England Misses To Score 500 Runs in ODI, Smashes Highest Total 481-6
England made the highest one-day international total in history as they crushed Australia by 242 runs to seal the series at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
The hosts scored 481-6 in 50 overs , eclipsing their own record of 444-3, set against Pakistan at the same venue in 2016.
Alex Hales hit 147 and Jonny Bairstow 139 as England briefly threatened to post 500 in the third ODI.
Australia were bowled out for 239 in 37 overs as Adil Rashid took 4-47.
England’s win, which gave them an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series with two games to play, came only 11 days after New Zealand made the highest total in a women’s ODI – 490-4 against Ireland in Dublin.
While the innings of Hales and Bairstow, which both lasted 92 balls, laid the platform, Skipper Eoin Morgan provided the late impetus with a rapid 67.
The left-hander hit a 21-ball half-century, the fastest by an England player, in becoming his country’s all-time top ODI run-scorer.
Record-breaking England:
• Highest men’s one-day international total.
• England’s biggest ODI win and Australia’s heaviest defeat in terms of runs.
• The record for most boundaries hit in an ODI with 62. The previous mark of 59 was held by England and Sri Lanka.
• Morgan become the first batsman to score 3,000 ODI runs in England and Wales
• Bairstow is only the eighth player to score four centuries in six ODI innings, after Virat Kohli, David Warner, Quinton de Kock,
Kumar Sangakkara, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Zaheer Abbas.
• Bairstow has hit four ODI centuries in 2018, equalling David Gower’s record in a calendar year (1983).
• Bairstow & Roy recorded their fourth century opening stand, equalling the England record shared by Nick Knight and Marcus
Trescothick.
‘England are the best team in the world’
Australia are without their first-choice bowling attack in this series, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins are sidelined with injury but England have done this before at Trent Bridge.
Their 444-3 against Pakistan last year’s Champions Trophy winners came just 12 months after they chased down 349-7 to beat New Zealand in 2015.
And coming less than 12 months before they host the 2019 World Cup, they play Pakistan at Trent Bridge in the group stages, this was another indicator that they deserve their tag of pre-tournament favourites.
Holders Australia, who are ranked sixth in the world, are second favourites but on the evidence of this performance they have much work to do.
Their bowling was flogged and, for the third time in the series, their batting faltered against England spinners Rashid and Moeen Ali.
“We’re a long way off,” said Australia captain Tim Paine. “England are red hot – the best team in the world.
“Everyone has a plan for the World Cup. We have six guys to come back into this squad. Whereas today was as tough as it gets, today was the best place for our young team to learn.”