for Australia series

Phil Salt (c), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, John Turner

England ODI Squad for Australia series

Jos Buttler (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Reece Topley, John Turner

T20I Series Schedule

1st T20I: Wednesday 11 September 2024
2nd T20I: Friday 13 September 2024
3rd T20I: Australia, Sunday15 September 2024

ODI Series Schedule

1st ODI: Thursday 19 September 2024
2nd ODI: Saturday 21 September 2024
3rd ODI: Tuesday 24 September 2024
4th ODI: Friday 27 September 2024
5th ODI: Sunday 29 September 2024

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England stare at potential setback ahead of Australia T20Is

England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler is doubtful for his side’s upcoming home T20I series against Australia, scheduled to commence on September 11.

According to a report by ESPNCricinfo, Buttler suffered a setback on his road to recovery from a calf injury and was consequently ruled out of the T20 Blast quarter-final between Lancashire and Sussex on September 4.

The England captain has been away from professional cricket since England’s defeat in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final against eventual champions India.

He sustained a calf injury in July amid his preparations for The Hundred 2024 and had been gearing up to make his long-awaited return at T20 Blast quarter-final.

Lancashire coach Dale Benkenstein confirmed Jos Buttler’s unavailability to BBC Radio Lancashire.

“We’ve had some bad news on his recovery,” Benkenstein said.

“He had an injury he was recovering from, and he’s sort of tweaked it again. He’s not only just out of our T20s, but I think he’s even struggling to make the international ones. He was very keen to play for us.”

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Details further suggested that England are not overly concerned about their white-ball captain’s fitness ahead of the series opener and are hopeful that Buttler would be able to lead in all eight white-ball fixtures against Australia.

England’s T20I squad is set to report to the Utilita Bowl on Sunday ahead of a two-day training camp and that is when England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) medical panel is likely to assess Buttler’s condition.

Buttler is unlikely to keep wickets in the T20I series which hints at broader chances that he would be able to attain enough fitness.

Notably, England do not have an official white-ball vice-captain but Sam Curran and Phil Salt are the strong candidates to lead the former champions in the series if Jos Buttler fails to make a cut.

READ: Two key players left out of England’s white-ball squad for Australia series