- Published
Second one-day international, Adelaide
England 355-6 (50 overs): Banton 121, Cox 67, Root 62
Australia 220 all out (44.3 overs): Green 64, Renshaw 63; Atkinson 4-28
England won by 135 runs; series level at 1-1
Tom Banton scored a century and Sonny Baker and Gus Atkinson impressed with the ball as England's wildly inconsistent one-day team hammered Australia to set up a series decider.
asserted
team → publish → decider
Banton scored a fine 121 – pushing his case for selection further with a second ODI hundred – in England's 355-6.
asserted
Banton → score → England
After being knocked over for 131 two days ago in Perth, England's total was their highest in one-day internationals in Australia.
asserted
total → knock → Australia
And then their bowlers, who failed to defend 430 against Sri Lanka last month and were undone by an improbable last-wicket partnership against Pakistan, reduced Australia to 29-4 inside seven overs and easily closed out a 135-run victory.
asserted
who → fail → victory
The win ends a seven-match losing run against Australia across formats in Adelaide - and a run of six consecutive defeats by Australia in 50-over cricket away from home.
But, more significantly, it corrects their course after those damaging defeats against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Australia and offers positives amid the frustrations going into the decider on Wednesday (03:30 GMT) in Hobart.
asserted
it → end → Hobart
Will the real England please stand up?
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England → stand → ?
Before those defeats in Rawalpindi, Lahore and Perth, England had won three ODI series this year.
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England → win → series
This win only adds to the feeling they are extremely difficult to figure out.
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they → add → feeling
This England team has often struggled for new-ball wickets and Baker, brought in for Jamie Overton in an attempt to correct that fault, found significant swing.
asserted
Baker → struggle → swing
He took the key wicket of Australia captain Mitchell Marsh, taken high at slip by a diving Joe Root, for two.
asserted
He → take → two
Atkinson used nip to nick off Travis Head for seven – the second match in a row he has dismissed the Australia left-hander – and also have both Cooper Connolly and Josh Inglis caught behind.
asserted
Connolly → use → hander
Career-best figures of 4-28 are reward for good recent performance that have often gone unrewarded.
asserted
that → go → performance
They dropped four catches – first Inglis and then Matt Renshaw and Cameron Green, who made 63 and 64 respectively to drag out Australia's score.
asserted
who → drop → score
But by the end, Sam Curran had taken two wickets in two balls, including bowling Jack Edwards with his moon ball, in a boost after his poor run.
asserted
Curran → take → run
Green was also out stumped when the ball deflected off Jordan Cox's shin and onto the stumps and Liam Dawson took 2-41 as he was preferred again to Adil Rashid.
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he → stump → Rashid
These are the performances that suggest England can challenge at next year's World Cup, but plenty more are needed.
asserted
plenty → suggest → Cup
Banton pushes case again
Banton's chance as opener has come courtesy of Jacob Bethell's knee injury.
asserted
chance → push → injury
In nine innings, he has scored four fifties and two hundreds.
asserted
he → score → fifties
The spot should now be his going forward.
asserted
spot → go → ?
The 28-year-old right-hander was hit on the helmet on 10 by left-armer Spencer Johnson but afterwards attacked Adelaide's short square boundaries with his pull.
asserted
hander → hit → pull
A partnership of 137 with Joe Root was steady and important – given Ben Duckett had slashed to point for nine and the recent memory of Perth.
asserted
Duckett → give → Perth
It was Banton's hundred, 67 from 49 balls by Cox and 54 not out by Will Jacks that, with Australia's match-winner from the first ODI, Mahli Beardman, rested, took England to a dominant position, however.
asserted
winner → rest → position
Cox came in after captain Harry Brook, on five, deflected the ball onto his stumps when trying a ramp to push on the scoring.
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Brook → come → scoring
Jacks joined him when Banton holed out at deep square-leg after one too many of those pulls.
asserted
Banton → join → pulls
Cox and Jacks were scoring at a run a ball when taking England to 245-4 after 40 overs but together helped their side take 110 from the last.
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side → score → last
Cox, after a run of lower scores as he fills in for Jos Buttler, drove, cut, scooped and pulled.
asserted
he → fill → Buttler
He has one more chance in this series to push his case further - possibly more if Buttler does not recovery for the January series against South Africa.
uncertain
Buttler → have → Africa
"Banton has really found his flow for batting," former England captain Michael Vaughan said.
"I don't know who the person was to say 'you can open the batting in 50-over cricket, Tom' but it's been a tremendous move.
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it → find → cricket
He and Ben Duckett look a good combo.
asserted
He → look → ?
"Banton seems to have all the time, all the strokes.
asserted
Banton → seem → time
He's got the pull shot, he's got the drive down the ground and he plays spin great.
asserted
he → get → spin
He hasn't looked like he's trying to hard to score runs, he's just batted."
asserted
he → look → runs
The Aporia
