Australia's bowlers let it slip as Jos Buttler's game-changing ton inspires England win

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  • Buttler's unbeaten ton turned the game on its head.

    After the disappointment of the Ashes, England made sure they will return from Down Under with something to cheer about after beating Australia by 16 runs in the third ODI in Sydney to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

    Eoin Morgan‘s men became the first side to beat the hosts in their own backyard in an ODI series since Sri Lanka in 2010-11 after putting up an imposing total of 302-6 in their 50 overs.

    In reply, Steve Smith‘s men could only manage 286-6 as they once again failed to translate their dominant Test form to the limited-overs format.

    Here, we look at the good and the bad of the most competitive match of the series so far.

    THE GOOD

    JOS BUTTLER CHANGES MOMENTUM WITH SUPERB TON

    England did not get off to the best of starts with the bat and with wickets falling at regular intervals, the innings had failed to generate any momentum as we headed into the last 10 overs. Jos Buttler came into bat with the tourists at 107-4 and combined with skipper Eoin Morgan to give some stability to the innings.

    Following the dismissal of the skipper and Moeen Ali, Buttler came into his own in the death overs with Chris Woakes providing him the perfect support.

    The big hits came out as boundaries and sixes flowed like a river at the SCG. The two combined to score 102 runs in the final 10 overs with Buttler completing a sublime fifth ODI ton in the final over of the innings.

    The 27-year-old hit four huge sixes at the death to turn the match on its head as England went into the changing room with all the momentum in the world. Australia were left wondering what hit them.

    Buttler's brisk ton shifted the momentum in England's favour.

    Buttler’s brisk ton shifted the momentum in England’s favour.

    MARK WOOD SHOWS HIS CLASS 

    The 28-year-old has bowled well with great pace in the series so far but perhaps has not reaped the rewards his bowling deserved.

    On Sunday, he showed what a difference he makes for England’s limited-overs setup with a classy spell.

    Wood accounted for the big wickets of Steve Smith and Cameron White, having both batsmen caught behind by Buttler. He was extremely economical in his spell too, going for just 46 runs in his quota of 10 overs and his bowling at the death was the final nail in the coffin for the Aussies as the required-rate for the hosts shot up.

    Seeing Wood bowl with such pace and accuracy makes one wonder if England missed a trick by not picking him for any of the Ashes Tests.

    Wood rocked Australia with two wickets and an extremely tight spell.

    Wood rocked Australia with two wickets and an extremely tight spell.

    THE BAD

    MOEEN ALI’S MISERABLE AUSTRALIAN SUMMER WITH THE BAT CONTINUES

    The England all-rounder had an abysmal Ashes series with both bat and ball, more so the former. After scoring a combined total of just 179 runs in nine innings in the Test series, Ali would have been hoping that the limited-overs format could inspire a turnaround in form and fortunes.

    However, the narrative hasn’t changed. After being dismissed for just one run in the win at Brisbane, things did not get any better for the 30-year-old in Sydney.

    He was even given a lifeline after Cameron White put down a sitter but failed to make the most of the break. Eventually Ali played on a Mitchell Marsh delivery for just six runs as his miserable form with the bat continued.

    Moeen Ali's horrid tour with the bat continued.

    Moeen Ali’s horrid tour with the bat continued.

    AUSTRALIA LET IT SLIP AT THE DEATH

    On a pitch where the ball was not coming onto the bat as well as England’s batsmen would have liked, the Aussies had the visitors on the ropes at 189-6 in the 39th over.

    That is when it started to go all horribly wrong for the hosts.

    The pacers simply had no answer to Buttler’s and Woakes’ late assault as they leaked runs heavily in the final 10 overs of play. Over 100 runs came in the last 60 deliveries as the bowlers continually missed their mark in the midst of some sensational hitting, handing the advantage to the Englishmen at the change of innings.

    The bucket-load of runs conceded in the death overs on a difficult wicket was what ultimately cost Australia the match and the series as they allowed England a total which was at least 30 runs over par.

    The pacers had no answers as Buttler and Woakes made merry at the death.

    The pacers had no answers as Buttler and Woakes made merry at the death.

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