Potts bowls England to big win over Australia after Livingstone attack | cricket

An international summer that has turned into the cold chill of autumn is set to be decided this Sunday after England secured an electrifying 186-run victory over Australia at Lord’s. Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone were real crime bosses with the bat, Jofra Archer and his Quick colleagues were very similar with the ball in their hands.

It felt more like a Six Nations contest at Twickenham than a one-day international at the Home of Cricket as rain gave way to a shortened game. Scarves and bobble hats were all the rage among onlookers, pints wobbled in shaking hands. But England were red-hot, searching for 312 for five from 39 overs – Livingstone took Mitchell Starc for 28 off the last six balls – before the tourists were bowled out for 126 all out.

Livingstone was devastating at the end of an innings already driven by Brook and a 58-ball 87 that surpassed his form from his century at Chester-le-Street. The all-rounder hit Starc with four sixes and a four in that final over, with his unbeaten 62 from 27 balls warming up the crowd. The role of Ben Duckett, who scored 63 points after overcoming some tricky early moves, should not be overlooked either.

But perhaps the most heartening sight was Archer playing his first match at Lord’s since his stunning Ashes debut five years ago, unleashing 33 deuces. He also lit up Mitch Marsh’s balls with a beauty that shot inside and up the slope. He wiped out the dangerous Glenn Maxwell and delivered a forearm blow to Marnus Labuschagne that would have been bone-crushing on another day. After this horrific series of injuries, the real Archer appears to have returned.

Although Durham pair Brydon Carse and Matthew Potts would probably like to have a say here as they shared seven wickets in a procession. Carse ended Travis Head’s incendiary start – the left-hander eventually missed one for 34 – and took three for 36. Potts caught the advancing Steve Smith and later caught three from four balls, taking Australia’s hopes from unlikely to impossible.

“It was a very special achievement,” said Brook, England’s stand-in captain. “All bases there were covered tonight. We obviously put together a great bowling attack with those three seamers. It was phenomenal to see.”

This was a less febrile affair than last summer’s Ashes clash here, although there was a nod to the day when Australia’s wicketkeeper was again the target of boos during England’s first innings. This time, however, Josh Inglis was the pantomime villain. Alex Carey played as a special hitter while Cameron Green was sidelined with a potentially serious lower back injury. And all in all it felt a bit hard.

Inglis had won a catch-down leg against Brook on the 17th, unaware that the ball had bounced millimeters in front of his gloves as it dived. Be that as it may, the dull chants of the “same old Aussies” were a footnote, rendered into relative insignificance by the recent signs of Brooks’ growing mastery of ODI cricket as he progressed to a 37-ball half-century with some crisp ball striking urged.

Similar to the first hundredth in this format on Tuesday, Brook managed to run along without ever seeming to be in a rush. The shortened innings made the task easier, even after a subdued powerplay after Marsh opted to bowl. No green also meant Marsh turned his arm for the first time since April, deceiving Will Jacks with an outswinger after Josh Hazlewood had ended Phil Salt’s stop-start 22 at the top.

But England soon upped the ante, Brook and Duckett combining for a stand of 79 from 53 balls in which the returning Adam Zampa was deliberately targeted. Jamie Smith contributed 39 from 28 as Zampa got revenge on Duckett, although he learned a lesson when a shy of the stumps from Inglis hit the mark. Smith hadn’t turned in his racket and had just landed his heel over the line at the time of impact.

The ball bounced four times, much to the delight of the audience. Although the decibel levels rose even higher when Livingstone began swinging his bat like a blacksmith in the forge, muscled seven powerful sixes to push his side well beyond their level, while at the other end young Jacob Bethell was just a spectator was. Starc, one of the greatest death bowlers in history, was quite confused.

In response, Australia responded briefly, with Head typically tackling the quick attacks with mustachioed bravura, even clearing the mound stand with a pull shot.

But the two white Kookaburras did a lot under the lights and when Carse ended Head’s fun and took out Potts Smith for the second time, the quicks were swarming and the last six wickets fell for just 28 runs.

A series that began with concerns that an experienced Australian side would be too strong for a rebooted England now heads to Bristol for a winner-take-all final. The hope now is that the gloomy weather forecast is also wrong.