David Warner and Travis Head combined for a record-breaking partnership at the MCG before England crumbled to its worst defeat in ODI history.
It’s fair to say that Australia has found its opening partnership for next year’s World Cup in India.
Travis Head (152 off 130 balls) and David Warner (106 off 102 balls) combined for a record-breaking 269-run opening partnership on Tuesday afternoon, demolishing England’s second-choice bowling attack as Australia secured a whopping 221-run victory at the MCG.
It was the highest partnership at the MCG in ODI history and Australia’s second-largest partnership in the 50-over format.
England hardly put up a fight in the run chase, rolled for 142 in the 32nd over to suffer their largest defeat in men's ODIs and hand Australia a 3-0 series whitewash.
Thankfully, not many people witnessed the woeful batting performance - only 10,406 fans walked through the MCG gates on Tuesday, the lowest attendance at the iconic venue for a men's ODI involving Australia.
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England captain Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to field first in the Victorian capital, a decision he would soon regret.
It was a nervy start for Head, who edged a delivery through the slips and successfully overturned an LBW decision after Hawkeye replays showed the ball narrowly pitched outside leg stump.
But once the white Kookaburra stopped swinging, it was all one-way traffic.
Australia was 0/64 at the end of the Powerplay, rarely offering chances once the fielding restrictions were lifted.
England’s bowlers struggled to consistency hit a good line and length, with Head and Warner smacking anything overpitched or short enough to pull through mid-wicket.
Player of the Match Head reached triple figures in just 91 deliveries before Warner followed suit, passing the milestone in 97 balls.
It was Warner’s first century in international cricket since January 2020 and his 18th ton in ODI cricket - the only Australian with more is the legendary Ricky Ponting.
During the knock, Warner also became the third-fastest cricketer to reach 6000 runs in men's ODIs.
Head and Warner are now statistically the best partnership in ODI history, averaging 85.07 at the crease together in the 50-over format. No pairing that has batted at least 10 times together in ODIs boasts a higher average.
“If we’re talking about the World Cup in 2023 - I think David Warner has just found his partner,” West Indies legend Brian Lara said on Fox Cricket commentary.
Head and Warner both fell victim to Olly Stone's pace in the 39th over before rain intervened, reducing the match to a 48-over contest.
West Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh provided some late fireworks, cracking 30 from 16 balls at the death as the hosts registered 5/355, the largest total at the MCG in ODIs.
Stone, playing his sixth ODI for England, finished with career-best figures of 4/85 from his 10 overs.
Travis Head has - not surprisingly - proved to be the perfect foil for Warner. Aus openers in complete control of this innings. #AUSvENG
— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) November 22, 2022
The MCG pitch starting playing tricks after the interval, seaming viciously off the surface during the Powerplay.
Josh Hazlewood snared the early breakthrough for Australia, removing Adelaide centurion Dawid Malan in the third over with a delivery that caught the inside edge.
Australian captain Pat Cummins then dismissed Jason Roy and Sam Billings in quick succession to leave England reeling at 3/66 in the 15th over.
When England No. 3 James Vince departed for 22 soon after, the result became a foregone conclusion.
Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa started to work his magic from the Shane Warne Stand End, claiming two wickets in consecutive deliveries to remove rival skipper Jos Buttler and all-rounder Chris Woakes cheaply.
The rest of England's lower-order toppled like dominoes.
"We've fallen a long way short," Buttler told BBC Test Match Special.
"It was always going to be a tough series for us coming off the back of the World Cup but it was just a few games too far.
"Fair play to Australia, they have outplayed us.
"It doesn't put any taint on the World Cup win at all for us. We're very happy with the tour, we've got exactly what we wanted from it."
Zampa finished with 4/31 from 5.4 overs, ending the series as the highest wicket-taker with 11 scalps. Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the talented tweaker has taken 52 ODI wickets at 18.07.
Australian spinner Adam Zampa is on a hat-trick at the MCG.
After dismissing England skipper Jos Buttler for 1, Zampa trapped Chris Woakes on the front pad for a golden duck the following delivery.
The hat-trick delivery was fended by Sam Curran into the leg-side.
Later that over, Zampa put down a return chance, denying himself a rare triple-wicket maiden.
Good field, but get a few more in there #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/WthEMSD7ii
— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) November 22, 2022
Australia's Adam Zampa has put down what can only be described as an absolute sitter at deep third man, gifting Moeen Ali an extra life and denying Mitchell Marsh his first wicket of the series.
England are in trouble at the MCG.
Australian skipper Pat Cummins has snared another breakthrough for the hosts, removing the dangerous Sam Billings for 7.
Billings top-edged a short delivery that Cummins himself caught near the edge of the pitch.
Concussion substitute Moeen Ali is the new man in the middle.
England opener Jason Roy struggled to discover any momentum in the middle this evening, and the Australian captain has ended hs misery.
Pat Cummins trapped Roy on the pads after the right-hander walked across his stumps, and a review couldn't save him.
Sam Billings is the new man in the middle.
Roy lbw!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 22, 2022
The review can't save him #AUSvENG pic.twitter.com/Kk92SR11qH
England's run chase is off to a horror start.
Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood has struck in his second over of the evening, removing Adelaide centurion Dawid Malan for 2.
Hazlewood got the ball to nip off the deck, catching the inside edge of Malan's bat before wicketkeeper Alex Carey claimed the chance.
James Vince is the new man in the middle.
Josh Hazlewood has the new balls in his hands, and the run chase is about to commence at the MCG.
England needed to chase 364 from 48 overs for victory.
Some late fireworks from Mitchell Marsh has helped Australia register 5/355 from their 48 overs.
The England run chase will commence in about 30 minutes.
Australia are just short of 300 in their innings with a chance to take off – but the weather has intervened.
Australia is 2/292 after 42.2 overs, but the covers are out.
"I'm not sure this will last long," former Australian batter Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket commentary.
Let's hope he's right.
Travis Head has slapped his highest ODI score for Australia in 152 in 130 balls but looks to have missed out on making history.
No Australian has ever scored an ODI double hundred but Head appeared destined to take the record off Shane Watson, who scored 185 in 2011 and is the highest score ever hit by an Aussie.
But Head went too hard at an Olly Stone ball, losing his leg stump.
There were still 11.2 overs left as well, which left plenty of time for Head to chase down the record if he could have stayed out there.
In all, it was the eight highest score ever at the MCG, and the 20th highest score by an Australian.
It's finally over.
David Warner departs for 106, caught at deep mid wicket off Olly Stone's bowling in the 39th over.
A wonderful partnership draws to a close, with the score on 269.
It's the second highest partnership in Australian ODI history, beaten only by David Warner and Travis Head's 284 run partnership against Pakistan in 2017.
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