Chester-Le-Street: England put an end to Australia's 14-match ODI winning streak in dramatic fashion at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday IST, securing a 46-run victory via the DLS method in the third ODI. This marked England's first win in the format since December 2023.
Chasing a challenging target of 305, England looked in trouble early, stumbling to 11/2. However, a match-turning partnership of 156 between Harry Brook, who scored a barnstorming maiden ODI century, and Will Jacks, who contributed a solid 84, brought the hosts back into contention.
Brook’s remarkable innings was further supported by Liam Livingstone, whose quickfire 33* from just 20 balls ensured England edged ahead of the DLS par score as rain halted play during the chase.
The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 champions, Australia, were aiming to extend their ODI winning streak to 15, which would have been two clear of the second-best streak in men's ODI history.
However, their dream of surpassing that milestone was dashed by England's spirited performance. Australia’s record chase began during last year’s World Cup campaign.
Australia's men's record for consecutive ODI wins remains with their 2003 squad, which achieved 21 straight victories, culminating in World Cup triumph. Meanwhile, Australia’s women's team holds the overall record with 26 consecutive wins from 2018 to 2021.
A victory in Chester-le-Street would have elevated Australia to the top spot in the ICC Men's ODI Team Rankings, surpassing India. However, the loss leaves them three ratings points behind India (118 points), while South Africa, despite their recent series defeat to Afghanistan, hold third place with 108 points.
The fourth ODI in the five-match series between England and Australia is scheduled for Friday.
