In a thrilling rain-affected contest, England’s stand-in skipper Harry Brook showcased his class with an unbeaten 110, marking his maiden ODI century and keeping the five-match series alive. England chased down Australia’s 304/7 before rain halted play, securing a 46-run victory via the DLS method.

The match saw England recover from early blows to keep their hopes in the series alive, with Brook leading the charge. Australia posted a competitive total of 304/7 in their 50 overs, thanks to a well-paced 77* from Alex Carey, supported by Steve Smith’s 60 and handy contributions from Aaron Hardie (44 off 26) and Cameron Green (42 off 49). Jofra Archer was the pick of the England bowlers, finishing with figures of 2/67.

Australia’s innings seemed promising, with openers setting the tone early and middle-order contributions building on that platform. Carey, in particular, was instrumental in pushing Australia to what looked like a winning total. However, England had other plans.

England’s chase began on a shaky note, with opener Phil Salt and Ben Duckett falling early to Mitchell Starc, leaving the home side at 11/2. The Australian pacers, led by Starc, made early inroads, and at that point, it seemed the match was following a familiar script from previous games. However, Harry Brook and Will Jacks had other ideas. The pair took control of the game with a match-defining partnership of 156 runs from 147 balls, steering England back into contention.

Brook and Jacks steadied the innings and played aggressively, picking boundaries with ease even in challenging conditions. By the time Jacks departed for a well-made 84 off 82 balls, England had established a solid platform. Jacks’ innings was laced with nine boundaries and one six, as he played a pivotal role in shifting the momentum back in England’s favor.

Brook, meanwhile, continued to dominate. With Australia’s bowlers struggling to find breakthroughs, Brook remained composed, bringing up his maiden ODI century in just 94 balls. His innings, studded with 13 fours and two sixes, was a display of his growing stature in international cricket. His control over the chase, even as wickets fell around him, proved crucial for England.

Australia’s bowling attack, led by Starc and Green, struggled to contain Brook and his new partner Liam Livingstone, who added a quickfire 33 off 20 balls. The pair’s unbroken 57-run stand further nudged England ahead of the required rate.

The rain first arrived when England was 254/4 in 37.4 overs, with Brook unbeaten on 110. Though there was brief hope that the play might resume, rain eventually returned, and the match was called off, handing England a crucial win by 46 runs via the DLS method.

This victory not only ended England’s seven-match losing streak against Australia in ODIs but also snapped Australia’s impressive 14-game unbeaten streak, which had stretched back to last year’s ODI World Cup. For England, this result was a much-needed boost after struggling earlier in the series. Brook’s century and Jacks’ fine support helped England find their footing in a must-win game, keeping the series alive.

Brief Scores:

• Australia: 304/7 in 50 overs (Alex Carey 77*, Steve Smith 60, Aaron Hardie 44, Cameron Green 42; Jofra Archer 2-67)
• England: 254/4 in 37.4 overs (Harry Brook 110*, Will Jacks 84; Cameron Green 2-45, Mitchell Starc 2-63)
  England won by 46 runs (DLS method).

Frank Duckworth, the English statistician who co-invented the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method for cricket, passed away on June 21 at the age of 84, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo.

Duckworth, along with fellow statistician Tony Lewis, developed the method to determine results in rain-affected cricket matches. The Duckworth-Lewis method was first used in international cricket in 1997 and became the standard method adopted by the ICC in 2001. Later, the method was renamed to include Australian statistician Steven Stern, who made modifications to it.

Duckworth and Lewis were both awarded MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in June 2010 for their contributions to cricket. The DLS method uses complex statistical analysis to set revised targets for teams batting second, taking into account factors like wickets remaining and overs lost.