England delivered a remarkable all-round performance in the fourth ODI, outplaying Australia by 186 runs at Lord’s on September 27, Friday. With this win, England leveled the series 2-2 and set up a series decider in Bristol on Sunday.
After rain played spoilsport for over two hours, the match was trimmed to 39 overs per side. After being asked to bat first, the home team posted an impressive total of 312/5. Stand-in captain Harry Brook starred with a brilliant 87 off 58 deliveries, while Liam Livingstone made history with a record-breaking 25-ball half-century and remained unbeaten at 62 off just 27 balls, featuring three fours and seven sixes.
Australia openers Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh provided a solid start for their side, with the former hitting a massive six over the Stand. By the end of the eight-over powerplay, Australia reached 66 without loss, while England were 34 during their innings. In the ninth over, the momentum shifted as Head was dismissed by Brydon Carse and Steven Smith edged a risky shot off Matthew Potts in the following over.
Jofra Archer then produced a standout delivery, at 88.2mph, to send back Marsh. The Aussie skipper hit the stumps, allowing Archer to claim his first wicket at Lord’s since 2019. The ace speedster later claimed Glenn Maxwell’s wicket, leaving Australia in a precarious position.
Potts produced a career-best performance, claiming 4 for 38, while Carse finished with figures of 3/36. It is worth noting that England’s pace attack played a crucial role, claiming nine wickets. Later, Adil Rashid sealed the victory for the hosts by dismissing Josh Hazlewood, restricting Australia to 126 in 24.4 overs.
In England’s innings, Phil Salt and Ben Duckett added 48 runs before the former was caught for 22 off Hazlewood’s delivery. Will Jacks then fell to Marsh in his second over and by that time Australia scored 71/2. Brook, who scored his maiden ODI hundred in Durham, smoothly reached his fifty in just 37 deliveries. The 25-year-old formed crucial partnerships, contributing 79 runs with Duckett (63 off 62) for the third wicket and 75 runs with Jamie Smith for the fourth, putting England in a dominating position. His innings ended in the 31st over when he was caught by Maxwell off a tossed-up delivery from Adam Zampa, finishing with 87 off 58 balls, including 11 boundaries and one maximum.
Livingstone finished the innings spectacularly, smashing four sixes in the last over bowled by Starc, which yielded 28 runs. Interestingly, England added 156 runs in their last 15 overs. Zampa took two wickets, while Hazlewood, Marsh, and Maxwell each claimed one for the tourists.