England v Australia: Hosts make record 481-6 in 242-run victory - BBC Sport
England make 481-6 - the highest one-day international total in history - as they crush Australia by 242 runs to seal the series.
Last updated on .From the section Cricket

England made the highest one-day international total in history as they crushed Australia by 242 runs to seal the series at Trent Bridge.

The hosts scored 481-6 in 50 overs - eclipsing their own 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.

"This is a poor Australian side who have been utterly dismantled," said BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew.

"It was ruthless from England. The wheels fell off for Australia."
• None England's biggest ODI win and Australia's heaviest defeat in terms of runs.
• None The record for most boundaries hit in an ODI with 62. The previous mark of 59 was held by England and Sri Lanka.
• None Morgan become the first batsman to score 3,000 ODI runs in England and Wales
• None 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.
• None Bairstow has hit four ODI centuries in 2018, equalling David Gower's record in a calendar year (1983).
• None 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."

How the record was broken

England appeared on course for something special when openers Jason Roy, who made 82, and Bairstow added 159 for the first wicket inside 20 overs.

Bairstow was happy to play second fiddle to Roy at first, the Surrey opener hitting four sixes in his 61-ball knock, including an incredible pull into the crowd at deep square leg off Billy Stanlake.

Once Roy was dismissed, Bairstow took control, mixing his more traditional shots along the ground with some brutal six-hitting.

Part-time bowler D'Arcy Short was pummelled for two sixes either side of the wicket as Australia captain Tim Paine, who won the toss, desperately sought a solution.

Australia ended up using eight bowlers as they tried to stem the flow of runs.

Hales struck 16 fours and five sixes in his devastating knock and when he partnered with Morgan, the pair put on 124 in only 61 balls.

Hales, on his home ground, admitted talk in the middle had turned to the possibility of 500, but that particular milestone was missed as wickets began to tumble.

"It's frightening to think that England probably should have got 500," England's leading Test wicket-taker James Anderson said on Test Match Special.

'As close as we've been to a perfect day'

Australia, needing almost 10 an over to get close to their target, played their shots but were never likely to get close to saving the series.

Only Travis Head was able to pass 50 as Rashid excelled once again and Moeen Ali took 3-28. This was the first time England's spinners have taken seven wickets against Australia in an ODI.

The pair now have 17 wickets between them in three matches in comparison to Ashton Agar's combined figures of 1-150 in 24 overs for Australia.

While England's fielding was tidy - Rashid and Moeen took a caught-and-bowled each and Bairstow effected a neat run-out - Australia were made to pay for their mistakes, in particular Marcus Stoinis' drop to reprieve Bairstow on 30.

"It's as close as we've ever been to a perfect day," said Morgan. "It's as complete as performance as we've produced over the past three years.

"Everybody needs to be credited. The level of intensity is something we haven't reached before.

"With the ball and the field there was no let-up. It's a huge credit to the guys.

"If we continue to improve at the rate we have in the past three years, we'll put ourselves in the best possible position to win the World Cup."