ENG vs AUS 2024, ENG vs AUS 4th ODI Match Report, September 27, 2024

England Batting 312 for 5 (Brook 87, Duckett 63, Livingstone 62*). Australia 126 (Potts 4-38, Carse 3-36) for 186 runs

Then Archer produced something special. An offshoot traveling at 88.2 miles per hour initially raced toward Marsh before straightening to hit the edge and clatter off the stump. It was a tour de force to give Archer his first Lord’s wicket since 2019 and he rightly turned away in celebration. When his next ball crashed into the forearm of Marnus Labuschagne, the flashbacks of 2019 were in full swing, albeit in colored clothing, and Archer also added Glenn Maxwell during Australia’s collapse

Soon, however, his ball to Marsh had a contender for winning the game (or series) as Carse found an unplayable offering to flatten Labuschagne’s off-stump. It was a collective effort from England’s quicks, who shared nine wickets between them – Potts took three wickets in four balls to storm through the bottom order – before Adil Rashid finished off the job.

Brook initially appeared to be playing a different game to the other batters as he jumped out of the blocks with three leg-side boundaries before his near-miss, allowing England’s momentum to build around him. Sean Abbott’s expensive streak continued – at the end of the innings his three-game total was 19.4-0-165-0 – while both Brook and Duckett faced Adam Zampa and the other overs of spin from Maxwell and Labuschagne.

Duckett, who had offered Starc a tough return catch before goal, sent Zampa long-on for six before a hard-working 51-ball half-century later, before top-edging the legspinner into deep field promoted. Smith continued the aggressive approach against Zampa, sending him over long-on, and Brook added a second six to deep midwicket in the same over. The 12 overs with spin totaled 106.

A moment of absentmindedness was almost enough for Smith as he narrowly avoided being run out by failing to hit his bat into the field at the non-striker’s end, although the ball ended up costing Australia six runs as the deflection to the rope went . At this point, Brook was in contention for England’s fastest ODI hundred at Lord’s – 61 balls from Jos Buttler – but prevailed in the long run as Zampa ended his stay with his 58th.

Smith pounced in the next over, cutting Maxwell to short third, but any concerns that the innings might be limping to a finish were dispelled when Livingstone provided stunning power late on. After a fierce hit over Hazlewood midwicket, Starc’s figures, including two sixes, were dismantled into the pavilion to the increasingly joyous roar of a large crowd. Unlike last summer, a series between England and Australia goes into the final 2-2, although the weather in Bristol may still have the final say.