England level ODI series with 186-run win at Lord’s

LONDON (AP):

Australia endured another uncomfortable experience at the home of cricket.

Playing at Lord’s for the first time since a heated Ashes Test last year when they were accused in crowd chants of cheating, the Australians were steamrollered in a 186-run loss to England in the fourth match of their ODI series yesterday.

“In the end, they thoroughly outplayed us today,” Australia captain Mitchell Marsh said.

The series is tied at 2-2 heading into the decider in Bristol tomorrow.

In a match reduced to 39 overs per side because of wet weather, England powered to 312-5, thanks to 87 from stand-in captain Harry Brook and an unbeaten 62 from Liam Livingstone, who hit 28 runs off the final over by Mitchell Starc.

Australia was bowled out for 126 in 24.4 overs, losing 10 wickets for 58 runs, having been 68-0 early in the chase.

Australia’s cricket team – the world champions in the 50-over format – rarely get beaten as heavily as this.

After winning 14 straight games, the tourists have now lost two in a row.

Australia hadn’t played at Lord’s since a Test against England in the summer of 2023 that will live long in Ashes infamy. A controversial stumping of England batter Jonny Bairstow by wicket-keeper Alex Carey led to Australia players being jeered mercilessly, with Usman Khawaja and David Warner getting verbally abused and touched by Marylebone Cricket Club members in the sacred Long Room at the lunch interval.

British newspaper The Guardian reported that security was tightened at Lord’s 15 months on, with ropes in the Long Room pushed back to widen the walkway for the teams and stairwells off limits to members when players are on the move.

Every England batter got into double figures after Australia won the toss and opted to bowl under a cloudy sky.

Ben Duckett got England off to a fast start with 63 off 62, and that was bettered by Brook, who followed up his innings of 110 – his first ODI century – in the win in Durham in the third ODI on Tuesday with 87 off 58 balls, which contained 11 fours and one six.

Livingstone and Jacob Bethell (12 not out) put on 71 runs in seven overs in an unbroken stand for the seventh wicket. Livingstone dominated the partnership, smashing three fours and seven sixes –four of those maximums coming in that expensive last over by Starc – in a 27-ball knock.

“Liam Livingstone played a gem of an innings,” Marsh said.

Starc had figures of 0-70 off his eight overs, with spinner Adam Zampa – back from illness – also expensive but at least getting in the wickets with 2-66 off eight overs.

England’s bowlers were much more dangerous on an increasingly sticky wicket, especially Jofra Archer, who was sending down deliveries as quick as 93 miles per hour (150Km per hour) in his first ODI at the home of cricket since the 2019 World Cup final.

Set the equivalent of 400 in a regulation ODI, Australia raced to 68-0 but stumbled to 96-6 after Brydon Carse and Archer turned up the heat to take five of the first six wickets. Carse finished with 3-36, Archer had 2-33, and fellow pacer Matthew Potts claimed 4-38.

After openers Marsh (28) and Travis Head (34), no batter made more than 13.