• England 316-8; Australia 259
• England won by 57 runs; Australia lead series 3-1
Do not adjust your newspaper. This is not a misprint. England have indeed won a cricket match in Australia. Never mind the Ashes, or the meltdown in Brisbane, or the one-day series slipping away in Sydney: 10 matches and 131 days since their last victory in Cardiff in September, England beat Australia quite comfortably in the end, leading from the front in a 57-run victory at the Waca that was inspired by fine and fearless all-round performances by Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes.
Alastair Cook had announced at the toss – a little oddly given heads or tails normally does the trick – that he is now "desperate" to stay on as England captain, and in the moment of victory he raised his arms in a weary gesture of triumph before allowing himself to gambol about from team-mate to team-mate with a huge grin on his face. Cook has suffered horribly over the last three months, from a bad back in the opening warm-up match to the successive annihilations of Test and one-day series. Now, though, he will at least always have Perth.
Powered by yet another display of controlled late-innings butchery by Buttler, England had posted 316 in the first innings, forty runs more the previous highest-winning chase on this ground. With David Warner, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin all missing here, they really weren't going to get a better chance to avoid the looming threat of a 10-match Cookwash decider in Adelaide on Australia day. If the prospect of complete annihilation narrowly avoided is hardly cause for jubilation, moments of grace on this unrelentingly traumatic tour have been scarce and England will seize this one happily.
England won the toss and batted first for the fourth time having gone into this match unchanged. Australia included an extra pace bowler on a pitch that gleamed in the sun, and which seemed to have quickened up by the afternoon as Australia set off with familiar intent in pursuit of England's total.
With Aaron Finch in true-track biffer mode Australia surged to 40 for no loss off their first five overs before Tim Bresnan drew an edge from Shaun Marsh that was well caught by a leaping Ian Bell at second slip. Cook remained aggressive in the field throughout even as Australia's 50 came up in the ninth over and nerves began to fray just a little. Finch already looked central to proceedings with Australia's batting order more of a Twenty20 affair, tailing away into a miscellany of all-rounders.
James Tredwell was allowed to bowl a nagging spell of four overs for 12 runs before Finch, tiring of prodding, hit him on to the roof of the stand at cow corner, and then flicked the next ball flat and hard into the crowd at the same spot. Matthew Wade was finally euthanised from the crease after a scratchy 23, caught at mid-off swiping at Ravi Bopara in the course of – yes, really – England's first maiden over of the series.
George Bailey departed at 133 for two, well caught by Buttler down the leg side off Ben Stokes, and England were – cautiously – edging in on victory. Finch stroked his way to a fine and occasionally brutal second hundred of the series off 97 balls with eight fours and four effortless sixes.
Steve Smith came out swinging and also left swinging, edging Stuart Broad behind and finally Finch fell, guiding a short ball from Bresnan into Broad's hands at third man. England were giddy. When Glenn Maxwell was caught by Buttler off Stokes to leave Australia 225 for six and needing almost nine an over, it was only the unscabbed wounds of Brisbane that stilled any premature thoughts of victory. Stokes had suffered at James Faulkner's hands last week, but he got his man here and celebrated with relief as much as any great joy, before Bresnan took the final wicket of James Pattinson.
Earlier England had batted with a sense of concentrated aggression on a true pitch. Cook took 14 off Nathan Coulter-Nile's first over, thrashing past point with a sense of contained fury. Bell twice stepped down the pitch to loft Faulkner back over his head with lovely easy power, not so much bullying the bowling as tickling it expertly to death, and England were motoring at 55 without loss after eight overs.
Cook was bowled slogging by Maxwell and Stokes came out at No3 as Bell went to a 50 off 48 balls before departing in the limpest fashion, caught at very short fine leg flicking daintily at Dan Christian's fourth ball. Stokes, though, continued to rumble, bringing up a fine first fifty in one day cricket with a huge straight six off Maxwell, a controlled, assertive innings of orthodox attacking strokes.
Stokes was out for 70 skying Faulkner's slower ball, Bopara again went cheaply before Buttler began to find the boundary with great power, including a pair of fizzed cover drives off Mitchell Johnson, who was a shadow here of the menacing figure of the Test series. In 20 international overs post-moustache, Johnson's figures are one for 131.
Buttler continued to bat with a sense of controlled brutality before he was caught at third man for 71 off 44 balls. What a player he is, far too talented to be overlooked by England in any form of the game he wants to play. With Stokes picking up four wickets as Australia fell away and Buttler also taking four catches, there was evidence of the explosive ability in this England team. For now they will simply celebrate a win. Reported by guardian.co.uk 4 days ago.
• England won by 57 runs; Australia lead series 3-1
Do not adjust your newspaper. This is not a misprint. England have indeed won a cricket match in Australia. Never mind the Ashes, or the meltdown in Brisbane, or the one-day series slipping away in Sydney: 10 matches and 131 days since their last victory in Cardiff in September, England beat Australia quite comfortably in the end, leading from the front in a 57-run victory at the Waca that was inspired by fine and fearless all-round performances by Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes.
Alastair Cook had announced at the toss – a little oddly given heads or tails normally does the trick – that he is now "desperate" to stay on as England captain, and in the moment of victory he raised his arms in a weary gesture of triumph before allowing himself to gambol about from team-mate to team-mate with a huge grin on his face. Cook has suffered horribly over the last three months, from a bad back in the opening warm-up match to the successive annihilations of Test and one-day series. Now, though, he will at least always have Perth.
Powered by yet another display of controlled late-innings butchery by Buttler, England had posted 316 in the first innings, forty runs more the previous highest-winning chase on this ground. With David Warner, Michael Clarke, Shane Watson and Brad Haddin all missing here, they really weren't going to get a better chance to avoid the looming threat of a 10-match Cookwash decider in Adelaide on Australia day. If the prospect of complete annihilation narrowly avoided is hardly cause for jubilation, moments of grace on this unrelentingly traumatic tour have been scarce and England will seize this one happily.
England won the toss and batted first for the fourth time having gone into this match unchanged. Australia included an extra pace bowler on a pitch that gleamed in the sun, and which seemed to have quickened up by the afternoon as Australia set off with familiar intent in pursuit of England's total.
With Aaron Finch in true-track biffer mode Australia surged to 40 for no loss off their first five overs before Tim Bresnan drew an edge from Shaun Marsh that was well caught by a leaping Ian Bell at second slip. Cook remained aggressive in the field throughout even as Australia's 50 came up in the ninth over and nerves began to fray just a little. Finch already looked central to proceedings with Australia's batting order more of a Twenty20 affair, tailing away into a miscellany of all-rounders.
James Tredwell was allowed to bowl a nagging spell of four overs for 12 runs before Finch, tiring of prodding, hit him on to the roof of the stand at cow corner, and then flicked the next ball flat and hard into the crowd at the same spot. Matthew Wade was finally euthanised from the crease after a scratchy 23, caught at mid-off swiping at Ravi Bopara in the course of – yes, really – England's first maiden over of the series.
George Bailey departed at 133 for two, well caught by Buttler down the leg side off Ben Stokes, and England were – cautiously – edging in on victory. Finch stroked his way to a fine and occasionally brutal second hundred of the series off 97 balls with eight fours and four effortless sixes.
Steve Smith came out swinging and also left swinging, edging Stuart Broad behind and finally Finch fell, guiding a short ball from Bresnan into Broad's hands at third man. England were giddy. When Glenn Maxwell was caught by Buttler off Stokes to leave Australia 225 for six and needing almost nine an over, it was only the unscabbed wounds of Brisbane that stilled any premature thoughts of victory. Stokes had suffered at James Faulkner's hands last week, but he got his man here and celebrated with relief as much as any great joy, before Bresnan took the final wicket of James Pattinson.
Earlier England had batted with a sense of concentrated aggression on a true pitch. Cook took 14 off Nathan Coulter-Nile's first over, thrashing past point with a sense of contained fury. Bell twice stepped down the pitch to loft Faulkner back over his head with lovely easy power, not so much bullying the bowling as tickling it expertly to death, and England were motoring at 55 without loss after eight overs.
Cook was bowled slogging by Maxwell and Stokes came out at No3 as Bell went to a 50 off 48 balls before departing in the limpest fashion, caught at very short fine leg flicking daintily at Dan Christian's fourth ball. Stokes, though, continued to rumble, bringing up a fine first fifty in one day cricket with a huge straight six off Maxwell, a controlled, assertive innings of orthodox attacking strokes.
Stokes was out for 70 skying Faulkner's slower ball, Bopara again went cheaply before Buttler began to find the boundary with great power, including a pair of fizzed cover drives off Mitchell Johnson, who was a shadow here of the menacing figure of the Test series. In 20 international overs post-moustache, Johnson's figures are one for 131.
Buttler continued to bat with a sense of controlled brutality before he was caught at third man for 71 off 44 balls. What a player he is, far too talented to be overlooked by England in any form of the game he wants to play. With Stokes picking up four wickets as Australia fell away and Buttler also taking four catches, there was evidence of the explosive ability in this England team. For now they will simply celebrate a win. Reported by guardian.co.uk 4 days ago.