Australia thrash England in 3rd ODI, complete series sweep
Australia completed a 3-0 whitewash over England after thrashing them in the third ODI. The Men in Yellow successfully defended a mammoth 355/5, winning by 221 runs (DLS method). Leg-spinner Adam Zampa took four wickets as England were bundled out for 142. Earlier, Travis Head and David Warner scored centuries, propelling Australia to a record-breaking total. Here are the key stats.
How did the match pan out?
Head and Warner absolutely destroyed England's bowling attack after the latter elected to field. The duo shared a 269-run stand before Warner departed. Mitchell Marsh scored a 16-ball 30 as Australia hammered 355/5 (48) in a rain-curtailed innings. Olly Stone took four wickets for England. Jos Buttler and Co. never got going, having lost wickets at regular intervals. They perished on 142.
Head smashes his third ODI hundred
Australian opener Head registered his third ODI ton during the run-chase. The southpaw clubbed a 130-ball 152, now his highest score in 50-over cricket. It was his second fifty-plus score in the series. Notably, Head has clocked five 50-plus scores across nine innings, starting from Australia's tour of Pakistan in March. His scores read 101(72), 89(70), 0(1), 23(34), 70*(65), 27(33), 69(57), 19(28), and 152(130).
Head enters the record books!
As per ESPNcricinfo, Head's 152 is now the sixth-highest score by an Aussie batter in ODIs at home. He pipped Andrew Symonds' knock of 151 (vs Sri Lanka). It is the fifth-highest total by an Australian in ODIs played at MCG. Meanwhile, it is the seventh-highest individual score overall at MCG in the format. Jason Roy's 180 stands tall.
Other notable feats of Head
As per ESPNcricinfo, Head's 152 is now the sixth-highest score by an Aussie batter in ODIs at home. He pipped Andrew Symonds' knock of 151 (vs Sri Lanka). It's the fifth-highest total by an Australian in ODIs played at MCG.
Warner slams his 19th ODI century
Warner slammed his 19th century in ODI cricket. He scored his first international century in nearly three years. He equaled Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene and West Indies' Brian Lara in terms of ODI centuries. The Australian opener now has the joint-second-most international tons among active cricketers, with Root (44). Indian batter Virat Kohli tops this list with 71 international centuries.
A record-breaking partnership
Head and Warner were all guns blazing, smashing the ball around the ground. The pair fetched a colossal 269-run stand for the opening wicket, now the highest opening partnership in ODIs at MCG, as per ESPNcricinfo (the previous highest was 225 between Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist against England, 2002). It is also the first double-century stand for the first wicket at this venue.
Two 250-plus runs partnerships in ODI cricket
Warner and Head have become just the second pair with two 250-plus runs partnerships in ODI cricket. Their first came in 2017 (284 vs Pakistan, Adelaide). Notably, Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly are the only other pair with this feat.
A look at other notable records
Australia's 355/5 is now the highest team total at the MCG. The previous highest was 344/8 by ICC World XI against Asia XI in 2005. It was also Australia's highest total against England in men's ODIs. Australia have registered their second consecutive series win over England in ODI cricket. They have won five of their last six ODIs against England.
Zampa, Stone register four-wicket hauls
Australian leg-spinner Zampa was the standout bowler in the match. He recorded noteworthy figures of 4/31 in 5.4 overs, including a maiden. Zampa finished as the only bowler with over 10 wickets in the three-match series (11). Meanwhile, England's Olly Stone took 4/85, the joint-second-most expensive haul of four or more wickets (ODIs) with Adil Rashid (5/85 runs against West Indies in 2019).
