England 240 for 4 (Stokes 102*, Morgan 87) beat Australia 277 for 9 (Head 71, Finch 68, Smith 56, Wood 4-33, Rashid 4-41) by 40 runs (DLS method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Seamer Mark Wood claimed career-best ODI figures of 4 for 33 © Getty Images
As per a chorus in the Eric Hollies Stand cribbed from Three Lions and directed at Aaron Finch, Australia are going home. That they are doing so has less to do with damp English weather than the verve of the home side, personified by the pace of Mark Wood, the guile of Adil Rashid, the leadership of Eoin Morgan and the raw power of Ben Stokes.
This was a meeting between a confident, aggressive England favoured to lift the Champions Trophy and an out-of-season Australia playing their first completed match of the trip. With the bat and then the ball, Steven Smith’s side hinted at their full capability, but were unable to follow through as Morgan’s men proved much the more resilient team when challenged. Having themselves knocked out New Zealand, a delighted Bangladesh are into the semi-finals.
England did not lose their way when Finch and Smith set a commendable platform for Australia, and held their nerve once again when Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc nipped the new ball about with venom to pick up three early wickets. By contrast Australia’s innings featured a pair of collapses, then an inability to wrestle momentum back once Morgan and Stokes found their range after a brief rain delay.
More to follow
Daniel Brettig is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. @danbrettig
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo