An unbeaten 110* from Jos Buttler earned England a one-wicket win and a first-ever 5-0 clean sweep over their oldest rivals
The slowest yet surely the finest ODI hundred of Jos Buttler’s burgeoning career stirred the hearts and minds of a raucous Manchester crowd as England beat Australia 5-0 for the first time in limited-overs history.
No one who was there will ever forget it, not least Tim Paine, who must have thought when England slumped to 114/8 in search of 206 that he would finally grab his first win as Australia captain.
Buttler though is compiling a bulging portfolio of match-defining knocks. That’s six ODI centuries now – with this one today, at 122 balls, comfortably the most measured of his half-dozen, by 39 deliveries in fact – while he’s striking at a rate of 134 in T20Is, vice-captain of the one-day teams, a fine wicketkeeper, and now, at 27, a world star with something like the profile and reputation to prove it.
“That one stung,” Paine was able to mutter at the death. “When we’ve been under pressure in this series we haven’t responded.” This one will take some time to recover from, but he will at least look to the performances of Billy Stanlake and Travis Head for some modicum of succour.
Both were impressive today, Head making his third successive half-century and Stanlake, who was fast, fearsome and intimidating with the new ball, dominating England’s top-order with a superb three-wicket burst inside the first 10 overs.
The final analysis will make stark reading however. England were indifferent with the bat today, as well as in the first match at The Oval, but their overall approach, one of relentless, thrusting attack, sees records fall and reputations soar almost by the week. They are not the MRF Tyres No.1 ranked team by accident.
They were excellent with the ball on a fast, bouncy track that rewarded all disciplines. Australia undoubtedly contributed to their own downfall with some injudicious shots and two run outs, but their opponents are playing a different game at the moment.
Moeen Ali yet again was the pick with 4/46, including two victims in his first over to stem the tide after Head and Aaron Finch had put on 60 in a touch over six overs, while there were two for the debutant Sam Curran – who came back well after receiving some tap initially – and one each for Liam Plunkett and the metronomic Adil Rashid.
Though Moeen and Rashid, who were both in fine form today, have now shared 24 wickets between them across the five matches, the moment of the innings from England’s point of view was Buttler’s stupendous run out of Paine.
Scrambled minds lead to erratic decisions, and Paine’s decision to scavenge a run from a leg-side prod that trickled just a few yards off the thigh pad was another example of that.
Buttler was alert to the chance, tearing after it, gathering and in one toppling motion throwing down the stumps at the bowler’s end. He wasn’t even looking when he unfurled, but his intuitive brilliance and immense athleticism saw Paine short of his ground by at least two yards.
Australia brought up their 200 in the 34th over, for the loss of nine wickets. The thrilling chaos of the modern game is forcing all the old rules to be thrown out.
At the halfway stage, as England’s footballers got busy against Panama, a sense of anti-climax was hard to shake, but pride runs pure through every incarnation of Australia’s cricket team, and they came screaming back into this one.
First up, Jason Roy gifted the tourists an early wicket by trying to deposit Ashton Agar over the Pennines.
Jonny Bairstow was next, deflecting a Stanlake bomb onto his stumps, before Joe Root pushed too hard outside off stump, edging to Shaun Marsh at first slip, who took a good catch in front of his face.
When Eoin Morgan was too late on a forward block, Stanlake had his third and Australia had four within the first 10 overs.
Buttler sauntered out to join the fray but soon found himself running out of partners. He had barely got going when Rashid joined him for the ninth wicket, but the spinner settled in, playing a solid, sober hand, and as Buttler became more expansive, Australian anxieties became ever more pronounced.
Paine brought back Stanlake, but he was not quite as potent as before. Nathan Lyon was respectfully neutered, while Richardson got some reverse swing, but Buttler repelled the lot.
In the 42nd over, with the target having crept under 50, Buttler changed gears, advancing down the pitch to punch a Richardson half-volley through the covers, threading the infield and beating the man on the extra cover boundary.
More was to come, Buttler punching, Rashid weaving. But with 12 needed, Rashid fell, spooning a leg-side flick to Stanlake at long leg. Buttler had one ball to face of Richardson’s over, and duly pumped it down the ground for six to move to his century.
Jake Ball, the No.11, blocked, prodded and fended as Australia sought the final wicket. Buttler remained impassive throughout, a model of calm and controlled thinking until, with two runs needed, he punched yet another drive through the infield, jumped with unadulterated joy, and screamed to the gods.
His latest masterwork complete, Buttler strode off to another carnival of cheers and boisterous backslapping. England had put five past Australia, and their golden boy had barely broken sweat. How Morgan must wish the World Cup was tomorrow.
