adminMANCHESTER. — Jos Buttler gave Australia one last nightmare to take home from an abject ODI tour of England as the hosts squeaked to a victory that gave them a first-ever 5-0 sweep of a series between the two nations. The hosts won the final ODI by one-wicket yesterday.
Befitting the confidence gulf between the teams, Australia made the best possible start to both innings and squandered their advantage each time.
England made the worst possible start in both innings and found a way to win.
That they did so was largely due to Buttler, in the first innings of his ODI career to traverse more than 100 balls. B
illy Stanlake’s pace and hostility had reduced England to 50 for 5 in pursuit of 206 and they were no further than 114 at the fall of the eighth wicket.
But so brilliantly did Buttler modulate the chase and so ably did Adil Rashid support him in a stand of 81 that a top edge for England’s No. 10 and a fine catch by Stanlake came as something of a surprise. — AFP.
Online Reporter