(ESPNCRICINFO) – Harry Brook’s scintillating maiden ODI hundred led England to victory over Australia at Chester-le-Street, a seemingly daunting chase handled with some comfort before the rain arrived to produce a 46-run margin on Duckworth-Lewis-Stern. England’s first win in the format since December kept the series alive with two to play, whilst also ending Australia’s 14-game winning run stretching back to the 2023 World Cup.
Brook’s inexperienced side looked to be in trouble after failing to contain Australia with the ball despite helpful conditions early on, Alex Carey’s unbeaten 77 leading the cavalry charge in the second half of the innings. England then stumbled to 11 for 2 in the fourth over, Mitchell Starc removing both openers in the space of five balls.

But a stand of 156 between Brook and Will Jacks, who made 84, flipped the chase on its head. Although Jacks and Jamie Smith were both bounced out by Cameron Green, Brook was joined by Liam Livingstone in another pulsating stand that brought the requirement down to 51 from 74 balls, at which point the weather closed in.

Brook walked off unbeaten on 110 from 94 balls, with 15 boundaries, having become the youngest England captain to score a century in ODIs. Australia were without a key member of their attack, with Adam Zampa missing through illness – they also opted to rest Travis Head – but this was nevertheless a hugely encouraging performance and a vital demonstration of what England’s new-look batting line-up could achieve after two costly implosions at Trent Bridge and Headingley.
Australia’s greater nous had appeared likely to determine the result shortly after the innings break. Faced with making what would have been the second-highest successful chase at the Riverside – after the 311 overhauled against the same opponents in 2018 – England started badly, Phil Salt chipping Starc’s eighth ball to midwicket and Ben Duckett edging a drive to be caught at backward point.

Both Jacks and Brook were quick to show glimpses of what they could do, even amid the wreckage. Jacks clipped his fourth ball, from Hazlewood, serenely back down the ground to long-on, while Brooks’ fifth, a slightly overpitched delivery from Starc, disappeared through extra cover.
By and large they batted watchfully at the outset, occasionally attempting to play with the bowlers’ lengths such as when Jacks advanced to thrash Hazlewood through the off side. England were 45 for 2 at the end of the first powerplay – Australia had been 41 for 1 – and began to open up as Mitchell Marsh shuffled through his bowling options. Brook slapped Glenn Maxwell’s first ball over the head of mid-off, then did the same to Matthew Short with an even bigger hit that sailed all the way.

Brook went to a 54-ball fifty in the same over, his first since taking up the captaincy as cover for the injured Jos Buttler. The hundred partnership arrived two balls later, before Jacks brought up his own half-century, from 55 balls, as the volume levels in the home crowd began to increase. The atmosphere only became more raucous when Starc’s sixth over was ransacked for 19, his third-most expensive in ODIs: Jacks driving and pulling fours before Brook capped the over with a lofted drive over cover.

The momentum was now with England and, although Jacks fell via an uppercut to deep third before Jamie Smith’s top-edged pull ended up in the hands of deep backward square leg, Brook was unperturbed, back-to-back fours off Starc taking him to three figures for only the second time in List A cricket.
Livingstone had by then already struck two of his first seven balls for six and, with the threat of rain in the air, sped England ahead of the DLS requirement with another flurry of boundaries, the result well beyond doubt by the time heavy rain arrived.