Tom Banton’s 121 helped England recover from a heavy defeat in the first ODI against Australia, powering them to a total of 355-6 in Adelaide. England’s batting was led by Banton’s second ODI century, supported by Joe Cox’s 67 and Joe Root’s 62, setting a formidable target that Australia could not approach.
England’s bowlers then dominated, reducing Australia to 29-4 inside seven overs. Gus Atkinson took 4-28, including the wickets of Travis Head, Cooper Connolly, and Josh Inglis, while Sonny Baker impressed with the new ball, swinging the ball to claim the key wicket of Australia captain Mitchell Marsh caught by Root. Sam Curran also made an impact late in the innings, taking two wickets in two balls to seal the win.
This 135-run victory ended England’s seven-match losing streak against Australia in Adelaide and snapped a run of six straight away losses in 50-over matches against the hosts. It also leveled the series at 1-1 ahead of the decider in Hobart on Wednesday.
After being bowled out for just 131 in Perth two days earlier, England’s response was their highest ODI total on Australian soil. Banton, who took over as opener following Jacob Bethell’s injury, has now scored two hundreds and four fifties in nine innings, cementing his place at the top of the order. He was hit on the helmet early by left-armer Spencer Johnson but recovered to attack the short square boundaries with powerful pulls.
Banton’s 137-run partnership with Root steadied the innings after early wickets, and later Joe Cox and Will Jacks accelerated the scoring, adding 110 runs in the final 10 overs. Cox’s 67 came after he replaced Harry Brook, who was dismissed attempting a ramp shot early on. Cox displayed a range of shots, including a reverse scoop for four off Xavier Bartlett, while Jacks remained unbeaten on 54.
The bowling performance showed promise after recent struggles. Baker, selected over Jamie Overton to provide early swing, took important wickets, including the captain Marsh for two. Atkinson’s dismissals of Head, Connolly, and Inglis rewarded his recent good form. Despite dropping four catches, England’s bowlers maintained pressure. Green and Renshaw resisted with scores of 64 and 63 respectively, but Sam Curran’s wickets in quick succession helped wrap up Australia’s innings at 220 all out.
Liam Dawson, preferred over Adil Rashid, took 2-41. Australia’s innings included a stumping of Cameron Green when the ball deflected off Jordan Cox’s shin onto the stumps, a rare dismissal.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan praised Banton’s batting, saying, “Banton has really found his flow for batting. I don’t know who the person was to say ‘you can open the batting in 50-over cricket, Tom’ but it’s been a tremendous move. He and Ben Duckett look a good combo. Banton seems to have all the time, all the strokes. He’s got the pull shot, he’s got the drive down the ground and he plays spin great. He hasn’t looked like he’s trying too hard to score runs, he’s just batted.”
England’s performance offered positives after a difficult run of results, including heavy losses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. With the series tied, England will look to maintain their momentum in the deciding match in Hobart.
According to Yahoo Sports.
